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Positive Elements in the Quartet Report on Threats to Israeli-Palestinian Peace

(Institute for National Security Studies) Pnina Sharvit Baruch, Oded Eran, and Michal Hatuel-Radoshitzky - On July 1, 2016, the Middle East Quartet published a report on major threats to achievement of a negotiated Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. The Quartet was formed in 2002 to instill new momentum by complementing American mediation with the support of the EU, the UN, and Russia. The first issue the report identifies as severely undermining prospects for peace is the continued violence, terror attacks against civilians, and ongoing incitement to violence, referring to 250 terrorist attacks and attempted attacks by Palestinians against Israelis in recent months. The report notes that Palestinians who commit terrorist attacks are often glorified publicly; that social media is used as a means to spread incitement to violence; and that members of Fatah have publicly supported attacks and their perpetrators. From Israel's perspective the report includes three central positive elements. First, it frames the situation as a political conflict in which both sides carry a sizable share of the blame. In this respect the report is a refreshing change from international reports that frame the conflict as a human rights issue in which Israel is the occupying power purposefully violating basic human rights of Palestinian victims. Second, the report clearly raises the issue of Palestinian incitement as a practice that must be seriously addressed, and specifically addresses all attacks carried out by Palestinians in recent months, referring to them as "terrorist attacks" and attributing responsibility to the PA for not condemning, and to a certain extent even supporting, these violent acts. Third, the report specifically states that a permanent status agreement to end the conflict can only be achieved through direct bilateral negotiations and not through unilateral actions. Thus, the report does not propose or imply that the international community supports the current Palestinian strategy of internationalizing the conflict, or that this approach is likely to bear fruit.
2016-07-29 00:00:00
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