The Trick Up Obama’s Sleeve Is an ‘Unannounced’ Freeze
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Then presidential candidate Barack Obama with Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, July 23, 2008.
Photo Credit: Issam Rimawi / FLASH90
Palestinian Authority PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is willing to accept an “unannounced” freeze on building by Jews in Judea and Samaria as a lever to return to talks with Israel, The New York Times reported Thursday.
The newspaper, which often floats trial balloons for the Obama administration or reflects the government’s intentions, said it obtained a document written by PA negotiator Saeb Erekat in which it was stated that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu “can pledge to you secretly that he will stop settlement activities during the period of negotiation.”
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas forcefully attacked “illegal settlements’ at his joint press conference with President Barack Obama in Ramallah early Thursday afternoon, but President Obama explicitly said that Abbas cannot continue to demands that Israel accept all of his territorial and political demands before sitting down for “negotiations” when there is nothing left to negotiate.
The New York Times report will help President Obama put more pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu to let both Abbas and the American government to climb down from the weak limb of the “peace process.” which has been the cornerstone of American involvement in the attempt by the Palestinian Authority to establish an independent country based on the Temporary Armistice Lines drawn in 1949, otherwise known as the Green Line.
The report in Times provides convenient pressure on Israel, and Israel’s Channel 2 star analyst Ehud Ya’ari said, almost on cue, that he thinks Israel should withdraw from most of Judea and Samaria.
He asserted that the United Nations would recognize the move, a dubious possibility considering that the General Assembly last November gave de facto recognition to the Palestinian Authority sovereignty over all of the land that Abbas demands.
With Obama having the media’s back and the Times’ report floating around the web, President Obama has all his cards in place for his speech to Israeli university students and guest at the Jerusalem Convention Center Thursday night.
He will be at his oratorical best and is bound to deliver a powerful speech playing on emotions that are evoked by recalling the Holocaust and the deaths of more than 22,000 Israeli soldiers in Arab wars.
The president probably will probably not miss the opportunity to make an obscene comparison between the Exodus of the Jewish People from slavery in Egypt, as retold on the Passover holiday next week, and the Arabs in the Palestinian Authority.
As a warm-up, Obama said in Ramallah that PA Arabs deserve “dignity” that it is prevented by the lack of a Palestinian state, which, as every State Dept. clerk knows, is in turn prevented by “settlements.” The same foreign experts also knew that Jewish settlements in Gaza were the obstacle to peace.
The Hamas rocket attacks on Sderot early Thursday were a chilling reminder of the price Israel paid to advance the “war process,” but President Obama, of course, saw the latest missile attacks as proof that Israel has to stop the settlements” in Judea and Samaria in order to make peace with the Arabs.
But President Obama did not force the issue too hard in the press conference in Ramallah. His failure to publicly demand that Israel withdraw to the 1967 borders was met with an unhappy face by Abbas. Virtually all media outlets headlined that Obama chickened out from demanding that Israel accept a building freeze.
But the president is too smart to cause a commotion when he wants calm. He spared no condemnation for settlements, which he said are illegal.
He was careful with his words and insisted that he came to the region to “listen” to Prime Minister Netanyahu and Abbas to understand what they steps will take to advance the “peace process.”
In other words, Israel better accept the tiniest of supposed compromise by Abbas, such as “unannounced” freeze, or risk war, which was the result of Israeli concessions in Clinton’s Oslo Accords, which was the result of Israeli concessions in Bush’s Roadmap Plan, and which was the result of Israel’s grandiose withdrawal from Gaza.
An “unannounced” settlement freeze may not come tonight or tomorrow, but if Abbas makes the “great compromise,” he will have crawled back into the arms of President Obama. He also will have returned to the old game of playing the card of compromise to win a no-compromise deal.
tell a friendAbout the Author: Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu is a graduate in journalism and economics from The George Washington University. He has worked as a cub reporter in rural Virginia and as senior copy editor for major Canadian metropolitan dailies. Tzvi wrote for Arutz Sheva for several years before joining the Jewish Press.
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it's the same old bullshit.israel should not fall into this political trap.
President Obama is telling the Jewish people to have PEACE they need to divide Israel with Palestine, the day that happens is when America gives back California and Texas to Mexico. I love Israel and stand for them to do what's right for it's people and not listen to Obama.
Benjamin Netanyahu supports a Palestinian State, too.
Wow, Bibi gets to do what the world demands without formally announcing it, and the JP readership cries "foul." Peace demands justice. Chopping up the land of the Palestinian people is not just. As my president has stated, the Palestinian State must be free and contiguous. And yes, the whole world is watching.
" Chopping up the land of the Palestinian people "
Exactly when, and by what law or legal process, did any of the land become "the land of the Palestinian people"?
Bill Bilek you make a point but also reflect confusion, because the Arabs are taking on a Jewish identity, as Palestine used to refer to Israel and the Jews. So it's all been co-opted by fake personhood, fake statehood, and still, with all the proof, the world wants to ignore that the Arabs are trying to finish Hitler's work. They don't want land, they want no Jews. When the lies are openly acknowledged, and acted upon in common sense, peace will come to Israel, if not to the Arabs, who never have peace.
Cathy- And where do suggest the millions of Palestinians live? Or do you want to follow Hitler's lead and just kill them all?
Cathy- And where do suggest the millions of Palestinians live? Or do you want to follow Hitler's lead and just kill them all?
Bill Bilek -The green line, the mandate, international law, common decency. (EDITOR-Will you censor this reply again?)
