(Financial Times-UK) Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Michael Herzog - A UN resolution endorsing maximalist Palestinian positions on the core issues, such as on borders and refugees, could close the door on negotiations for a long time. The Palestinians will find it hard to compromise on such internationally endorsed positions and Israelis will find it hard to negotiate under one-sided terms of reference which predetermine the final agreement. Once the international community recognizes Palestinian statehood, UN-affiliated bodies such as the International Criminal Court (ICC) can decide it has jurisdiction over the Palestinian request, filed in 2009, to investigate Israeli "war crimes." This will open the door to countless attempts to bring politically motivated charges against Israel. Such legal confrontations will provide a constant distraction from the attempt to restart the peace process. The writer, an international fellow of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, served as a key participant in nearly every Arab-Israeli peace negotiation between 1993 and 2010.
2011-09-22 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive