Just a few days after the Obama administration increased pressure on Israel with the sudden enforcement of 20-year-old guidelines about labeling products manufactured in the so-called West Bank (Samaria and Judea), France stepped in to further pressure the Jewish State.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius announced Friday that France would soon organize an international conference with the aim to break the current deadlock in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The conference should enable new peace negotiations between each side, Fabius hopes.
“France will engage in the coming weeks in the preparation of an international conference bringing together the parties and their main partners, American, European, Arab, notably to preserve and make happen the two-state solution,” Fabius told reporters.
But apparently Fabius is not optimistic about the outcome of such a conference, so he decided to issue an ultimatum. When asked what would happen if his initiative should fail Fabius answered, “Well… in this case, we need to face our responsibilities by recognizing the Palestinian state.”
He added he saw “colonization” continue despite calls to cease these activities by the EU, U.S. and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. Fabius was referring to Israel’s supposedly “illegal” activities in Judea and Samaria (West Bank), the heartland of both ancient and modern day Israel.
Israeli officials were flabbergasted by the ultimatum and reacted with fury.
“The foreign minister’s statement offers an incentive to the Palestinians to reach a deadlock. It is not possible to conduct negotiations or to achieve peace in such a manner,” an unnamed Israeli official toldthe Hebrew-language paper Ma’ariv, shortly after Fabius’ announcement.
“The French know their initiative is hopeless, but they’re doing anything to leave their marks and show they’re a relevant player in the international arena,” another Israeli official said sarcastically.
Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu underlined the French threat to Israel during his opening remarks Sunday at the weekly cabinet meeting and said when the conference doesn’t produce the desired results, “France would essentially adopt the Palestinian position.” He added this “gives an incentive to the Palestinians not to come to the negotiations and not to compromise.”
The Israeli prime minister did not rule out Israeli participation in the conference, but said there needed to be some “sobering up” regarding the French intention to recognize a Palestinian state.
“In any event, we will make an effort so that there is a sobering up here, and our position is very clear: We are prepared to enter direct negotiation without preconditions and without dictated terms,” Netanyahu said.
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the French initiative and said the Palestinian people would no longer tolerate the ‘occupation and settlements.’ He accused Israel of robbing the Palestinian Arabs of natural resources and said he would not accept temporary or interim solutions.
“The region will not enjoy security and stability unless the Israeli occupation and settlement activities end,” Abbas declared. “We will stay here on our land and in our homeland, where we have developed our historical and cultural identity and made humanitarian contributions for thousands of years.
It is unclear to which “humanitarian contributions for thousands of years” Abbas was referring. Many have pointed out (among them Joan Peters in her book From Time Immemorial) that the “Palestinians” as a people exist only sincethe founding of the Palestinian Liberation Organization in 1964 and their “humanitarian contributions” have been mainly the invention and the execution of numerous terror attacks.
Hamas, meanwhile, rejected the French plan as untenable. Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan said “the calls from the international community to renew peace talks were futile and unacceptable. The world was trying to implement solutions that had previously failed,” he said.
The French initiative has led to speculations in the Israeli media about Fabius’s motivation.
Ha’aretz analyst Barak Ravid wrote the idea for the conference was not even raised during a meeting in Jerusalem between a high-ranking French official and Israeli diplomats last week.
“It almost seems that Fabius raised the idea knowing that it would fail, thus paving the way for other measures. If an international conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict does take place, it will be a significant achievement for him. But if it does not come to pass within several weeks, he will be able to say that he tried to restart the negotiations countless times, and now the only way France can save the two-state solution is by recognizing a Palestinian state,” Ravid concluded.
The Ha’aretz journalist could be right. But contrary to what he thinks, Fabius is not merely seeking out a legacy in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
“The French PM is not stupid and neither naïve,” Ravid wrote. Indeed, the French foreign minister knows what he is doing, and it probably has little to do with seeking a legacy.
As Ravid pointed out, Fabius has been the driving force in the EU to pressure Israel. Could it be the French FM saw the change in long-standing U.S. policy toward Israel’s policies vis-à-vis the Palestinians and decided to increase European pressure on Israel? After all, the French PM knows that when France recognizes the virtual Palestinian state, other European countries will follow suit.
Jerusalem Post analyst Caroline Glick wrote Jan. 21 that the Obama administration coordinates its new policy on Israel with the European powers. The timing of the French move a couple of days after the Obama administration announced the enforcement of the labeling policy indicates she was probably right.
Israel, meanwhile, seems to be aware of the dangers of the current situation. The government in Jerusalem knows the current political offensive against Israel can end in a bid to get the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution that will set a timetable for an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank. When that happens, Israel knows it cannot longer be assured of an American veto to block such a resolution as long as Obama is in office.
The risk of such a scenario is not that the situation on the ground will change except for more Palestinian terror against Israeli targets. The real danger lies in the diplomatic shift this scenario will cause. When the UNSC adopts a resolution setting a timetable for an Israeli withdrawal from the so-called West Bank — and world powers like France recognize a Palestinian state — it will be much harder for Israel to maintain its hold on Judea and Samaria.
The Palestinian Arabs apparently noticed the writing on the wall and stepped up their terror attacks against Israel over the weekend. There were several stabbings and vehicular attacks, and a member of the Palestinian Security Forces staged a shooting attack near an IDF checkpoint in the Beit El area in Samaria. The terrorist was shot dead after wounding three soldiers. He worked as a bodyguard for a PA prosecutor in Ramallah.
Monday the Palestinian Authority police praised the officer who carried out the attack. The police released a statement that said “with great pride, the members of the Palestinian police eulogize the brave martyrdom of their colleague.” The EU and the Obama administration didn’t react to the attack or the statement of the PA police.
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