Israel Should Beware of Wolves in Obama Clothing

US Secretary of State John Kerry has made at least a dozen visits to various Middle East countries since taking over from Hillary Clinton. And in the past few days, after last-minute talks with Palestinian officials, Kerry has seemingly made a step toward relaunching the long-stalled Mideast peace process. He announced Friday that Israel and the Palestinians have agreed on the basis for returning to negotiations. The two sides are to meet soon to work out final details on resuming negotiations on the toughest issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including borders, the fate of Palestinian refugees and security arrangements. Up to the last minute, the Palestinians had been reluctant to sign on to Kerry's formula for returning to the table with the Israelis. As late as yesterday, the Palestinian leadership said it was demanding that any negotiations on final borders between Israel and a Palestinian state be based on the cease-fire line that existed from 1949 until the 1967 war, when Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. Israel has consistently rejected preconditions on the talks. But Kerry held talks Friday morning with top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat in Amman, Jordan, and then spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Kerry then helicoptered to the West Bank to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. Back in Amman, Kerry told reporters, "We have reached an agreement that establishes the basis for resuming direct final status negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis." He added, "This is a significant and welcome step forward." Israeli and Palestinian chief negotiators - Tzipi Livni and Erekat - will hold initial talks in Washington "within the next week or so," Kerry added. He would not give further details. "The best way to give these negotiations a chance is to keep them private," he said. "We know that the challenges require some very tough choices in the days ahead. Today, however, I am hopeful." Kerry has been in the region since Monday, meeting in person with Abbas three times this week. By contrast, he did not see Netanyahu in person at all, but spoke to him numerous times by phone. Netanyahu's office said it would not comment on Kerry's announcement. President Barack Obama asked Netanyahu to work with Kerry "to resume negotiations with Palestinians as soon as possible," according to a statement released by the White House late Thursday. And Thursday night, the Palestinian leadership did not repeat its demand for a settlement freeze, but officials said they wanted guarantees the 1967 lines would be the basis for talks, saying that if Israel accepts that point, most of the settlements would become illegitimate. Kerry's announcement suggested that the issue had been resolved. ~~~~~ Dear readers, previous Israeli governments have twice negotiated on the basis of the 1967 lines, with talks on land exchanges. But besides disagreeing over how much land to trade and where, the two sides could not agree on other key issues, such as dividing Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees. Netanyahu has been reserved in his endorsement of the idea of a Palestinian state but has not explained his view concerning boundaries. He has also demanded that the Palestinians recognize Israel as the Jewish state. Palestinians reject that, concerned that it would undermine their claims that millions of refugees and their descendants have the right to return to their original homes, lost in the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation. And Israel has rejected that claim outright. Palestinian president Abbas has said that Kerry would endorse the 1967 lines as the starting point for negotiations and assured the Palestinians that Israel would also free some 350 prisoners gradually in the coming months. The prisoners would include some 100 men that Israel convicted of crimes committed before interim peace accords were signed in 1993. Israel has balked at freeing these prisoners in the past because many were convicted of deadly attacks. ~~~~~ There are mountains to climb by both Palestine and Israel before a final peace deal can be reached. While the whole world wants these new negotiations to succeed, I fear that the American Secretary of State is representing Palestine and Obama's search for some sort of meaningful legacy, rather than being the "honest broker" who understands and represents the desires and needs of both Israel and Palestine. President Obama has already tossed Iraq and Afghanistan to the wolves. He has abandoned Syrian citizens to the tender mercies of the Iranian Ayatollahs. He has found no reason to intervene in the troubled waters of South American political turmoil aimed at destroying America's influence on the continent. People of good faith everywhere should watch carefully what happens in the next few months as Israel tries to comply with Obama's wishes while maintaining its territorial integrity and its hope for a peaceful future. Nothing Mr. Obama has said or done so far gives me any comfort that he really cares about either of these esential Israeli goals.