(Israel Hayom) Dore Gold - The Palestinian leadership systematically spread the rumor that immediately after the UN General Assembly upgrade, Mahmoud Abbas would renew negotiations with Israel without any of the preconditions he has set since 2009. But it should have come as no surprise that after the vote on Nov. 29, Abbas did not budge on his preconditions. He even used the UN resolution as setting future terms of reference that Israel must agree to if negotiations are ever to be resumed. Over the last decade and a half, Israelis have tried to understand what the Palestinians need to reach an agreement and have frequently made concessions up front before sitting down with the other side. They used language as a confidence-building measure. On the other hand, for the Palestinians, words were not used as "confidence-building measures" but as instruments to be employed for political warfare. The Palestinians did not feel they had to prove the sincerity of their commitment to peacemaking, or take into account Israeli positions. Thus while formal Israeli positions over the last decade and a half moved significantly, the Palestinians did not move one inch.
2012-12-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive