Arab League calls for ending support for talks

[oberliner]

CAIRO — The Arab League recommended on Wednesday to withdraw its support for indirect talks between Palestinians and Israelis due to recent announcements of new settlement building in east Jerusalem.

The league's peace initiative committee's decision is only a recommendation and a final decision will have to be made by the foreign ministers of the Arab nations.

The March 3 decision by Arab foreign ministers to back the U.S.-sponsored indirect talks with Israel gave Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas the political cover he needed to restart peace negotiations after 14 month hiatus.

"In case of the failure to stop the Israeli measures immediately ... the committee concludes that the proposed talks are irrelevant," the committee's statement said, calling for a convening of foreign ministers to reconsider their support.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hrPWSFgekifGnaMX1qYj3qFlWMLwD9EC0NF80

[Donald Ian Rankin]

1. I have mixed feelings about this.

The settlement expansion makes it entirely clear that Netanyahu isn't interested in making concessions and that talking to him won't achieve anything.

The most important consequence, I think, is whether talking or not talking will leave Abbas and Fayad better placed to beat Hamas in the upcoming election - that's basically all that hangs on whether they leave the talks before or after Israel makes clear it's not interested in peace.

My guess is that taking a hard line and walking out now will play better than the Palestinian electorate than staying on, talking and - as is almost certain to happen, from past evidence - being blamed by the world when the talks fail. I'm not a great judge of Palestinian public opinion, though.

The only advantage I can see accruing to the Palestinians from staying to talk is if they have cast-iron promises from the US that it will put pressure on Netanyahu to make peace, and I can't see the US either making or keeping such promises any time soon.