Quietly, momentum has been building in the long-running Israeli-Palestinian peace process. You could be forgiven for missing it amid the diplomatic flurry that defined Barack Obama’s first 100 days in office. But given the signs, Mr Obama appears to be planning a major push to get peace efforts back onto a productive path. The most encouraging development is that after seven years, the Saudi-authored Arab Peace Initiative appears to be gaining traction in Washington. The US Middle East envoy George Mitchell has said that the White House intends to “incorporate” it into the country’s regional policy.
However, the US is unlikely to accept it in its entirety. The most controversial issue is the so-called “right of return” for Palestinian refugees. There are hints that the US is pressing the Arabs to amend the initiative and to remove this as a prerequisite for diplomatic normalisation. Syria has spoken out vocally against such a change and this is unsurprising since it was Syria that was first responsible for inserting the language. Foreign ministers from other Arab nations have also opposed amending the document at an emergency meeting in Cairo last week. Despite this, any greater support from Washington for the Arab Peace Initiative represents an important development in the Arab-Israeli peace process.
All of this seems to have the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu concerned. Ahead of his appointment in Washington next week Mr Netanyahu has been talking tough. Soon after he became prime minister, Mr Netanyahu underplayed the need for a two-state solution. Instead he revived his tired notion of an economic peace, based on the flawed supposition that Palestinians would stop fighting Israel if they were given a decent living. Yesterday, he told a meeting of his party’s ministers that Israel will never withdraw from the Golan Heights. He has also tried to focus the debate on Iran’s nuclear programme, claiming that it is the greatest barrier to regional peace and an existential threat to Israel.
At times, his rhetoric has bordered on the absurd, claiming that if Iran obtains a nuclear weapon, “it will force all Arab states to ally with it”. This over-simplistic argument may have been meant for domestic consumption to appease the more hawkish members of his coalition government, but such arguments are dangerous distractions.
Despite all Mr Netanyahu’s bluster, Mr Obama appears to be determined to pursue a regional peace plan that incorporates the concerns of every party and does not play favourites. He has invited Mahmoud Abbas, Benjamin Netanyahu and Hosni Mubarak to Washington to discuss how to get the Israeli-Palestinian peace process back on track.
The notion of including the leaders of both Israel and the Palestinian Territories in Mr Obama’s first serious discussion of the subject is significant. The message is obviously that both should be on equal footing. That Mr Mubarak is also included is no less significant given his role in mediating between Palestinian factions and Israel. Mr Obama has also indicated that he will give his promised address to the Muslim world from Egypt, and supposedly will reveal his plan for peace at the same time. It remains to be seen whether this flurry of activity will achieve results, but this is certainly a promising start.
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