Straw tells Palestinians: You hold key to peace, not the Israelis

[Violet_Crumble]

Chris McGreal in Jerusalem
Thursday June 9, 2005
The Guardian

The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, told Palestinian leaders in Ramallah yesterday that the creation of a Palestinian state was in their own hands, whatever the intentions of the Israeli government.
Mr Straw brushed aside a growing belief among Palestinian politicians that Ariel Sharon has no desire to return to peace negotiations after the withdrawal of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip in the autumn.

They see growing signs that the Israeli prime minister intends to say that not enough is being done to "combat terror", as a justification for rejecting talks, annexing Jewish settlements and unilaterally imposing borders that no Palestinian government could accept.


But after meeting the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, and some of his ministers, Mr Straw said that removing the threat posed by armed groups such as Hamas would force the pace toward the negotiated creation of a Palestinian state through the US-led "road map" peace plan.

"The reality will generate its own dynamic. If the Palestinians are able to provide security ... there will be a dynamic toward the next two stages of the road map," he said.

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/foreignaffairs/story/0,11538,1502174,00.html

[pelsar]

1. ok Im impressed....

telling the palestenians that they have a responsability here as well....wow...and hes right about the dynamic....if things look and feel positive the extremists will be put on the sidelines.


just a footnote.....the anti-pullout movement isnt making much of an impression on us over here...and their use of minors, who we know are easy to manipulate isnt really endearing them us either (kind of reminds us of our neighbors to a certain degree....)

[Violet_Crumble]

3. I think the Palestinians have a responsibility as well...

..but I do disagree with his view that the creation of a Palestinian state is in the hands of the Palestinians, regardless of what Israel wants. If Israel doesn't want a Palestinian state to come into being (the assumption being that he's talking about a viable and independent state), then that's the end of the story unless one of the big boys like the US decides to step in and put some real pressure on....

I didn't realise the anti-disengagement folk were using kids. Is it true that many of them are not even Gaza settlers, but extremist types from the West Bank? I read an article about them taking over a closed down resort in Gaza, so I'll check and if it hasn't already been posted here, I'll track it down and post it...

Violet...

[The Magistrate]

2. Mr. Straw's View Here, Ma'am, Is A Sound One

It seems to me that both sides need to act as if peace depended solely on their own efforts towards it if there is ever to actually be a peaceable resolution to this dreary business....

[Violet_Crumble]

4. I've got a few quibbles with what he said...

Mainly what I mentioned in my reply to pelsar, but I do agree with you, and think that both Palestinians and Israelis have had a habit in the past of being too busy watching what the other is doing (or not doing) to worry about their own efforts. While I think it's going to be a long time before a peaceful resolution comes about (it's going to take changes of heart and leadership in the US and Israel, and the negation of the military arms of groups like Hamas), any steps in that direction should be encouraged in the meantime...

Great to see you again, btw :)

Violet...

[The Magistrate]

8. Thank You, Ma'am

This article of yours caught my interest off the "Latest" listings late last night, and seemed worth a look.

Your comment above has a good deal of force, certainly. If the government of Israel stands against establishment of a state of Arab Palestine, successful establishment of such a state would be difficult in the extreme. But there are two inter-related factors worth mention in that regard. First, Israel has not a shadow of a legal right to oppose the creation of a state of Arab Palestine. It has no sovereign interest over land outside its de facto borders. This greatly influences the second factor, which is that if the political and religious leadership of Arab Palestinian society properly prepared the political ground, opposition to the creation of a state of Arab Palestine by an Israeli government could have scant hope of success. The course urged by Mr. Straw would go a great distance to so preparing the political ground for such a favorable outcome.

The difficulty, of course, is that this falls into the class of things more easily said than done. Those elements of Arab Palestinian political and religious life that do value violent action as the means to that end will not go quietly into that good night. Attempts by the Palestine Authority to move against them can be expected to produce a recoil, and the form this recoil will take is that of assaults against Israeli citizens. In anything resembling a civil war within Arab Palestinian society, as things stand now, all factions would find that bids for popular support could be best served by expression of hostility towards Israel. Thus, unless they are judged with extraordinary shrewdness, and executed with extraordinary competence, attempts to follow Mr. Straw's suggestion could well produce the very opposite of what is intended, at least in the short term....

"Some contemptible scoundrel stole the cork from my lunch...."

[bemildred]

6. Dreary indeed, Sir. And little progress to be seen. nt

[leveymg]

5. This is like telling a rape victim that she's responsible for wearing too

much lipstick. Wear less makeup, and it won't happen again. Stop taking those karate lessons, and throw away that handgun.

"The reality will generate its own dynamic." Geez.

:eyes: :bounce:

[Igel]

7. This is true, to a point.

But the rape itself took place long ago, there was a trial, and various punishments meted out.

Now the kids from the rapist's and victim's families are fighting. They should get counselling.

[leveymg]

9. I agree about the counselling part.

Otherwise, I'd classify it as an ongoing crime.

Of course, binding arbitration would be preferable to further prosecution. :hi: