Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories
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REPORT ON ISRAELI SETTLEMENT IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES A Bimonthly Publication of the Foundation for Middle East Peac e Volum e 20 N umber 1 January-February 2010 A CHASTENED OBAMA SEARCHES FOR A NEGOTIATING STRATEGY By Geoffrey Aronson mitment to progress (see story page 10), nine months. “The United States,” reit - the president’s statements, made on the erated Clinton on January 8, 2010, After a year of well-intentioned but eve of Mitchell’s visit to the region, were “believes that through good faith nego - counterproductive diplomatic effort, widely interpreted as an admission of tiations, the parties can mutually agree President Barack Obama’s interest in failure and lowered expectations (see on an outcome which ends the conflict and ability to achieve a diplomatic solu - story page 7). and reconciles the Palestinian goal of an tion to the conflict between Israel and This atmosphere is being fed by the independent and viable state based on the Palestinians appear to be waning. absence of an agreed upon mechanism the 1967 lines with agreed swaps, and In a common assessment of the for diplomatic engagement, a situation the Israeli goal of a Jewish state with impact of the stunning Republican vic - not experienced since the darkest days secure and recognized borders that tory in the Massachusetts Senate race, of the second intifada. reflect subsequent developments and Ha’aretz’s Aluf Benn wrote, “Obama U.S. officials have recognized since meet Israeli security requirements.” spent his first year in office on fruitless mid-year that their promotion of a set - Both Israeli prime minister Benjamin diplomatic moves that failed to restart tlement freeze was an impediment Natenyahu and Abbas well understand talks between Israel and the Palestin- rather than a gateway to negotiations on that Washington’s aspiration to solve the ians. From now on, it will be harder for issues of final status (see story page 4). conflict creates a contest for each to tilt Obama. Congressional support is essen - The damage sustained in that effort, the new, emerging “rules of the game” in tial to the political process and in the however, has continued to plague U.S. their favor. Neither has been satisfied by current political atmosphere in the efforts to create an agreed foundation Washington’s effort. Obama’s downbeat U.S.—in which the parties are especially for a renewal of talks. “As long as settle - assessment, followed by his domestic polarized—Netanyahu can rely on ment activity does not stop and we don’t political travails, has discouraged Pale- Republican support to thwart pressure know which international principles will stinian expectations of effective Ameri- on Israel.” guide the peace talks,” explained can leadership, while encouraging In comments to Time magazine (see Palestine Liberation Organization Netanyahu and his political allies in page 8), Obama placed himself at the chairman Mahmoud Abbas, “we won’t their belief that just as with the settle - head of a growing chorus of voices return to the negotiating table with ment freeze, an American peace “plan” expressing disenchantment with a diplo - Israel.” can be neutralized. matic impasse that Washington’s efforts Since late summer 2009, the U.S. has An effort to stack the American during the past year have, if anything, been anxious to move beyond the focus diplomatic effort with “made in Israel” exacerbated. Notwithstanding extraordi - on a settlement freeze that it earlier ideas is at the heart of Netanyahu’s nary declarations over the past year by championed. Secretary of State Hillary negotiating agenda. On the one hand, U.S. officials of an American national Rodham Clinton now notes frequently there is an ongoing effort to win U.S. interest in a solution to the conflict, that “Resolving borders resolves settle - endorsement of Israel’s security agenda there is today an unprecedented lack of ments; resolving Jerusalem resolves set - on the West Bank as it has in Gaza, clarity to U.S. intentions and, as a con - tlements.” The U.S. effort has been including a permanent Israeli military sequence, to the stalled diplomatic effort focused since October 2009 on winning presence in the West Bank and control spearheaded by Washington. Just days Israeli and Palestinian agreement to of the border with Jordan, as well as after special envoy George Mitchell, in “terms of reference” that will enable a support for the vague concept of “settle - an extended television interview, spoke renewal of direct talks aimed at estab - at length of the continuing U.S. com - lishing an agreed upon border within STRATEGY , continued on page 7 TO OUR READERS FOUNDATION FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE Ten years after 9/11 made combating causes, the risk stays high. terrorism