(Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Alan Baker - Israel is inundated with one-sided international resolutions, declarations, and "peace plans," most of which rest on widely-held, false, and mistaken assumptions regarding Israel, its leaders, government, policies, and positions held by the vast majority of the Israeli public. Israel entered the territories in 1967 after being attacked by all its neighbors, acting in self-defense against an offensive and aggressive war. The territory was never under Palestinian rule or sovereignty, and when it was under Jordanian control there was no intention by Jordan to turn it into a Palestinian state. Israel entertains valid, widely acknowledged and long-held historic and legal claims regarding the territories. Israel's settlements cannot be seen to be a violation of international law. Any determination of such is based on a selective, politically-biased viewpoint taken outside of accepted international practice. Pending attainment of a negotiated settlement, the Oslo Accords place no freeze or restriction on either Israel or the Palestinians to engage in planning, zoning, and construction in the respective areas under its control. To the contrary, planning, zoning and construction are specifically permitted. The claim that the settlements are the source of the conflict holds no logic. The Arab-Israel conflict existed long before the establishment of any settlement, with efforts by the Arab states in 1948 to prevent the establishment of the State of Israel and their ongoing efforts since then to bring about its demise. The Palestinian leadership refuses to resume negotiations, and refuses to meet or to enter into any dialogue with Israel's leaders. It blocks contacts between Palestinians and Israelis at the diplomatic, professional, and people-to-people levels. This policy runs counter to Palestinian commitments in the Oslo Accords to encourage development cooperation and "people-to-people dialogues" at all levels. While Israel has expressed its willingness for the principle of "two states for two peoples," the Palestinian leadership consistently refuses to accept the concept of Israel as the democratic nation state of the Jewish People. The present political stalemate between the Palestinians and Israel is not the result of Israeli defiance. Israel has repeatedly expressed its willingness to resume the negotiation process immediately. Amb. Alan Baker participated in the negotiation and drafting of the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians and served as legal adviser and deputy director-general of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
2016-08-16 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive