 AN ANALYSIS BY FAREED MAHDY
(IDN Middle East Special Correspondent) - The Middle East conflict appears more clearly than ever to be an exclusive U.S.-Israeli business. The Palestinians have been successfully divided. The so-called Arab world is still perfecting the art of saying nothing. Nevertheless, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak seems to want to have a say in the middle of the U.S.-Israel debate, which focuses on the "form" rather than the "substance" of sorting out the conflict.
Fifteen days after U.S. President Barack Obama's addressed the Muslims of the world from Cairo, and five days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's issued diktat to everybody, Mubarak has offered his own vision on the Middle East conflict and its long-awaited solution.
Under the didactic but attractive title ‘How to Achieve Israeli-Palestinian Peace’, the U.S. Wall Street Journal published on June 19 an opinion signed by Mubarak, in which he talked about what he calls the "process of intense soul-searching" the Arabs are going through.
After commenting the U.S. president "seminal address" in Cairo, which he considers "clear and incontrovertible", Mubarak says that "the ambitious agenda outlined by President Obama must now be followed by forward-looking steps in order to chart a new course in America's relationship with the Arab and Muslim world". Good!
Mubarak adds: "For decades, the Arab world has been engaged in a process of intense soul-searching as to how to cope with the forces of change in its midst, including the rising expectations of a rapidly growing younger generation, the destabilizing escalation of regional conflicts, and the swelling tide of radicalism and extremism." Fine!
Mubarak, whose regime has been ruling Egypt for nearly three decades now, and whose son Gamal Mubarak has long been rumoured to be 'The Candidate' to succeed him in power, goes on to say that Egypt has been doing its homework: "Egypt has engaged in a process of reform that is succeeding in providing greater opportunities for our youth, more empowerment for women, as well as greater pluralism and internal debate." Great!
TIME TO RENEW COMMITMENTS
Mubarak then points out: "The time has come to renew our commitment to address these many challenges. . . Among the host of challenges before us, it is the Palestinian issue that requires the greatest urgency, given the precarious state of the peace process after years of stalemate. President Obama has shown a willingness to lead to achieve peace in the Middle East; the Arab world must reciprocate with forthright leadership of its own."
Here the Egyptian 'rais' (president) reminds everyone that "despite the setbacks of the last few years, it is important to remember that many of the elements of a solution have already been negotiated".
He adds: "After nearly two decades of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations since the initiation of the Oslo peace process, many of the details of a final settlement are well known."
And the: "Furthermore, the Arab Peace Initiative, adopted at the Beirut (Arab) summit of 2002, provides a regional framework for such a settlement. For the first time in the history of the conflict, the Arab states unanimously committed to full normalization and security for Israel in exchange for a full withdrawal to the 1967 lines and a negotiated resolution of the Palestinian refugee issue." True!
Then Mubarak offers his recipe: "The road to a final settlement will now require leadership and concerted effort from all sides. Over the last few years, Egypt has worked exhaustively to unite the Palestinian leadership in a manner that upholds their commitment to a negotiated two-state solution."
"Egypt has also tried to broker a durable cease-fire between Hamas and Israel, in parallel with our mediation on a prisoner exchange," he continues, and explains that during Netanyahu's visit to Egypt last month "I renewed our commitment to resume these efforts".
NOW, A ‘SERIOUS’ EFFORT, PLEASE!
Mubarak stresses: "These steps must now be joined with a serious process to negotiate a final status agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority." Fine!
"The priority should be to resolve the permanent borders of a sovereign and territorially contiguous Palestinian state, based on the 1967 lines, as this would unlock most of the other permanent status issues, including settlements, security, water and Jerusalem." Well…
"Success of these negotiations will depend on firm commitments from both sides to uphold the credibility of the process. Israel's relentless settlement expansion, which has seriously eroded the prospects for a two-state solution, must cease, together with its closure of Gaza," the Egyptian president proposes.
He adds: "For their part, the Palestinians must continue to develop their institutional capacity while overcoming their division to achieve their aspirations for statehood."
"While full normalization with Israel can only result from a comprehensive settlement including the Syrian, Lebanese as well as Palestinian track, the Arab side stands ready to reciprocate serious steps towards peace undertaken by Israel," Mubarak wishes to underline.
Sounds good, but…
… But the problem is that Israeli right/far-right government has already explained its position based on three strong-firm conditions: Israel for the Jewish people only; total security for Israel only; Jerusalem for Israel only; Palestinian refugees to stay out of Israel; Israeli settlements to expand as needed, and a demilitarised territory under Palestinian control, but without any control! However, with the right to have a flag and an anthem and then perhaps also a state.
The Israeli diktat, which violates all previous international agreements and United Nations Security Council resolutions, as well as all the arrangements mentioned by Murabak, was received in the White House with signs of hope.
Anyway, the Egyptian Mubarak wanted to express his thoughts; the Arab "world" appears not to have finished its process of "intense soul-searching" and the Middle East continues to be an exclusive U.S.-Israeli business.
So, nothing new under the sun! – 21.06.2009
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