This surprising headline appeared yesterday, Jan 11, 2007, in the Maan News, a Bethlehem, Palestine publication:
Condoleezza Rice launches new peace initiative for an interim Palestinian state with the Wall as its borders
As reported,
"Bethlehem - Ma'an - The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, is expected to propose a new peace initiative in the Middle East. According to this initiative, a Palestinian state is to be established within interim borders based on the route of Israel's separation wall.
The Israeli daily newspaper 'Maariv' has said that Rice intends to make a dramatic shift, which could lead to the resumption of peace negotiations over the final settlement in the region.
Rice's initiative occupied the central part of a meeting held in Cairo between the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, and King Abdullah II of Jordan on Wednesday. Israeli sources have said that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas were informed about the details of the plan. Rice is supposed to tour the region next week."
With all things Middle East, and past experiences with American ventures into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it is wise not to raise expectations until the parties themselves commit to peace, which means accepting a fair and just solution. However, this news is at least positive in the sense that it does suggest, after six years of apathy, that the administration may be moving forward on at least one of the Baker-Hamilton recommendations.
It is also possible that the 2006 election result has forced the administration to become more involved in the Israel-Palestinian peace process. Everyone hopes that the effort will be sustained and that the Israel government will finally relinquish its historical dream of an Israel from the Jordan River to the sea. Time for a serious try at ending the "blood and tears" of the past six years.
Crossposted at Eternal Hope: http://eternalhope.blog-city.com/
UPDATE: Abbas to reject Rice's new proposal for an interim Palestinian state
1/12/2007
Bethlehem - Ma'an - Palestinian informed sources have told the Jordanian newspaper 'Ad-Dustoor' that the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, will submit new thoughts to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in their expected meeting on Sunday.
However, the sources said that there is a state of pessimism within the Palestinian leadership in regards to the American administration which has failed to fulfil any of its commitments to the Palestinian president. The Bush administration had promised to exert pressure on Israel in order to release the Palestinian tax and custom revenue, amounting to some US $ 600 million, which is being withheld in Israel.
The Palestinian sources also denied the reports that the American administration had assigned millions of US dollars to training the Palestinian presidential guards.
According to formal Palestinian sources President Abbas is expected to reject the American initiative to establish a Palestinian interim state with Israel's separation wall as its borders because that would mean the end of the right of return for Palestinian refugees and the issue of Jerusalem.
The separation wall, which Israel continues to build deep inside the West Bank, deviates widely from the internationally-recognised Green Line and has been deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice in The Hague.