Lessons for Future Negotiations: The Geneva Initiative Annexes

Today I attended an interesting conference organized by the Geneva Initiative in Tel Aviv which tackled proposals to reach a comprehensive final settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The discussion focused on conclusions reached by Israeli and Palestinian teams compiled n a 423-page book detailing issues relating to a final status agreement, including borders and security.
The book was presented to local and international leaders as well as think tanks to serve as a base of reference for future talks on a final agreement.
Presentations included maps and detailed information on proposals to reach a final settlement.
Brigadier General Udi Dekel, head of the Negotiations Administration under the former Ehud Olmert government said talks were conducted after Annapolis in a serious manner and the Israelis wanted to reach an agreement before elections but this was not possible mainly because of the Cast Lead war on Gaza Strip.
During the talks which ended with failure to meet U.S. President George Bush's timeline for an agreement by the end of 2008, Dekel said the sides negotiated in secrecy, an essential element for the success of any negotiations, however, the way the talks were structured was problematic because the sides had agreed that nothing was agreed until everything was agreed.
"It should be that anything agreed should be implemented," Dekel said.
He said that the Palestinians sought to anchor their rights and would not show compromise such as insisting on the fact that they gave up most of historical Palestine and were left with 22 percent, so they insisted on either getting 100 percent of it or nothing. The Israeli negotiators felt that the 2-state solution was used as a playcard by the Palestinians when Ahmed Qurie, head of the Palestinian negotiating team took out the winning card by threatening to opt for a binational state to push the Israelis to make concessions.
Dekel's interesting point, which I have heard from several Israeli negotiators was his comment about how the Palestinian negotiating team was well prepared with maps and documents while the Israelis had nothing.
"We were running around the clock trying to find paperwork...somebody made sure it disappeared," Dekel said.
Several other Israeli negotiators spoke about the impressive work of the PLO's Negotiations Support Unit, which employs articulate, Western educated, young legal and political advisers who draft documents, maps, and have negotiations drafts ready on every single issue. They said Israeli negotiators change with each new government, there is no continuity, and usually old negotiators don't share their documents with the new ones. The Palestinians however, have known Qurie (Abu Ala), Yasser Abed Rabbo, and Saeb Erekat as the only faces dealing with negotiations.
Dekel's Palestinian counterpart in the negotiations and map expert Sameeh al-Abed responded to Dekel's claims by saying that the Palestinians had made compromises and shown flexibility on a number of issues including territory when they presented different maps at the Camp David summit in 2000, in Taba in 2001, and during talks after Annapolis.
"Nobody in Israel or in the United States mentiosn that we presented compromise maps at Camp David because they wanted to blame the Palestinians for not accepting what were not generous offers," Abed said.
"Dekel admits the Palestinian side was prepared. That was because we were serious, while we were negotiating seriously after Annapolis, we felt that the Israelis were not serious because they were not prepared, as he said," Abed said.
Haim Ramon, former Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Chairman of the Kadima Council discussed Jerusalem. He said in 1967, Jerusalm was 38 square kilomters.
"Jerusalem today is not Jerusalem. We have annexed 43 villages which were never Jerusalem...We are eternalising the lie (that all the annexed territory is Jerusalem). The public should know that Jerusalem is ot Jerusalem. It's a Holy Basin," Ramon said.
"We never spoke about dividing Jerusalem but about returning villages that were never part of Jerusalem," he said.
Like other presentators,Ramon doesn't believe that the present government of Benjamin Netanyahu can begin a dialogue or reach an agreement with the Palestinians.
Yossi Beilin, former Justice Minister and of the Geneva Initiative Steering Committee said it was possible to reach a settlement but the political leaders don't have the political will.
"There's a Palestinian leader (President Mahmoud Abbas) who, even most of the right-wing in Israel, believe he wants peace. He's not a replica of Arafat. There's an American President (Barack Obama) whose a miracle. He said all the right things...but the Obama administration after one year has failed to advance the peace process," Beilin said. He said sadly, opportunities were lost during the past year since Obama came to office.
Rightly so, Beilin pointed out the Israelis' apathy with peace moves. He said the Americans were mistaken in making a full settlement freeze a condition to resuming peace talks "and to give it up was a worse mistake."
Beilin said that Netanyahu's 10-month temporary settlement freeze was a "joke". He said decision-making in Washington, especially the agreement reached with Israel over the temporary settlement freeze while excluding the Palestinians "is very disappointing to the peace camp."
Beilin said Abbas was mistaken if he believes that Obama would set the parameters for him. "The world isn't going to give us solutions, it's either we do the job or nobody will do it for us."
He cautioned that if a negotiated solution was not reached, "Sharon Two will come. A prime minister will come and take unilateral decisions, and take the fence as a criteria...because there's no Zionist leader who believes in a binational state. A Prime Miniter will be coerced into unilateral steps and it will be like Gaza." There will be some attacks and no peace, he warned.
"This is completely idiotic...We can only say (Geneva Initiative proposals) are the only alternative. Never Give Up."

Once again, the Palestinians are pushed against the wall

Once again, the Palestinians find themselves on the defensive, and again, Israel has succeeded in blaming the Palestinians for obstructing the renewal of peace talks.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he was not opposed to the resumption of peace talks, but after marathon and slow talks since 1993, this time he wants a complete halt to settlements and wants guarantees that negotiations will lead to a Palestinian state on lands Israel occupied in 1967. He is not against a limited and agreed swap of lands.
But this is not what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants. The Israeli leader came to power with the following principles: No negotiations over Jerusalem or refugees' right of return, no to a complete settlements freeze and borders are subject to negotiations.
The world hailed what Netanyahu successfully portrayed as a siginicant shift in his position when he accepted a two-state solution. The international community was pleased with his new shift in position regarding a 10-month freeze on settlements excluding Jerusalem, and Washington believes this to be an unprecedented move.
World leaders who followed U.S. President Barack Obama's lead in calling for a complete settlements freeze and pressed Israel to comply, changed their heart when Obama did and accepted Israel's "restraint" on building. Nobody wants to see Netanyahu's right-wing coalition fall, and anyway, they now believe it was a big mistake to start a peace process with asking too much of Israel.
While world leaders were making the shift to accomodate Israel's domestic hardships, Abbas continued to insist on a total settlement freeze and international involvement on setting the borders of the Palestian state.
The international community now says that Netanyahu has bended far enough, that's all he can give, and it was up to Abbas to climb down the tree.
It has always been easier to pressure the weaker side.
Palestinians are now reminded of the times when the world was blaming Arafat for rejecting Ehud Barack's offers during the Camp David summit even after Rob Malley explained no so-called "generous" offers were made.
Abbas will this time come under pressure, or is already under pressure to accept whatever the Americans offer or be blamed for lacking leadership. Abbas can't be accused of fomenting violence or opposing peace, but his leadership skills will come under attack.
An aide to Abbas said the Palestinian leader now wants a state. The United States and Europe say they want to see Israel end occupation that began in 1967, they reject Israel's occupation and annexation of East Jerusalem and want to see a Palestinain state, but they are not ready yet to accept that state.
"If Abbas comes under pressure, he will leave the political scene, and the world will get Hamas instead, the aide said.
The Palestinians' backs are again to the wall.