Prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace have rarely looked dimmer — with Prime Minister Netanyahu unwilling to make concessions and President Obama incapable of applying pressure, but one option would be to abandon the so-called Quartet and embrace the Arab Peace Initiative, says Alon Ben-Meir.
By Alon Ben-Meir
During several meetings I recently had with European Union officials in Brussels, they argued that it is time to revive the Middle East Quartet, which consists of the U.S., E.U., Russia, and the United Nations, to resurrect the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. I took the opposite position because I believe that the Quartet failed from the onset to breathe new life into the peace negotiations; in fact, it has become a major impediment to the peace process.
The Quartet’s three preconditions, which require Hamas to recognize Israel, accept previous agreements and obligations, and forsake violence before it can become a legitimate partner in the peace talks, are outdated and impractical because these preconditions are tantamount to surrender.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits with wounded Israeli soldiers during Israel’s 2014 bombardment of Gaza and assault against Hamas. (Israeli government photo)
The Quartet’s demands on Hamas make it impossible for its leadership to negotiate under those terms – and without Hamas’ full participation as an integral part of the Palestinian delegation, no Israeli-Palestinian peace can endure even if achieved. In fact, any Israeli leader who genuinely seeks a peace agreement should not demand that Hamas first meet the Quartet’s requirements.
Having suffered the indignities of the blockade for so long, even if Hamas agreed to negotiate under duress from its current position of weakness a peace agreement or a long-term ceasefire (hudna), it would only be a question of time when they will rise again to reclaim their dignity.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supports the Quartet’s preconditions because he knows full well that Hamas will not accept them. Thus, the Quartet has de facto been providing Netanyahu with the political cover he needs to forestall any substantive negotiations,…