“Israel Wins Twice”

But the wins cancel each other out, alas.

Hamas’ leader Khalid Mashaal has agreed to recognize Israel and stop all resistance to the Jewish State if it accepts to return to its internationally recognized borders and comply with international law, permitting the two state solution in line with 1967 borders. Here is the story by Derhally:

Hamas Chief Says Resistance Stops at End of Israeli Occupation: Hamas would end its resistance if Israel retreated to the 1967 borders before the Six Day War and ended the occupation of Palestinian lands, the group’s political leader Khalid Mashaal said. (View the Charlie Rose show during which Mashaal say this)

The second win was the banner headline in Israel’s Ma’ariv which read: Netanyahu: “I Won”. The article stated:

Netanyahu is pleased by the fact that the Americans failed, so he said, to twist his arm and that ultimately, in the duel between him and the Obama administration, he was the one who emerged with the upper hand. We did not make concessions on our red lines and they failed to make us fold and to drag us to places we didn’t want to go, said Netanyahu, according to people who heard him speak.

By this Netanyahu means that the Obama administration will not unduly pressure Israel to comply with international law, the two state solution, and the cessation of settlement expansion. Khalid Mashaal’s concession will be meaningless. Of course, President Obama will continue to insist that US policy is the fulfillment of international law and the two state solution, but he will do precious little to enforce it. Why? Elections.

Ma’ariv quotes an unnamed source in Washington:

“The Democratic Party’s coffers are empty. Many Democrat members of Congress and Senators have complained that if the hazing of Israel were to continue, they would be unable to obtain donations from Jews and were liable to lose the elections,” ….

In 2002, when the Arab League states announced that they were prepared to recognize Israel and end all hostilities if it accepted UN resolution 242 and allow for a Palestinian state in the Palestinian land it occupied in 1967, Israel ignored it. Today, Israel will ignore Mashaal’s statement.

Addendum: See A Day in November by Uri Avnery. He asks: “What will happen the day after the elections?”

Optimists believe that on that morning, a new era will start. No further elections are planned before November 2012, when Obama’s first term expires. For an entire year, at least, he will be free to act.

That is a “window of opportunities”. A wide-open window. During this time Obama can realize his hope of bringing peace and retrieve the position of the US in the Middle East. As an added bonus, he will also be able to vent his accumulated fury against Netanyahu.

According to this forecast, in this one year, from the end of 2010 to the end of 2011, the final act of the drama will be enacted. Obama will present an American peace plan, the pressure on the Israeli government will intensify, Israel will finally have to choose between peace and territories, peace will at long last be on its way.

But there is also an opposite forecast: Obama will continue to disappoint, as he has disappointed until now. He will already be thinking about the next presidential election and continue to be afraid of AIPAC.

This forecast has a lot going for it. When I was very young, my father admonished me never, but never, to yield to blackmail. He who pays a blackmailer once will continue to pay to his last day. A blackmailer never lets go of his victim.

(In the course of my life I have tried to adhere to this advice. My technique is this: when somebody tries to blackmail me, threatening to do me some harm, I imagine that he has already done so. This way, the threat loses its sting.)

AIPAC is blackmailing Obama, and until now it has been successful. It will go on doing so after November. Obama should face up to the idea and decide: no more.

Will he have the courage to do so? I don’t know. I hope.