10 May, 2014
Why the Israel-Palestine peace talks collapsed, by Richard Falk: Al-Ahram Weekly
It has been painfully obvious ever since the Oslo Accords in 1993 that there is something fundamentally deficient about the double role played by the United States in relation to such negotiations. How can it be trusted when American officials declare over and over again that the country will forever remain the unconditional ally of Israel, and yet at the same time give even minimal confidence to the Palestinians that it is a neutral third party seeking to promote a just peace?
The short answer is that it can’t and it won’t. From the very outset of the recent diplomatic initiative this contradiction in roles was resolved in Israel’s favour by the US President Barack Obama’s appointment of Martin Indyk as US special envoy entrusted with the delicate symbolic role of overseeing the negotiations. Indyk has a long public career of involvements supportive of Israel, including past employment with the notorious American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) lobby that exerts its disproportionate pro-Israeli influence over the entire American political scene. Only the weakness of the Palestinian Authority can explain a willingness to entrust its diplomatic fate to such a framework that is already strongly tilted in favour of Israel due to Israel’s skills and strengths as an experienced political actor on the global stage.
Read the rest: Why-the-peace-talks-collapsed – Al-Ahram Weekly.
Loading ...
Liked this article? Share it!