generalspeaking

Et Tu, Canada?

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas visited Canada for several days before embarking to the United States to meet with President Barack Obama. Mr. Abbas, meeting first with Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon must have been more than a little pleased to have Mr. Cannon speak at a news conference of Israeli settlements and their expansion as being 'illegal', and responsible for undermining the peace process.

As for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, doubtless mindful of the backlash from the Canadian-Arab community, more numerous in voting potential than the Canadian-Jewish community, a somewhat modified line emerged a day later. Where the Prime Minister "stressed the importance of peace talks and both leaders discussed options for approaches to some of the key final status issues. Canada", he emphasized, "believes that these issues must be settled between the parties themselves."

In a sense he is now moving closer to the U.S. position on the matter. On the other hand, not quite, since American President Obama has forcefully intervened, placing pressure on Israel to relent its new government's position on the two-state solution, and submit to huge state sacrifices, while making little of Israel's existential cri de coeur on Iran. The Palestinian Authority is asked to make no sacrifices, to soften its increasingly strenuous and strident demands.

One thing only is required of the Palestinians, that they undertake a serious commitment to controlling Palestinian violence against Israel. At historic times in the recent past when Israel was prepared to sacrifice much to sign a peace treaty with the Palestinians, it was the Palestinians who pulled back at the last moment, allowing failure to triumph. And each time this occurred, the Palestinians dug in deeper and harder and flailed violently against Israel.

How much sincerity is there in the Palestinians' stated desire for peace between themselves and the Jewish State? They practise a charade of arresting peace violators, then surreptitiously releasing them to continue their violence. They celebrate openly and champion the crude violence of murderers of Israeli children. The PA teaches their young that Israel represents an illegal colonialist entity. Denying any historic Jewish traditions on the land.

While speaking one way to the foreign press in English, in Arabic the Palestinian Authority and its president, Mr. Abass, encourages jihad, and honours suicide bombers. How reliable is such a partner for peace? Fatah and Hamas are incapable of forming a coalition to responsibly represent the needs of the Palestinians. What use is there of an agreement for peace leading to a state alongside another, when there is no assurance that there will be security?

Israel has more than sufficient problems, with the U.S. and the EU reproaching it for its unwillingness to completely surrender to all the demands made upon it with little assurance for its safety. The bilateral talks leading to upgraded relations between Israel and the EU are now in suspension, with the Netherlands continuing to advocate a special relationship and other member states mum on the issue. Owing much to EU expectations about Israel signing onto the two-state solution and the curbing of settlement expansion.

The European Union is also ever-mindful of its relations with the Arab countries, particularly in the wake of Israel's Gaza offensive. Israel is still hopefully awaiting movement on its bid for the European Commission to agree to diplomatic co-operation, integration with the single market, along with joint transport and education projects, pushed off the agenda, post-Gaza. Mostly, it would appear, on the initiative of Benita Ferrero-Waldner, EU external relations commissioner.

A meeting scheduled between the EU foreign relations chiefs in Brussels and Israel's new foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman will likely see nothing accomplished. Word has leaked from one pro-Israel EU diplomat that Ms. Ferrero-Waldner's past relations with the late Austrian United Nations Director General Kurt Waldheim, known to have been an active Wehrmacht officer during WWII, and later president of Austria, tainted her views of Israel.

And although her office denies any link between the commissioner and Mr. Waldheim, the talkative EU diplomat said, "She spent all her time in the United Nations getting close to the Arab delegations and that's where all this comes from." Everyone has their own agenda in this difficult and nuanced relational situation.

But no singular entity has anything much to lose, exclusive of the State of Israel.

Labels: Canada, European Union, Israel, United Nations, United States

posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, May 27, 2009