hotair

Can “loose cannon” diplomacy really work?

Or does it only make matters worse?

How effective is “Trial by Public Opinion” as a diplomatic tool? It appears that we pretty have decided that Political Correctness does work very well within American politics, but can it be used as an effective tool in Diplomacy? For that matter, should it even be used as a Diplomatic tool?

Abbas asks for more U.S. help in peace process
Palestinian president says little progress has been made with Israel

updated 5:16 p.m. CT, Wed., April. 23, 2008
WASHINGTON - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appealed to the Bush administration Wednesday for more support in peace talks with Israel that have bogged down five months after both sides pledged to reach a deal by January.

In a meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ahead of talks with President Bush on Thursday, Abbas said time was running out if that target laid out at the Annapolis Conference in November was to be met and that more pressure must be exerted on Israel to stop the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

"Five months after Annapolis, the gap is still wide between the Palestinians and the Israelis," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat quoted Abbas as telling Rice in the hour-and-a-half meeting. "He emphasized that there is a gap that separates the two parties. Time is running, time is precious. And this phase needs decisions."

He said Abbas told Rice that Israel's continuing expansion of settlements, a halt to which is a major component of the so-called roadmap blueprint for peace, "is one of the greatest obstacles that stands in our way to reach an agreement with the Israelis."

"Israel must stop their settlement expansion," Erekat said. "It is a major commitment according to the first phase of the roadmap."

Abbas' spokesman Abu Rudeina, echoed Erekat's remarks, saying the Palestinian and Israeli positions were still far apart.

"That requires American intervention," Rudeina said.

Hopes for a peace deal
Abbas is struggling for authority in the West Bank against the militant Hamas movement that controls Gaza. Bush hopes to achieve a peace deal between the Palestinians and Israel before he leaves office in January. Bush met on Wednesday with Jordan's King Abdullah II to discuss the process.

The White House meetings are a prelude to next month's trip by Bush to the Middle East to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of Israel. He also is expected to visit Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

The administration had been holding out hope it could arrange a peace summit during the visit, perhaps at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik, where Bush is now set to see Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The idea was to have Arab leaders endorse an interim statement demonstrating at least some progress, officials said.

But there are deep misgivings about such a meeting among both Arabs and the Israelis, given the slow pace of negotiations, and prospects for the summit are slim, officials said.

Abbas wants a framework peace agreement by January with timetables and specifics leading to the creation of a Palestinian state and not just a "declaration of principles" as suggested by some Israel officials. He has said his talks with Bush on Thursday will focus on achieving a real deal on core issues and not just promises.

"We seek a framework agreement that includes all the core issues and how these core issues will be resolved — and ending with the establishment of a Palestinian independent state," Abbas said Tuesday.

Issues in debate
The core issues remain the final borders of a Palestinian state, the fate of Jerusalem, disputed Israeli settlements, refugees, water and future relations between the two states.

The White House did not give a readout on the Bush-Abdullah meeting. The Jordanian Embassy said Abdullah, who later saw Abbas, stressed the importance of U.S. involvement and Washington's role in overcoming obstacles to progress, particularly in pressing Israel on the settlements and easing Palestinian access.

"King Abdullah said it is important that Israel refrains from measures that would jeopardize negotiations with the Palestinians and called for an end to all Israeli settlement activities, a lifting of the blockade and restrictions on the movement of Palestinians," the embassy said.

Rice is stepping up efforts to boost the authority of Abbas by appointing a senior State Department official to run former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Mideast office. Blair is now an envoy to the Palestinians for the international diplomatic quartet on the Middle East.

Ahead of Bush's trip, Rice is expected to travel to Israel and the West Bank after attending a Palestinian donors' conference that Blair is hosting in London on May 2. A ministerial meeting of the quartet — the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia — is expected at the same time.

Officials said the administration, which already has pledged $555 million to the Palestinians this year, was looking at slight increases to announce at the conference, but that a major boost in aid was unlikely, as Congress has not yet approved the budget.




Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



Another shining example of Saeb Erekat’s brand of diplomacy. Trial by public opinion. Put a spotlight on a single element of a problem, in order to gain public support. The problem with using a spotlight, it that it only illuminates one small portion of the entire scene. Thus allowing the public to see only one specific part of the entire picture.

What the spotlight does not show is that the PA has failed to do anything that the ‘road map’ requires from them. Ending the violence. Disarming the militias. Regaining control of Gaza. Establishing anything resembling a working government. This ‘road map’ requires actions from the PA, as well as from the Israelis.

Another thing that this spotlight does not illuminate, it that Israel is a Democratic Republic. That the Israeli government is first, and foremost responsible, and answerable to the Israeli people.

The single most important element of the entire picture, that this spotlight does not illuminate, is that Abbas really needs to help the Israeli government to give him the help that he wants. The Israeli government cannot help Abbas, until he gives them something to work with. Right now, there is not a lot that the Israeli government can do, without getting something to show for it.

Erekat is doing more damage than good. His continuing actions of leaking information to the press like this, is only making matters worse. There is no amount of public opinion (outside of Israel), that is going to force the Israeli government to do anything that it cannot do. If Abbas wants help from the Israeli government, then he has got to give them an excuse to do it.

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So long, and thanks for all of the fish!!!

hotair

"Israel must stop their settlement expansion," Erekat said. "It is a major commitment according to the first phase of the roadmap."

Erekat is absolutely correct here. At least as far as he goes. Settlement expansion is a major commitment. It is however only one of a number of major commitments. What Erekat fails to mention here, is that the PA is (apparently) doing nothing to comply with any of their ‘major commitments’.

Another thing that he fails to mention. Is any justification why the Israelis should be the only ones to be compelled to comply with any of these ‘major commitments’ that he is talking about.

Erekat obviously wants to turn this ‘road map’ into a one way street. The question then becomes: It this really all that helpful?

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So long, and thanks for all of the fish!!!

BillCosby

Can “loose cannon” diplomacy really work? ( a term not defined)

Or does it only make matters worse?

Considering the alternative I don't think it can make things much worse...... Having any of these misfits running our country there is gonna help??? lol

They have screwed up everything they have touched......... Hell I would rather have carrot top over there than george bush.......... @ least he couldn't screw ti up any more........

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Preventive war is not war!!!!Counter-terror is not terror

hotair

I am not too sure what circles you run in. But the term “loose cannon” is pretty much universally defined.

When you say that you “don’t think it can make things much worse” I am assuming that you are endorsing Erekat’s actions. You support his attempt at “trial by public opinion” on this issue?

While I admit that “it can’t hurt” is not much of a glowing endorsement. I am curious about what you mean by “considering the alternatives”. What alternatives are you talking about?

I am unable to see what alternatives that you might be talking about. The Israeli government is powerless to stop these proposed settlement expansions. There are no laws forbidding any settlement activity, either new construction, or expansion. There are no formal treaties regulating any sort of settlement activities. The government has no legal means to oppose these proposed expansions at all. The ‘agreements’ that Erekat speaks of, have no legal enforcement within the Israeli courts.

The only way that the government could stop these proposed activities, is if they could show some justification for interfering with the livelihoods of the contractors hired to do the construction work. Since the Israeli government is not a dictatorship, or for that matter any other form of totalitarian rulership, they cannot act precipitately.

The government clearly cannot simply claim that stopping this construction is going to help anything. Especially since everything is clearly going in the wrong direction.

IMO: Erekat’s actions are only exposing the helpless position that the Israeli government has been placed in, by the total lack of any positive action on the part of the PA. I do not see how this is helpful.

I also do not see how you can claim that it is not hurting. Especially since Erekat is claiming that . . . Abbas told Rice that Israel's continuing expansion of settlements, a halt to which is a major component of the so-called roadmap blueprint for peace, "is one of the greatest obstacles that stands in our way to reach an agreement with the Israelis. . . . " Obviously it is hurting, or at least Erekat is claiming that it is hurting.

__________________
So long, and thanks for all of the fish!!!

BillCosby

This has been going on for a long long time now........ I am for trying anything different..........

__________________
Preventive war is not war!!!!Counter-terror is not terror