Palestinians should not spend much time patting themselves on the back following the formation of their new national unity government. Already, key questions are being asked — with answers being required quickly — about whether this Cabinet can succeed where Hamas failed. Will it stop once and for all the fighting between Palestinians? Will it see an end to Western sanctions and will it lead to a full-fledged resumption of earnest peace talks? The Makkah Accord brought about relative calm; the new official government is the main beneficiary and is being asked to try to maintain the peace. The lifting of sanctions is a more difficult proposition. The EU is cautious but is seemingly willing to keep an open mind.
Israel’s flat refusal to accept the unity government mirrors much the same stance as Washington’s. The American position does not augur well for either the end of sanctions or the beginning of peace talks. Above all, Israel and the US want Hamas to recognize Israel’s right to exist. Why are all the demands being made of the Palestinians? With nothing demanded of Israel in return? Recognition of a state means recognition of its borders, its people and its government. Yet Israel remains without clearly defined geographical borders, has appropriated Palestinian territory and believes it has the right to colonize as it wishes. It has always refused, even after the Oslo Accords, to halt settlement activity. Recognizing the state of Israel, in other words, involves an implicit recognition of its right to settlement activity and to remain in any area it likes within the Palestinian territories.
Despite such Israeli practices, President Mahmoud Abbas was conciliatory in his language, asserting that the Palestinian people reject violence in all its forms. The new government has indeed pledged to respect previous peace deals between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. It has also called for peace talks to be conducted by Abbas, and for any future deal to be submitted to a national referendum, suggesting Hamas would not possess a veto power. Much, if not all of this, should encourage Israel and the US to resume peace talks. Nonetheless, the Israeli government is clearly alarmed that there is a desire abroad for this new Palestinian administration to be deemed a success. Israel fears that eventually it will be forced to return to negotiations when it would apparently rather not.
By its very nature, recognition must be bilateral. What is being proposed by Israel and the US is unilateral, not mutual, recognition.
It is doubtful whether Israel will change its position on final status issues even after recognition. The Palestinian government knows that those who previously recognized Israel and offered everything that could be imagined in the way of concessions gained nothing. When the Palestinian people agree to a solution that includes an independent state, the issue of recognition will have become redundant.
