Of all the international conflicts the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been the most deep-rooted and prolonged. The conflict has become multi-faceted and hence more complicated. Mr. Tony Blair served as the British Prime Minister for about ten years. As soon as he resigned, the same day, he was appointed as the representative of the Middle East Quartet, consisting of the United Nations, European Union, Russia and the United States, to help the Palestinians develop their institutions and economy. Now he has been the representative of the Middle East Quartet for more than 18 months. A statement he made on the need for Palestinian Reconciliation in his speech to the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington on December 3, 2008 can be easily termed a locus-classicus. Tony Blair said:The problem is that until now the reality on the ground for Israelis and Palestinians has not passed what I would call the minimum threshold of credibility for the political negotiation to succeed. Not for the Israelis on security, not for the Palestinians on lifting the occupation.
For a conflict to get solved there should be a basic inclination on the part of the parties concerned. And, the ground realities should be conducive to allow that inclination to flower as a final political decision. It is doubtful if such a basic inclination is there; and the ground realities seem to be drawing the conflict away from solution.
Existence of two factions among the Palestinians, viz. Hamas and Fatah has created an impossible situation so far as the resolution of this conflict is concerned. These two factions have become more hostile after the Hamas seized control of the Gaza strip from the Fatah. The authority of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Fatah Party) has been practically restricted to the West Bank region. If the two factions cannot sort out their differences, Mr. Abbas would be forced to opt for elections soon. But the Hamas commands a large majority in Palestinian Parliament and challenges the authority of Mr. Abbas to call elections. The Arab nations who have been supporting the Palestinian side all along want to be neutral between the Hamas and the Fatah. They, however, want President Mahmoud Abbas to continue in office and bring the two factions together. Arab League foreign ministers met in Cairo on November 26, 2008. In that emergency meeting they appealed to both Palestinian factions to reconcile and work harmoniously.
To complicate the issue further, the Hamas controlling the Gaza strip, are accused of cross-border rocket attacks against Israel. This clash has led to the blockade of the region by Israel. Though Arab nations have come forward to send food and medicine to Gaza strip, the damage caused to the atmosphere cannot be easily undone.
It is important that the faction-ridden Palestinians should understand the sense behind what Mr. Tony Blair has highlighted. He has said:There can only be one Palestinian state. It will combine Gaza and the West Bank. However much we are tempted to set Gaza to one side because of the chaos it causes to Palestinian cohesion, it cannot be. But neither is its predicament inevitable. It can and it must be reversed.
For a conflict to get solved there should be a basic inclination on the part of the parties concerned. And, the ground realities should be conducive to allow that inclination to flower as a final political decision. It is doubtful if such a basic inclination is there; and the ground realities seem to be drawing the conflict away from solution.
Existence of two factions among the Palestinians, viz. Hamas and Fatah has created an impossible situation so far as the resolution of this conflict is concerned. These two factions have become more hostile after the Hamas seized control of the Gaza strip from the Fatah. The authority of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Fatah Party) has been practically restricted to the West Bank region. If the two factions cannot sort out their differences, Mr. Abbas would be forced to opt for elections soon. But the Hamas commands a large majority in Palestinian Parliament and challenges the authority of Mr. Abbas to call elections. The Arab nations who have been supporting the Palestinian side all along want to be neutral between the Hamas and the Fatah. They, however, want President Mahmoud Abbas to continue in office and bring the two factions together. Arab League foreign ministers met in Cairo on November 26, 2008. In that emergency meeting they appealed to both Palestinian factions to reconcile and work harmoniously.
To complicate the issue further, the Hamas controlling the Gaza strip, are accused of cross-border rocket attacks against Israel. This clash has led to the blockade of the region by Israel. Though Arab nations have come forward to send food and medicine to Gaza strip, the damage caused to the atmosphere cannot be easily undone.
It is important that the faction-ridden Palestinians should understand the sense behind what Mr. Tony Blair has highlighted. He has said:There can only be one Palestinian state. It will combine Gaza and the West Bank. However much we are tempted to set Gaza to one side because of the chaos it causes to Palestinian cohesion, it cannot be. But neither is its predicament inevitable. It can and it must be reversed.
