Israeli Political Scientist: Israel’s Stance for the Bilateral Negotiations is a Bit Bleak Now (EXCLUSIVE)

• 05.25.2016, 17:16
•  Near East,  World

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"The further negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority are at halt. Since the political turmoil that accrued last week, Israel has a new Minister of Defense, Avigdor Lieberman, which have expressed his anti-negotiation opinions several times, and in various platforms. Therefore, Israel’s stance for the bilateral negotiations is a bit bleak now," a political scientist from Israel Sivan Gaides said in a talk with "Armedia" IAA commenting on the information of possible resumption of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

Referring to French proposal concerning the format of negotiations for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the refusal of it by Israel, which proposes bilateral talks, Gaides said: "However, the French would like to proceed with leading the bilateral talks, due to its former foreign affairs minister, Laurent Fabius, will to leave a peaceful Middle East and finding a two state solution."  According to her the French initiative demonstrates once again that in the absence of a clear political path on the Israeli part, the space will be filled with suggestions of other factors, not necessarily coordinate the needs of Israel.

"Moreover, there is no guaranteed American diplomatic protection against these proposals, when the international community feels that the main obstacle to progress towards an agreement is Israel’s intransigence. Therefore, the most effective way to deal with these challenges is putting Israeli initiatives, which will include measures to renew the negotiations, proposals to change the format of the talks and their subject matter, as well as unilateral steps toward a settlement," Gaides concluded.  

It should be reminded that the former Foreign Minister of France Laurent Fabius had come up with an initiative to convene an international peace summit for the resumption of talks between Israeli and the Palestinians. The most interesting part of this initiative is that the proposed summit is supposed to be held without the participation of the sides.  The summit supposes to be attended by the US, Russia, the EU, UN, such Arab states as Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia and several European countries, which would prepare the principles for the settlement of Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is only after this that Palestine and Israel will join the process and resume the negotiations. Though the French proposal is based on the two-state solution, about which Israel is also talking, the format and the ways to reach that solution are different. From the first day of the proposal Israel has rejected it, while Palestine has welcomed the initiative claiming that it is a good way to solve the conflict.

The immediate proposal of Israel to instead start bilateral talks with Palestine and finally take the negotiations out of the deadlock, show that Israel in no way wants to change the format as the US-led negotiations, despite now being in halt, give much hopes to Israel that at least no solution will be reached that will be completely against the will of Israel. However, in this case it is Palestine that is against the proposal and it has already officially rejected it. "Time is short. Netanyahu is trying to buy time, but this time he will not escape the international community," Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said, the Times of Israel informs. In his turn the Prime Minister of Israel has said: "The Palestinian Authority does not see the French initiative as an inducer for negotiations, but as a way to avoid them."

Hopes for the resumption of talks became even less after Avigdor Lieberman became the Defense Minister of Israel. He is know for his tough stance concerning the the resolution of the conflict. He believes that the two peoples could live together, but it would make no sense to have one living inside the other. According to his well-known plan - "Populated-Area Exchange Plan" - suggested for the resolution of the conflict, about 20 percent of Israel’s population, who do not identify with the state should be encouraged to leave the country, and make a future Palestinian state their home. This approach Arab-Israelis call a real "racism."