Ariel Sharon is making a symbolic gesture by agreeing to meet with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Prime Minister. This gesture is more one of goodwill towards the US, particularly in light of Colin Powell’s visit to Israel, than it is to the Palestinians. But it’s also a signal that Israel would be willing to work towards peace . . . if a true peace partner exists.
Sharon is probably just as aware as anyone that Abbas (or Abu Mazen, as he is better known) is no more a partner for peace than the Pope is a candidacy for Chief Rabbi. But he has to at least give him this chance, or risk losing face internationally as the deal-breaker in this current push towards peace. Israel’s reputation in Europe is already rock-bottom, but Sharon needs to at least give the American plan a chance, because Israel needs American support. So Israel has to go through the motions, knowing full well that the Palestinians can never and will never hold up their end of the bargain. But when this latest effort falls apart, it’s important to Sharon’s government that it not appear to be Israel’s fault.
Abu Mazen, for his part, doesn’t seem to want to let Israel get away with this. He’s planned talks with Hamas and Islamic Jihad to – he says – try to talk them into halting attacks against Israel:
Abbas “will try to convince the Palestinian factions to end terror attacks…there is a chance that Hamas has changed its position and will agree to end attacks,” following the Iraq war and the ensuing US pressure on Syria to shut the offices of Palestinian groups in Damascus, Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Amr said. “Of course these talks will not go on indefinitely,” he said.
Abbas is not naive, not by far. He didn’t get to be a senior member of the Palestinian Authority by being so innocently idealistic – or so innocent, but that’s another story. He knows full well that Hamas and the Islamic Jihad will never agree to halt attacks. He also knows that they wouldn’t be able to carry them out without the backing of Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority. And at this stage, he can’t afford another all-out power struggle with Arafat, even if he wanted to – which, by all indications, he doesn’t.
It’s easy for Abbas to claim he “tried” to halt attacks, and then later to say he has no control over the extremist factions. And then to turn around and point the finger at Israel for whatever counter-measures the Israeli army needs to take in response to the inevitable step-up in attacks. In the meantime, Abbas will order his police force to seek out the terrorists and arrest a few token ones (probably with the full advance knowledge and consent of the terrorist leaders) and then blame Israel again when the talks fall apart.
Everyone knows this. But they all go through the motions anyway. *Sigh*.