The Associated Press on Wednesday conveyed threats from top Palestinian official Nabil Shaath to suspend peace talks with Israel, and to “immediately” resume diplomatic warfare against the Jewish state.
A senior Palestinian official says the Palestinians will resume their campaign for international recognition at the United Nations if Israel calls off a planned release of Palestinian prisoners.
Israel’s chief negotiator said Tuesday that Israel is not obligated to free the prisoners, and said the decision to do so would depend on progress in peace talks. Israel is seeking a Palestinian pledge to extend talks beyond a current April deadline. Palestinian official Nabil Shaath said the Palestinians said if the prisoner release is called off, the Palestinians will “immediately” turn to the UN.
Israel has already conducted three such releases in order to keep Palestinian diplomats at the table for U.S.-backed negotiations, but domestic opinion regarding the gestures has steadily soured in the wake of jubilant public celebrations for freed terrorists, including rallies attended by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas. Recent signals by Palestinian negotiators hinting that they are ready to pocket the concessions and walk away from talks have generated even more opposition, including inside the Israeli government.
Fatah advisor Tayeb Abdel Rahim had revealed [Arabic] last February that Abbas had sent a letter to President Obama reiterating his opposition to U.S. calls for the Palestinians to recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people. Rahim also outlined Palestinians readiness to wage diplomatic warfare against Israel in 63 different international institutions.
President Obama subsequently gave an interview to Bloomberg admonishing Netanyahu and issuing what interviewer Jeffrey Goldberg described as a “veiled threat” against the Israelis, before holding a meeting with Abbas that analysts described as friendlier in both tone and substance.
Compare that with what he told Abbas in the toughest part of his public statements with the Palestinian Authority president before their meeting: “It’s very hard, it’s very challenging,” he said of the diplomatic process. “We’re going to have to take some tough political decisions and risks if we’re able to move it forward.”
Israelis are going to have problems embracing the process if they don’t believe that pressure is being applied equally.
The collapse of U.S.-backed peace talks and the resumption of Palestinian hostility against Israel will likely bolster the case of administration critics who have expressed skepticism toward such approaches.
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