(Foreign Policy) Robert M. Danin - The Palestine Papers are a direct attack on the leadership of the PLO, its negotiators, and the very idea of negotiating peace with Israel. Al Jazeera played along, insinuating that the documents show that the Palestinian leadership is willing to capitulate to Israeli desires. Palestinian leaders have done a lamentable job of preparing their public for the types of concessions necessary for an enduring Israeli-Palestinian settlement. Accordingly, the leakers seem to have intended to sabotage the peace process by revealing the far-reaching compromises that were under discussion. The release of the Palestine Papers has put the PLO leadership on the defensive. It will now seek to demonstrate its nationalist resolve by staking out very tough conditions to return to the negotiating table. The writer, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, headed the Jerusalem mission of Quartet representative Tony Blair from 2008 to 2010.
2011-01-25 10:36:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive