Monday, November 29, 2004
The Roadmap in an Arab Perspective
As was printed in today's Ha'aretz:
"Jordan fully backed efforts to attain an independent Palestinian state, Jordanian officials said.
"We feel that there is a chance to bring the peace process back on track," Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher told reporters. "We've expressed our full support for the Palestinian Authority. The focus will be on the political phase now.
"Palestinians are trying to promote the Mideast Quartet's Roadmap to Mideast peace, Muasher said, calling on Israel to create a "more conducive atmosphere" for a resumption of talks.
"We are not only talking here of halting the Israeli offensives but also a security calm-down and an Israeli withdrawal to ensure holding the Palestinian elections," Muasher said."
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But, we must ask, "If there is a Palestinian commitment to resuming the talks on the Roadmap, it had better be beneficial to the Palestinians. Is it?"
Selim al Hoss wrote an article for Arabmonitor which casts some light on the Roadmap from the Arab perspective.
by Selim al Hoss, former Prime Minister of Lebanon
Beirut, October 2003- The road map, from the Arab angle, is not in the Palestinians' interest, simply on account of the fact that it does not provide any guarantees for the Palestinian people’s rights in their homeland. It looks rather like a subterfuge designed to precipitate civil strife among the Palestinians in its first phase, and provides for utterly futile negotiations with the Israelis in the third and final phase.
Yet the Palestinian authority decided to go along, espousing the plan, simply for lack of alternatives under the prevailing circumstances and in view of the position taken by the super power.
The road map is regarded as a bid for provoking civil strife among the Palestinians as it prescribes in its first phase not only the cessation of violence but also the dismantling of armed organizations and the prosecution of their leaders. Obviously the Palestinian Authority is neither capable militarily of achieving this objective nor is it in the least confident that this will be instrumental in rendering a fair solution to the Palestinian issue any closer.
To read the complete article:
http://www.arabmonitor.info/dossier/dettaglio.php?idnews=3674&lang=en
"Jordan fully backed efforts to attain an independent Palestinian state, Jordanian officials said.
"We feel that there is a chance to bring the peace process back on track," Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher told reporters. "We've expressed our full support for the Palestinian Authority. The focus will be on the political phase now.
"Palestinians are trying to promote the Mideast Quartet's Roadmap to Mideast peace, Muasher said, calling on Israel to create a "more conducive atmosphere" for a resumption of talks.
"We are not only talking here of halting the Israeli offensives but also a security calm-down and an Israeli withdrawal to ensure holding the Palestinian elections," Muasher said."
***********
But, we must ask, "If there is a Palestinian commitment to resuming the talks on the Roadmap, it had better be beneficial to the Palestinians. Is it?"
Selim al Hoss wrote an article for Arabmonitor which casts some light on the Roadmap from the Arab perspective.
by Selim al Hoss, former Prime Minister of Lebanon
Beirut, October 2003- The road map, from the Arab angle, is not in the Palestinians' interest, simply on account of the fact that it does not provide any guarantees for the Palestinian people’s rights in their homeland. It looks rather like a subterfuge designed to precipitate civil strife among the Palestinians in its first phase, and provides for utterly futile negotiations with the Israelis in the third and final phase.
Yet the Palestinian authority decided to go along, espousing the plan, simply for lack of alternatives under the prevailing circumstances and in view of the position taken by the super power.
The road map is regarded as a bid for provoking civil strife among the Palestinians as it prescribes in its first phase not only the cessation of violence but also the dismantling of armed organizations and the prosecution of their leaders. Obviously the Palestinian Authority is neither capable militarily of achieving this objective nor is it in the least confident that this will be instrumental in rendering a fair solution to the Palestinian issue any closer.
To read the complete article:
http://www.arabmonitor.info/dossier/dettaglio.php?idnews=3674&lang=en
