CPTnet
7 December 2007
HEBRON BLOG: "We talk about compromise and they speak of justice."
by Jessica Frederick
[Note: The following entries from Frederick's blog have been edited for
length and clarity. The originals can be found at
<http://ordinary-folks.blogspot.com>]
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
The subject of this blog entry comes from an article in [the Israeli
newspaper] Ha'aretz, about the Negotiations Support Unit (NSU), a
Palestinian organization that has been working on negotiations for the past
ten years. It was a statement by a senior Israeli official: "We talk about
compromise and they speak of justice." The article goes on to state that
the [NSU] is very focused on Palestinian rights. The Israeli authorities
are concerned that it might "increasingly [become] an obstacle with regard
to progress after the Annapolis conference."
Asking for justice and recognized rights hinder peace talks?
In addition, the article states that the NSU does not deal in reality,
because it ignores the Hamas takeover in Gaza and the Palestinian
Authority's (PA) lack of power in the occupied Palestinian territories. The
latter statement is of particular interest to me. It doesn't make much
sense until one has lived in the occupied Palestinian territories for a
while. Technically, there are sections of the occupied Palestinian
territories that are under "full Palestinian control." But Palestinian
government and authority are only as powerful as Israel allows. These
territories are non- [contiguous] clumps of land in the occupied
territories.
Needless to say, I would imagine such a political landscape would make
governing difficult.
In other news, soldiers denied Ahmed Qurei', head of the Palestinian
negotiating team for the Annapolis conference, entry into Jerusalem on
Sunday. He was on his way to a scheduled meeting between the Israeli and
Palestinian negotiating teams. The soldiers that turned him away did not
give him a reason for his denied entry. Israeli foreign minister Tzipi
Livni is said to have called Qurei' and apologized.
What strikes me about this incident is the power imbalance it reveals.
Something must be wrong when one of the negotiators cannot get to the table
because of the systems and structures set in place by those with whom they
are trying to negotiate. How can negotiations occur with such an uneven
playing field?
December 2
A few posts ago, I quoted one of the articles distributed on the Hebron
Israeli settler's mailing list. One of the newest articles is also
blog-worthy, I think. The author of the piece wrote about Annapolis. To
put this quote in context, he is talking about what would make the Annapolis
agreement fall apart (which would be a good thing, in his opinion.) He
decides Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, is the necessary
piece to this puzzle. He writes:
"But if [Abbas] should disappear from the scene, the deal's off. So, maybe
we should pray that Hamas get to him ASAP. They know how to do the job and
he's more than likely in their sights. Why should the Jews of Hebron have
to be the first sacrifice of Annapolitics?"
Again, I'm speechless.
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