I just saw a film from after the war in the 60's where Palestinian, then calling themselves Arabs, we saying they didn't want to live with Jews, they just wanted the Israelis to let them go back to Palestine, their land… by their own word, Jordan…
Tha palis have had numerous opportunities to have their state. Each time they atatck and kill more Jews. Gaza is the perfect example. There will eventually be TWO plai states, not one contiguous. To do so means surrendering Israel's sovereign territory to a peoples both of whose charters call for killing all Jews. I realize Michael hasn't bothered reading the OFFICIAL PA charter on file at the UN – which despite the promises at Oslo still calls Israel a "criminal Zionist entity" and calls for "the killing of all Jews." Same as Hamas' charter.
But I agree to allowing the palis having those states. Israel should immediately recognize them and afford the palis full sovereignty! With that, finish and secure the border fences! Terminate ALL pali work permits and provide them to workers from FRIENDLY states! End all Israeli subsidies to the palis! Move all the Israeli factories to Sderot! Cease all pali access to Israeli hospitals and Universities! End all Israeli delivery of free and subsidized energy supplies! Conduct trade on a like for like basis: If the palis ban Israeli goods, Israel ban pali goods! Exchange territory, dunam for dunam, settlement bloc for the Arab Triangle! The plais can accept to their two states any and all ALLEGED refugees! And make it very clear to the palis that any attack – ANY ATTACK – is an act of war which would be responded to with complete and overwhelming resources.
The palis are receiving BILLIONS in aid from the US, Europe, and the Arab States. They can siphon some away from their leaders' Swiss accts to help the people.
" Bibi gets to do what the world demands without formally announcing it, and the JP readership cries "foul." "
Jews should have cried "foul" in 1939, but didn't. FINALLY Jews have woken up. Michael is the type of Jew that, when being sent to the ovens he hears a Jew complaining about genocide and would turn to the Jew and tell him to "shut up" and "stop causing trouble"
since when has the land belonged to the palestians, or those who were once known as the philistines, as the Lord G-d made a covenant with Abraham, who said that in Isaac Abraham's seed would be called, and since those are the Jews or Israelites to whom He promised to give them the land of Israel Psalm 105 verse 3-4-5
Michael D Blum seems to me the palestinian are more murderous in their heart then the Israelites or Jews are. who fear the Lord G-d "thou shalt not kill" whereas palestinians believe in Allah, who tells them to kill all infidels. so cathy is right, you and your ilk are trying to finish Hitler's work. Why cant we set up a state for the palestinians in Russsia and bring the Jews home from there? also in Chronicles 2 verse 6 It is written.`But I have chosen Jerusalem that my Name might be there.
Arie's Pragmatic Politics -Sure fence them into their own Warsaw ghetto and starve them to death. Did you learn NOTHING from the Holocaust?
Sientje Seinen -I prefer to study my religion as taught by other Jews, not Christians who believe I will burn in hell if I do not accept their Lord. Puhleeze.
Arie's Pragmatic Politics – And as to what kind of Jew I am, you have n idea, but you reveal much of your own capacity for empathy with other human beings, Jews and non-Jews, by posting such hateful comments.
Emperior O’s agenda is insidious, do not ever forget that he is firstly and foremostly a Muslim.
HUSSEIN Obama is NOT to be trusted. Judge him by his actions, he’s an Islamic terrorist enabler. He and John Kerry want to give the PA terrorists hundreds of millions more. If Israel had real leadership they would destroy the PA & Hamas, send them up to Syria.
Obama cannot be trusted. Israel is a tiny country and should not give up any more land for peace. Israel gave the Palestines Gaza and in return Israel got rockets raining down on its people even during obama visit. The PLO/Hammas want a one state solution meaning they want an end to Israel. This will never happen. Obama needs again should not be trusted.
Israel gave up Gaza for peace. Ten thousand rockets later (just four yesterday) and the world still applauds the kihadists that allied with Hitler with obama leading the applause
the game is give & take /// you got to give in order to take. in the case of Israel & Pa , Israel ( illegally Settling ) people in order to Establish the new border. Pa has to get to negotiating table before more ( illegal settlements take place ) cause it would be harder to get the lands back /// 2 state solution is the only peaceful way to settle the dispute , 2 parties should take part in dialogue before gets out of hands.
Israel gave up Gaza for peace. Ten thousand rockets later (just four yesterday) and the world still applauds the kihadists that allied with Hitler with obama leading the applause
Every Israeli administration has fallen for the same nonsense. They are desperate for peace, and want to believe
It's about this piece of land or that, when it has always been about forcing all Jews off the land and continuing to change history.
It is time to remove the Palestinians from Judea and Samaria, by force if necessary. as the Palestinians have shown that they are not capable of maintaining the peace in their so called homeland. One more rocket from Gaza, and Gaza should be leveled once and for all. If Abbas wants a State, give him Illinois, that's where Obama comes from. I am sure he wouldn't mind giving up Illinois.
Remove them. To where?
Detroit and dearbornstan is already jihadist. They would fit right in.
By the way, you may want to check the continuous history of the Jews in the MidEast. It's obvious your "info" comes from both Amos Schocken and "j"udenrein street
http://www.cross-currents.com/archives/2007/02/26/schocken-is-no-longer-shocking/
Oh now there's a sensible idea. NOT.
everyone should know that Obama is a liar, He is only looking to have glory placed on himself, and use Israel to gain same. He lied about being a christian, as he condones same sex marriages and abortions, which shows he hates Israel and the Lord G-d of Israel, as the Lord G-d has forbidden same.
The exodus from Egypt, it was the Lord G-d of Israel, who called out His people from slavery and sent Moses and Aaron with many wonders to show pharaoh the He the Lord G-d of Israel rules. though many joined with them in the exodus, those also could have let the Israelites astray and put the Lord G-d to the test, while Obama maybe doing the same thing. G-d bless