A silver lining in the cloud is the optimism of the Israel’s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. On November 25, 2008 he said in Washington that two sides did not need months to make a decision on a peace agreement. He said that he believed he could reach agreement with the Palestinians on core peace issues soon.
However sincere Mr. Ehud Olmert may sound, the time factor is not very favorable. It was the President Bush, who took strong initiatives for the revival of Middle East peace talks last year. He would cease to be President on January 20, 2009. There will be a new Prime Minister in Israel early in February. With very limited time at their disposal, what both these leaders could do does not appear bright.
The efforts of these two leaders, however, deserve very special mention in the annals of middle-east history. The Mid-east conference in Annapolis opened in the presence of President George Bush on November 27, 2007 has paved the way for comprehensive consultations between Israel and Palestine. The Annapolis conference, however, set a goal of Peace Agreement by the end of 2008. This has not been achieved.
However sincere Mr. Ehud Olmert may sound, the time factor is not very favorable. It was the President Bush, who took strong initiatives for the revival of Middle East peace talks last year. He would cease to be President on January 20, 2009. There will be a new Prime Minister in Israel early in February. With very limited time at their disposal, what both these leaders could do does not appear bright.
The efforts of these two leaders, however, deserve very special mention in the annals of middle-east history. The Mid-east conference in Annapolis opened in the presence of President George Bush on November 27, 2007 has paved the way for comprehensive consultations between Israel and Palestine. The Annapolis conference, however, set a goal of Peace Agreement by the end of 2008. This has not been achieved.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said, “They won't achieve agreement by the end of the year. But they have achieved a good deal of progress in their negotiations, a good deal of progress in the work that is being done on the ground. And I would just remind you that this is the first time in almost a decade that Palestinians and Israelis are addressing all of the core issues in a comprehensive way to try to get to a solution. And if that process takes a little bit longer, so be it."
On the advantages of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Tony Blair has said:Peace between Israelis and Palestinians would release forces of modernization across the region. It would pin back the forces of reaction and it does not inhabit an entirely separate sphere from issues like Iran or Iraq or Afghanistan or Pakistan or any of the other troubled parts of that region, which crowd in on our consciences and compete for our attention. It is integral to resolving them too.
It is now very clear that any solution of Israeli-Palestinian conflict would be possible only after the Palestinian reconciliation. The ball is no doubt in Palestinian court.
Sources
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=20AA208:F7F0B63DAB0DE8EE088B3C6F470B465AE55ED32ED25AB8F6&http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=20A211F:F7F0B63DAB0DE8EE07399CAAE30131F6E55ED32ED25AB8F6& http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=20D2189:F7F0B63DAB0DE8EEBF69D66EEFEE36E130EB2FA2E66CBB22& http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=210AB17:F7F0B63DAB0DE8EE817ECD0A9D9D42642E7CA1C1B166B639&
On the advantages of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Tony Blair has said:Peace between Israelis and Palestinians would release forces of modernization across the region. It would pin back the forces of reaction and it does not inhabit an entirely separate sphere from issues like Iran or Iraq or Afghanistan or Pakistan or any of the other troubled parts of that region, which crowd in on our consciences and compete for our attention. It is integral to resolving them too.
It is now very clear that any solution of Israeli-Palestinian conflict would be possible only after the Palestinian reconciliation. The ball is no doubt in Palestinian court.
Sources
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=20AA208:F7F0B63DAB0DE8EE088B3C6F470B465AE55ED32ED25AB8F6&http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=20A211F:F7F0B63DAB0DE8EE07399CAAE30131F6E55ED32ED25AB8F6& http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=20D2189:F7F0B63DAB0DE8EEBF69D66EEFEE36E130EB2FA2E66CBB22& http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=210AB17:F7F0B63DAB0DE8EE817ECD0A9D9D42642E7CA1C1B166B639&
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