Israel fears US shift in peace policy

[Cees Binkhorst]

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Zou Obama dan toch zijn poot stijf houden?

Groet / Cees

Israel fears US shift in peace policy
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/israel-fears-us-shift-in-peace-policy/
     * Abraham Rabinovich, Jerusalem
     * From: The Australian
     * March 30, 2010 12:00AM

ISRAELI officials fear that the US government, in a radical shift of
policy, is planning to impose a permanent peace settlement on Israel and
the Palestinians within the next two years.

The public snub of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to
the White House last week is seen in Jerusalem as a shot across the bow
as President Barack Obama's administration gears up for a head-on
confrontation with Israel over the long-stalled peace process.

The Haaretz newspaper reported yesterday that Mr Obama and his aides
made 10 demands of Israel during Mr Netanyahu's visit that reveal
Washington's intention to move off the sidelines and become an active
player.

Several of the demands focus on neutralising the free hand Israel has
permitted itself in East Jerusalem since annexing it in 1967.

Israel is reportedly being asked to halt all construction in Israeli
neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem. This includes the neighbourhood of
Ramat Shlomo, whose planned expansion by 1600 housing units, announced
on the day of US Vice-President Joe Biden's arrival in Israel, touched
off the current crisis.

The timing of the Israeli announcement was swiftly condemned by
Washington, which declared it an affront.

Although Washington's opposition to construction in East Jerusalem is
long-standing, Israel has given it lip service and Washington has not
pressed the point. This time, Washington is apparently prepared to make
it an issue.

Israel has been willing to listen to international demands for halting
settlement expansion on the West Bank, even though it has generally
ignored these demands, since it acknowledges that the West Bank is not
Israeli territory.

Since East Jerusalem's annexation, however, it rejects any outside
intervention on construction there on the grounds that it is sovereign
Israeli territory, a claim no other country accepts.

According to Haaretz, Washington is also demanding that Israel halt the
razing of structures in the Arab neighbourhoods in the city. Over the
years, many structures have been demolished because they had been built
without a permit. Palestinians cite the difficulty of obtaining a permit.

Washington is also asking Israel to permit the opening of a Palestinian
commercial office in East Jerusalem, something that Israeli officials
suspect may be a foot in the door for a Palestinian political presence
aimed at redivision of the city. In the past, Israel has forced out
Palestinian institutions that it accused of being a shadow Palestinian
political representation in East Jerusalem.

------------------------------------------
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1159863.html
U.S. President Barack Obama's demands during his meeting with Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last Tuesday point to an intention to impose
a permanent settlement on Israel and the Palestinians in less than two
years, political sources in Jerusalem say.

Israeli officials view the demands that Obama made at the White House as
the tip of the iceberg under which lies a dramatic change in U.S. policy
toward Israel.

Of 10 demands posed by Obama, four deal with Jerusalem: opening a
Palestinian commercial interests office in East Jerusalem, an end to the
razing of structures in Palestinian neighborhoods in the capital,
stopping construction in Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, and not
building the neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo.

But another key demand - to discuss the dispute's core issues during the
indirect talks that are planned - is perceived in Jerusalem as
problematic because it implies that direct negotiations would be
bypassed. This would set up a framework through which the Americans
would be able to impose a final settlement.

It is not just Obama's demands that are perceived as problematic, but
also the new modus operandi of American diplomacy. The fact that the
White House and State Department have been in contact with Israel's
European allies, first and foremost Germany, is seen as part of an
effort to isolate Israel and put enormous political pressure on it.

Israeli officials say that the Obama administration's new policy
contradicts commitments made by previous administrations, as well as a
letter from George W. Bush in 2004 to the prime minister at the time,
Ariel Sharon. According to this view, the new policy is also incongruous
with the framework posed by Bill Clinton in 2000.

Senior Israeli sources say that as a result of the U.S. administration's
policies, the Palestinians will toughen their stance and seriously
undermine the peace process' chances of success.

Moreover, sources in Jerusalem say that the new American positions
undermine the principle of credibility that has guided U.S. foreign
policy since the end of World War II. Ignoring specific promises made to
its Israeli ally would make other American allies lose trust in its
commitments to them.

Israeli officials warn that if the United States shirks its past
commitments, the willingness of the Israeli public to put its trust in
future American guarantees will be undermined - as will the superpower's
regional and international standing.

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