Batoul Wehbe Readers Number : 106
16/06/2009 At the time so-called moderate Arabs dealt with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Sunday speech smoothly, it seems that Netanyahu’s stances blew up US efforts as well as the 2002 Arab initiative and torpedoed chances for any future negotiations.
Netanyahu’s speech, which was delivered at the Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv, was full of direct and indirect “no’s”. He detailed a policy for so called “peace” with the following provisions:
• No talks before the Palestinians "unequivocally" acknowledge Israel as the Natural Jewish State
• No viability for any assumed Palestinian state
• No return of Palestinian refugees to occupied territories;
Netanyahu wants “this problem be resolved outside Israel’s
borders”
• No identity for Israel other than the Jewish identity
• No capital for the Jewish state other than Jerusalm
• No Palestinian state unless demilitarized
• No settlement construction halt
The Israeli PM’s remarks contradicted the US paper in two points:
• Settlement activities must be halted in occupied West Bank
• A viable Palestinian state
It also opposes the terms and provisions of the Arab peace initiative, which was first declared in 2002 by Saudi Arabia during an Arab League summit in Beirut, which states on:
• East Jerusalem be the capital for the assumed Palestinian state
• Right of Palestinian refugees to return to their lands in occupied
Palestinian territories.
Consequently, Netanyahu’s so called “positive step forward” lacks any sign that indicates a close start of negotiations or a settlement process with the Palestinian side that unanimously rejects Netanyahu’s paper as an endeavor to torpedo what is known as the 1993 negotiations principles.
Even for the so-called moderate camp which has long been an advocate for negotiations as the only way to reach “peace”, Netanyahu’s remarks were more a declaration of war and occupation to Palestine than a policy statement.
In contrast, the coming days are expected to see more US pressure on the Palestinian track to provide the Israelis with more and more concessions. Therefore, Jimmy Carter’s concern about a US-Israeli clash has gone with the wind, especially after Obama praised Netanyahu’s paper, despite the “no’s.”
Perhaps, Netanyahu’s most dangerous “no” was that related to the right of return of Palestinian refugees.
In Lebanon alone, there are more than 300,000 refugees in camps distributed across the country.
The Lebanese constitution states on rejecting the naturalization of refugees in the country and most officials have pledged to preserve the constitution and stand up to any attempt to pass the issue.
“US, Israelis, Saudis and some internal sides wish to raise the number of Sunnis at the expense of other sects assuming they can rule the country as a majority,” Free Patriotic Movement member MP Neamatallah Abi Nasr told Al-Manar TV. “So, naturalization of the Palestinians is a very dangerous matter and we’d tackle it according to the Lebanese constitution which rejects naturalization and divisions,” Abi Nasr said adding that “we are totally against naturalization and dividing Lebanon into sectarian mini states because that leads to Lebanon downfall.”
The Palestinians in Lebanon received Netanyahu’s speech with more determination to stick to their right of return and to refuse using their refugees’ issue as a tool to cause internal strife in the host country for private political ends.
“The Palestinian refugees’ issue is the key for peace and war in the region,” Abu Imad Rifae, representative of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Lebanon, told Al-Manar TV.
“Any attempt to internationalize this right or deny it to the Palestinian refugees would drag the whole region into a state of no-peace and instability”. “We assure the Lebanese that all the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon won’t accept any substitute for their own homeland. Palestine is the land of our fathers and ancestors.”
Many Lebanese believe that Arab countries, and particularly the so-called moderates, should bear their responsibilities and unite in the face of the Israeli greediness that is threatening Lebanon and the whole region. Lebanon is passing through a critical stage that might develop into unrest, should its structure based on sectarian distribution be imperiled.
16/06/2009 At the time so-called moderate Arabs dealt with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Sunday speech smoothly, it seems that Netanyahu’s stances blew up US efforts as well as the 2002 Arab initiative and torpedoed chances for any future negotiations.
Netanyahu’s speech, which was delivered at the Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv, was full of direct and indirect “no’s”. He detailed a policy for so called “peace” with the following provisions:
• No talks before the Palestinians "unequivocally" acknowledge Israel as the Natural Jewish State
• No viability for any assumed Palestinian state
• No return of Palestinian refugees to occupied territories;
Netanyahu wants “this problem be resolved outside Israel’s
borders”
• No identity for Israel other than the Jewish identity
• No capital for the Jewish state other than Jerusalm
• No Palestinian state unless demilitarized
• No settlement construction halt
The Israeli PM’s remarks contradicted the US paper in two points:
• Settlement activities must be halted in occupied West Bank
• A viable Palestinian state
It also opposes the terms and provisions of the Arab peace initiative, which was first declared in 2002 by Saudi Arabia during an Arab League summit in Beirut, which states on:
• East Jerusalem be the capital for the assumed Palestinian state
• Right of Palestinian refugees to return to their lands in occupied
Palestinian territories.
Consequently, Netanyahu’s so called “positive step forward” lacks any sign that indicates a close start of negotiations or a settlement process with the Palestinian side that unanimously rejects Netanyahu’s paper as an endeavor to torpedo what is known as the 1993 negotiations principles.
Even for the so-called moderate camp which has long been an advocate for negotiations as the only way to reach “peace”, Netanyahu’s remarks were more a declaration of war and occupation to Palestine than a policy statement.
In contrast, the coming days are expected to see more US pressure on the Palestinian track to provide the Israelis with more and more concessions. Therefore, Jimmy Carter’s concern about a US-Israeli clash has gone with the wind, especially after Obama praised Netanyahu’s paper, despite the “no’s.”
Perhaps, Netanyahu’s most dangerous “no” was that related to the right of return of Palestinian refugees.
In Lebanon alone, there are more than 300,000 refugees in camps distributed across the country.
The Lebanese constitution states on rejecting the naturalization of refugees in the country and most officials have pledged to preserve the constitution and stand up to any attempt to pass the issue.
“US, Israelis, Saudis and some internal sides wish to raise the number of Sunnis at the expense of other sects assuming they can rule the country as a majority,” Free Patriotic Movement member MP Neamatallah Abi Nasr told Al-Manar TV. “So, naturalization of the Palestinians is a very dangerous matter and we’d tackle it according to the Lebanese constitution which rejects naturalization and divisions,” Abi Nasr said adding that “we are totally against naturalization and dividing Lebanon into sectarian mini states because that leads to Lebanon downfall.”
The Palestinians in Lebanon received Netanyahu’s speech with more determination to stick to their right of return and to refuse using their refugees’ issue as a tool to cause internal strife in the host country for private political ends.
“The Palestinian refugees’ issue is the key for peace and war in the region,” Abu Imad Rifae, representative of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Lebanon, told Al-Manar TV.
“Any attempt to internationalize this right or deny it to the Palestinian refugees would drag the whole region into a state of no-peace and instability”. “We assure the Lebanese that all the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon won’t accept any substitute for their own homeland. Palestine is the land of our fathers and ancestors.”
Many Lebanese believe that Arab countries, and particularly the so-called moderates, should bear their responsibilities and unite in the face of the Israeli greediness that is threatening Lebanon and the whole region. Lebanon is passing through a critical stage that might develop into unrest, should its structure based on sectarian distribution be imperiled.
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