the main focus of American for - No single cause drives anti-American Merle Thorpe, Jr. eign policy, the problem has not dimin - terrorism. Western troops in Muslim coun - Founder ished. The continuing threats against tries is one. But the “elephant” in our living (1917–1994) American and western targets, of which the room is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. attempted bombing of a U.S. airliner was Israel’s occupation and settlements, and the Philip C. Wilcox, Jr. the most recent, proves that something is perception that the U.S. is Israel’s enabler, President still wrong with our strategy. are what one analyst calls the “prism of Geoffrey Aronson The message from our officials and pain” that inflames Arab and Muslim soci - Director, Research and media, a post-9/11 replay, is that we need eties worldwide and breeds terrorism. Publications, Editor, Report on better intelligence analysis and coordina - President Obama and his deputies have Israeli Settlement in the Occupied tion to “connect the dots,” as well as im- acknowledged this, indirectly, by calling the Territories proved technologies to create a “fail-safe” Israeli-Palestinian conflict a national secu - Nitzan Goldberger system. rity threat. But as the President’s peace Waseem Mardini Amazingly, there has been almost no efforts threaten to founder on the shoals of Editorial Assistants mention in this debate of acknowledging Israel’s settlement and Jerusalem policies and applying policies to better deal with and Palestinian fratricide, some are repeat - Holly Dagres the motivation of extremists, primarily in ing the mantra that “only the parties them - Monica Kamen Interns the Arab and Muslim world, who want to selves can make peace.” That is true in the kill us. end. But without tougher, more persuasive TRUSTEES Smart counter-terrorism policy needs to U.S. diplomacy, the conflict will fester and address the causes, not just the symptoms America’s national security will remain at Landrum R. Bolling of this evil. Security and intelligence meth - risk. Calvin H. Cobb, Jr. ods can and should be improved, but unless James J. Cromwell we are dealing aggressively with the root Peter Gubser Stephen Hartwell —————— N —————— Richard S.T. Marsh Richard W. Murphy ENFORCING THE SETTLEMENT FREEZE: AN ISRAELI VIEW Jean C. Newsom Gail Pressberg William B. Quandt Nicholas A. Veliotes The Foundation, a non- profit I.R.C. 501(c)(3) organization, supports peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians through mutual recognition and a negotiated division of historic Pales- tine. It publishes the bi- monthly Report on Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories . Copyright © 2010 Sign up to receive the Report by e-mail, to be notified of events in Washington, D.C., and more. Visit us at www.fmep.org. 2 O Report on Israeli Settlement January-February 2010 A TESTIMONIAL TO STEADFASTNESS On December 10, 2009 Al Haq, the pioneering Palestinian come at night to his house and shot around to scare him and human rights organization, celebrated its 30th anniversary. On his family. When he described how he would be working in this occasion the announcement was made of the winner of Al the field and they came to him and held their gun at him, he Haq’s first Annual Human Rights Award, Sabri Gharib. Raja would say: “Shoot me. I don’t care to [if I] die.” When we Shehadeh, one of the founding members of the Organization, wrote heard this from him we knew, just as the settlers did, that he the following tribute to Gharib. meant it and that this was why the settlers left him alone. Any other man would have taken to the wind and ruan. Not Sabri Gharib, the recipient of the First Annual Al-Haq Sabri. “This is my land,” he would say, “I inherited it from my Human Rights Award, was too ill to come himself to receive father and I will leave it to my children. Nothing matters but the award. The struggle over the past thirty years with the God and the land.” Jewish settlers to save his land has had its toll on his health. Whenever I found myself struggling for our much sought He sent one of his sons on his behalf. There is no doubt that after Palestinian state, I would remind myself that to someone Sabri never sought recognition, reward, publicity, or financial like Sabri, his struggle was not nationalist or in any way reward. In the course of his thirty-year-struggle, he simply abstract but a concrete, specific fight to save the land which wanted to preserve his land. By choosing him as the first was he felt had been entrusted in to him by those who pre - recipient of its annual award, Al-Haq was not only rewarding ceded him and which he was under a solemn obligation to him, but also the Palestinian people. In a sense, this presenta - pass on to his descendants. tion of an award to a hero like Sabri is a selfish act on Al- As the years passed, the single settlement near his house Haq’s part.