Two Different Invitations to the Same Important Event
Now that a new round of peace talks has been announced, various commentators (including myself, of course) are weighing in on what form and direction these negotiations might take. Personally, I worry about the long-term viability of any agreement(s) which arise from such talks with Hamas still in power in Gaza. But leaving that potentially calamitous issue aside for a moment, I came across a particularly sober piece by David Ignatius on the Washington Post website today which I think raises another potential stumbling block. In this piece Mr. Ignatius notes that the two sides- Palestinian and Israeli – are actually responding to two different kinds of invitations for the September talks. He writes that “One side is responding to one letter of invitation; the other is responding to a subtly different request. It’s a finesse that has succeeded in getting both to the table, but it also highlights the huge differences that exist between the two sides -- and could scuttle the talks.”
Writing on the Council on Foreign Relations website, Robert Danin noted similarly of the President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu that “ … the two leaders are literally singing from different song sheets--Abbas will enter talks based on the Quartet statement calling for "’a settlement that ends the occupation which began in 1967 and results in the emergence of an independent, democratic, and viable Palestinian state.’" Netanyahu will come to Washington in response to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's call for negotiations ‘without preconditions.’"
While I do think that a more nuanced approach to negotiations and a sensitivity to the idiosyncrasies of each side might one day be the key element in a successful peace-making strategy in the conflict, I am inclined to agree with Mr. Ignatius that there is a real danger here in opening up the talks essentially along two different paths. While the idea that each side needs to be appealed to in a different way may be a shrewd opening diplomatic move, in the end, a real and lasting peace will have to be built upon concessions and compromise, the exact opposite of the apparent program of accommodation which has made for a successful invitation to direct talks.
-Daniel E. Levenson
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
