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Is Obama Preventing a Solution to Mideast Peace?

(Ha'aretz) Gidi Grinstein - Since the Hamas victory in the January 2006 elections, there is not and cannot be a Palestinian partner to any diplomatic process. A Palestine that includes Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel and existing agreements, cannot be a partner to negotiations on a final-status agreement. Yet, without Hamas, the Palestinian system lacks internal legitimacy. That's why all the calls out of Washington for a renewal of talks between Israel and the Palestinians are hollow. Only one format is likely to enable progress to a permanent situation based on the principle of two states for two peoples: coordinated unilateral steps based on understanding and quiet cooperation. That's how the PA institutions were established in recent years, with security achieved in Judea and Samaria and economic growth in the West Bank. Obama is trapped in a worldview that has become obsolete. He believes that Israel and the Palestinians must and can reach a final-status agreement that will solve all the issues, establish a Palestinian state and end the conflict. The writer is the founder and president of the Reut Institute.
2011-06-02 00:00:00
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