Peace groups should criticize Kerry too
http://972mag.com/peace-groups-should-criticize-kerry-too/86100/
The fact that Israeli and American right-wingers are attacking Secretary Kerry should not make him immune to criticism from within the peace camp.
Troubling reports have been coming out of the Israeli-American-Palestinian negotiations in recent weeks. According to Israeli and Palestinian media, Secretary of State Kerry’s initiative appears to be growing less ambitious with each passing day. The goal to get the two parties to agree on an outline for a final status agreement was abandoned long ago. Now, the Israelis and Palestinians are waiting on an American peace offer, which also seems to have been gradually demoted. What at first was presented as a comprehensive solution that Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas would have to accept as is or reject outright, eventually became a framework and now it has become a paper intended only to allow the continuation of negotiations for another full year.
Details of the proposal itself give further reason for concern. Numerous reports have stated that Kerry has basically accepted Netanyahu’s demand to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, which has serious implications on the rights of Palestinians inside Israel; that a Palestinian right to East Jerusalem will only be mentioned and not recognized; that Israel will be absolved of any responsibility for the refugee problem; and there are rumors that the ratio for land swaps won’t be 1:1, meaning Israel will be allowed to annex territory beyond the 1967 borders without giving the Palestinians territory equal in size and quality.