Paris, September 1, 2010 – The direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority that began in what amounted to a miniature state dinner on Wednesday night in Washington, with as guests Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian National Authority, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, and King Abdullah of Jordan, bear a fair chance of ending in just four weeks, after the 26th of September, when Mr. Netanyahu’s moratorium on continued colonization of Palestinian land and Arab Jerusalem is to be lifted. President Abbas has said that he will not negotiate if colony construction does resume, and President Barack Obama has not said what he might do.
Otherwise, to judge from experience, it is probable that the talks, for all practical purposes, will end when the American midterm elections have concluded at the beginning of November.
There is no serious reason to consider this other than a political pantomime, although Believers -- if such remain -- may pray for a miracle. Launching the talks is of minor electoral advantage to Mr. Obama and the Democrats, and if they fail, the president cannot be blamed for other than wasting people’s time and money.
The meeting honors President Abbas, who has little other opportunity in which to seek that will’-o-the-wisp, justification. King Abdullah and President Mubarak presumably had the evenings open, although the Egyptian does have an interest in favorable international publicity as well as royal associations as he seemingly attempts to transform his office into an hereditary post.
Benjamin Netanyahu first became Israel’s prime minister in 1996. The following winter he attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He gave a press conference which was packed with journalists and officials who wanted a look at him, and he did what seemed to me a very strange thing. The conference was open – no constraints on who could attend – and he spoke with what seemed utter confidence and candor about what should be done about the Palestinians. The following is what I heard.
