Monday, November 15, 2010

Abbas: Half Of Negotiating Is Just Showing Up!

Blogging off of Android is harder than I thought, but I had to post something.

You just knew that once Israel seemed to get something, the Palestinians would be coming, cap in hand:

Palestinians 'waiting for US guarantees' - Israel News, Ynetnews

Palestinians 'waiting for US guarantees' PA sources say Washington will commit to agreement on Palestinian state's borders within three months, Ramallah to receive financial and diplomatic aid package. Direct talks with Israel likely to resume in early December.

(so, does that mean that after all the yelling and screaming, 30 of the 90 days of the moratorium are to be a moratorium on negotiating?)

After Israel received a list of promises from the United States in exchange for agreeing to an additional settlement construction freeze, Palestinian sources said Monday morning that their leadership in Ramallah was awaiting a guarantees and aid package from Washington as well.

(Obvious question: What in the world could the Palestinians possibly think they have done to deserve extra aid?

The answer shouldn't surprise you)

The Palestinian sources told the London-based Arabic-language al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper that the commitments would be given in exchange for a Palestinian agreement to renew direct peace talks with Israel.

(Well, you know what they say: half of negotiating is just showing up...

Of course, in Abbas's case, it's more like 30%

But still, such a request--and such a reason--set a new standard fotr chutzpah: even for them.

2 comments:

Garnel Ironheart said...

This is the ongoing game that Obama doesn't seem to understand he's playing.
The Arab side has no interest in a final agreement. Abbas' job is to destroy Israel, not found a 23rd Arab state. At this point things are as good as they can get for him. Under basically Israeli control and tutelage, his economy is growing, his people are working, and his little territory is relatively peaceful.
A final agreement that left him as the President of Palestine would be a disaster for him! But he has to keep going through the motions.

Daled Amos said...

He is a lemming working off of the world's longest cliff.