Knowledge Partner
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist
Resolu*ons 242 and 338, and invites a united Pales*nian delega*on to
come forward within six months of the announcement? If the Pales*nians
produce such a delega*on, Israel should carry out its pledge to withdraw.
If the Pales*nians fail to produce a
delega*on, Israel can hold its head During the January 2001
high as a responsible member of the
talks held at Taba in Sinai,
UN and claim that it did its best to
implement the UNSC Council Egypt, the two
delega@ons made
resolu*ons.
an impar*al mediator in the eyes of the Pales*nians. What is lamentable is
that the Pales*nians should have ever believed that the US was impar*al,
even under Obama. President Trump’s argument that his decision on
Jerusalem will facilitate a resolu*on of the Israeli-Pales*nian conflict is
obviously flawed.
Looking Ahead
commendable progress.
However, Israel was due
for an elec@on and Barak
had to suspend the talks.
There is no reason to believe that the peace process will be resurrected even
symbolically in the near future. Israel finds that it can live with the status
quo. It granted municipal autonomy to the Pales*nians in the West Bank and
Gaza partly under pressure but mainly because it is not able to administer
the territory directly by employing the Pales*nians. This is much like how the
Bri*sh were able to rule India for long because they had Indian allies and
because there were enough Indians willing to be employed by them. Israel
cannot replicate that model albeit it has enough Arab allies including Saudi
Arabia remaining under cover.
Diplomacy can produce results only
when the two sides roughly equal in
power either recognise the fu*lity of
con*nuing with the confronta*on or
are exhausted ajer a violent
confronta*on. Diplomacy cannot succeed given the increasing asymmetry
between the two sides in the current case involving Israel and Pales*ne.
Israel has at *mes argued that it was impossible to seQle maQers with the
Pales*nians as the laQer are divided among themselves and that Israel needs
a counterpart with whom it can nego*ate. A thought experiment could be
considered: what would happen if Israel announces that it wants to withdraw
from the occupied territories in accordance with UN Security Council (UNSC)
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