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Source: http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=185767
Not Taking Yes for an Answer
(Jerusalem Post) Efraim Karsh - No sooner had Hillary Clinton announced the imminent resumption of direct Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations without preconditions, than the Palestinian leadership threatened to pull out of the talks if Israel didn't extend the freeze on all settlement activities. Furthermore, the Arabic-language version of the PLO's decision makes no mention of the two-state solution. Instead it adds a few new preconditions, notably the rejection of Israel's annexation of east Jerusalem. There lies the heart of the problem. While the PLO leadership, since the launch of the Oslo "peace" process in 1993, has been singing the praises of the two-state solution whenever addressing Israeli or Western audiences, it has consistently denigrated the idea to its own constituents, depicting the process as a transient arrangement required by the needs of the moment that would inexorably lead to the long-cherished goal of Israel's demise. Both Hamas and the PLO are committed to Israel's eventual destruction. The writer is professor of Middle East and Mediterranean studies at King's College London.