What's the Name of the Game?

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said that it is none of the Palestinian's business what Israel whats to call itself. Speaking in Ramallah with Finnish President Tarja Halonen, he also wished to see a Palestine in 1967 borders living peacefully with Israel. "Our position is that we recognize Israel...", says Abbas. Abbas, a member of the Fatah party, seems to want to push towards peace, and to deal with trivial issues like the name of Israel for later. Fatah is a more moderate faction within the PA, and this contrasts with factions like Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which do not recognize Israel and call for its destruction.

Inter Israeli-Palestinian issues still remain strong, and things like the right of return, settlements, occupation, terrorism, and probably most importantly, recognition are still on the discussion table. Abbas's recent gestures are good to promote and ultimately achieve peace, but it seems that a long road is still ahead of both peoples.

Yet such a statement is still something which Palestinians may not accept. But as negotiations continue, and both sides face new realities, compromise it seems is key. Abbas also stated that the Palestinians recognized Israel ever since the Oslo accords in 1993. But as the situation stands, not all within Palestine accept this. Clearly, its most extremist wings consider this all a sham, and want nothing to do with this agreement. So whatever efforts the more mainstream elements of Palestinian society offer and carry out, it will be these extremists that will test everyone.

This statement is a counter point to Israel, which will soon vote on a loyalty oath. The oath is seen to be mainly aimed at non-Jews, and Arabs in particular. Some have said it is essential for security reasons and to maintain Israels' status as a Jewish State. Others have called it racist, claiming that since over 20% of Israel is Arab, including other minorities, that such declarations are unrealistic and ultimately counter productive. Either way, this is a new issue that some, like Abbas, must deal with.

Of course, there are certain things which must be also addressed in the eyes of the Palestinian leadership, including stopping the growth of settlements. As Abbas stated, the Palestinian state should be within the 1967 borders. He is referring to the West Bank and Gaza, which were captured by Israel in 1967. After the war, Israel then began to move settlers into the region. The presence of settlements is a big issue for Palestinians, for they would be within the supposed new Palestinian state.

But there are fears that Israel also wants to maintain these settlements to redraw the maps in its favor. But should these settlements remain, there would be many Jewish enclaves within Palestine. What laws would affect them and how they would be within the greater Palestinian context is yet to be seen. Bigger questions like if the settlements will be dismantled have yet to surface, but because of security reasons, it is unknown how such a plan would be implemented.

Israelis on their part are more reluctant to pull out of the settlements. As Gaza has shown, land for peace is not guaranteed, but instead met with rocket fire, after Israel's withdrawal of all of its settlements from the Gaza Strip in a unilateral move. Such a scenario is unthinkable in regrades to the West Bank, for it sits right in the middle of Israel, and all of Israel's cities, including its capital Jerusalem, would be under attack.


For Abbas, the best option is to prevent the continuous settlement growth. If the settlements are an issue, they should not grow into a bigger one. Thus, if these settlements are curtailed, the continuation of the peace process would be assured.

I find this article reliable and in line with the on going Palestinian Authorities position in regards to the above issues. Abbas's speech was made during a conference, and a head of another state, Finland, was present.  Also, the Jerusalem Post is an established and well respected newspaper in Israel with extensive and professional research staff.