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The "Obama Framework" for Israel and the Palestinians
(Washington Post) Jackson Diehl - For nearly half a century, the U.S. has taken the position that the terms for a peace settlement between Israelis and Palestinians must come about as the result of negotiations and not as an imposition by outside parties. Now Obama is contemplating going forward with a UN resolution that was drafted last year by Secretary of State John Kerry and his Mideast negotiations team at the State Department. The administration's language would probably stipulate that Palestine's territory would be based on Israel's pre-1967 borders with the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with territorial swaps to allow Israel's annexation of some Jewish settlements. Most likely it would declare that Jerusalem would be the capital of both nations. Israeli officials, who are aware of the U.S. draft, say that while these terms, much sought by the Palestinians, would be very specific, some of Israel's biggest priorities would be covered by much vaguer language. A description of security arrangements would glide over the question of exactly how the West Bank and Gaza would be prevented from becoming a launching pad for attacks on Israel, while the question of Palestinian refugees would be dispatched with a call for an "agreed solution." The U.S. draft probably would stipulate that Israel would remain the homeland of the Jewish people. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' categorical rejection of that principle helped to cause the breakdown of Kerry's diplomacy, and it would almost certainly mean that the Palestinians would join Israelis in rejecting the resolution. Obama's hope would be that his initiative could win unanimous support from the Security Council and thus set the terms of reference for a future settlement. At a minimum, diplomats who now talk of the "Clinton parameters" from 2000 would henceforth speak of the "Obama framework."