Israel’s assault on Gaza, after the breakdown of a six month cease-fire with Hamas, offers the most recent evidence of the breakdown of the diplomatic process ushered in by the Oslo agreements in 1993 and the declining prospect of a peace agreement based upon its principles. The focus of the Israel Palestine conflict is now centered on the Gaza Strip, and on the contentious relationship between Israel and Hamas.
Abbas, having despaired of an agreement with Israel, has reportedly turned his efforts to winning a letter of support from outgoing U.S. president George W. Bush for a “political solution based on the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the June 4, 1967 borders.”
Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has revealed a greater interest in defining by year’s end his historical contribution, an intention no doubt fueled by his July 30 decision to resign from leadership of the Kadima party, and thus the premiership.
Israeli president Shimon Peres recently observed, “There is a competition here over staying power, not just over the ability to withstand suffering.” Peres was referring to the conflict with Hamas in Gaza,that has just entered a new phase with the joint declaration on June 19 of a tadhiya or “calm.”
As President Bush’s last ditch effort for a final status Israel‑Palestine peace agreement by January 2008 stumbles, the vision of a two state peace is receding. Once again, deep political divisions, weak leadership on both sides, and America’s deference to Israel on settlements stand in the way of peace.
Since his election as prime minister, Ehud Olmert, long a stalwart supporter of Greater Israel, has made unprecedented statements declaring an interest in ending Israel’s rule over Palestinians. In stark contrast to Olmert’s rhetoric, however, the settlement machine grinds on.
Negotiations have resumed to resolve the “core issues” of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians–borders and settlements, Palestinian refugees, and the status and territorial division of Jerusalem.
On the face of it Israel’s leadership has come a long way during forty years of occupation. In the aftermath of its 1967 victory, successive Israeli governments adopted a policy of “deciding not to decide” the future of the conquered West Bank and Gaza Strip. Under government protection, the system of settlements was set in motion.
As Annapolis, Maryland prepares to host U.S. President George W. Bush’s belated and undefined effort at Israeli‑Palestinian peace‑making, Camp David, Maryland, the site of President Bill Clinton’s disasterous Israeli‑Palestinian summit, stands as a cautionary symbol of the costs of failure.
A new Palestinian government headed by Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas was created in June in the aftermath of the disintegration of security forces in the Gaza Strip nominally under his command.