Risk for peace

What he meant with that was apparently more concessions from the Palestinians in order to make the Israelis fall in line. It goes without saying that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is at odds with Washington’s roadmap on attaining a two-state solution in the occupied territories, and that is why Obama had always leaned on the Palestinian side to help his dream in the Middle East come true. Obama took no qualms in saying that his vision of two-state solution remains elusive, but he hoped to see progress in the coming weeks.

The Palestinians and the Israelis are supposed to enter into a framework agreement by the end of April, so that a final deal could be clinched by July. The secret talks that were being held for the last nine months, however, have not borne any specific results, and both the parties are in utter confusion when it comes to making concession. The irritant issues include: borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state, the right of return for refuges — Arabs and Jews alike, Tel Aviv’s insistence that it be recognised as a Jewish state and last but not the least an halt to illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. A cursory look at the so-called peace parleys suggests that both the parties were more interested in wasting time on reiterating their stated positions, and thus no headway could be made. That is why the need of the hour is to lead from the front, and in doing so the process should see some evolutionary steps to take it out of inertia. Nonetheless, some minor achievements have come their way and that includes release of prisoners from Israeli jails and the relative calm that is prevailing in West Bank and Gaza. Abbas, however, was adamant in Washington as he said that the release of the fourth batch of 26 long-term Palestinian prisoners by month-end, which also includes Marwan Barghouti, a Fatah leader, would encourage the embattled leader to move ahead with confidence.

What is missing at this point of time is a political commitment to see the deal come through. Obama and his Secretary of State John Kerry who have staked their reputation, in their quest for addressing the geopolitical dispute, should put their foot to see it happens earnestly. Washington has to prevail over Israel to trade land for peace.