Arab world urges Palestinians to seize the moment

Moderate Arabs who support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are cautiously optimistic after Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassem Al Thani — speaking on behalf of the Arab League — came out in support of a peace deal based on the 1967 borders, but with land swaps, Arab media outlets reports.

The Doha-based Al-Jazeera quotes Saeb Erakat, the leading peace negotiator for the Palestinian Authority, as saying that “the Arab League announcement reflects the Palestinian viewpoint.” Many political commentators have claimed in the past that the Palestinian Authority wished to be more flexible on land swaps with Israel, but was held back by Arab League objections.

Israel has stated numerous times its intention to keep some 6 percent of the territory in the West Bank so as to maintain the major Jewish settlement blocs, where over 75% of Jewish settlers live. In the past, the Palestinian Authority has agreed to relinquish no more than 3% of the West Bank in exchange for equivalent parcels of Israeli land.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while lauding the Arab League’s increased flexibility on the issue of final borders, expressed willingness to return to the negotiating table immediately, without any preconditions.

The London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi quotes Netanyahu as saying that “the continued conflict with the Palestinians is not based on land but on the existence of Israel as a Jewish state. . . The unwillingness of the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state is what lies at the root of the conflict.”

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas responded at a press conference, emphasizing that the Palestinians “have recognized Israel since 1993 and repeated this recognition more than once. We were never asked to recognize Israel’s Jewishness until two years ago. As far as we’re concerned, Israel can call itself whatever it wants.”

Israel refuses to accept a pullback to the 1967 border as the basis for peace negotiations.

“If Israel agreed to come to the negotiating table on the basis of the 1967 borders, there wouldn’t be a lot left to negotiate,” said Communications Minister Communications Gilad Erdan in a quote picked up by the Dubai-based network Al-Arabiya. “There’s no reason to restart talks if we [Israel] already agree to give up everything.”

Interestingly, some Arab opinion writers give credence to Israel’s position and urge Arab negotiators to engage with the Jewish state immediately.

In an op-ed in the Saudi-owned daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat titled “Favorable opportunity for a final peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians,” Ahmed Osman writes that “the idea of solving the Jewish settlement problem with land swaps was first proposed under the Clinton administration, but [late Palestinian Authority president] Arafat rejected this outright.”

‘It has become such an unrealistic request to allow displaced Palestinians to return to their homes after 65 years. It cannot be implemented. How can Israel accept the return of 3 million Palestinian refugees to its land?’ — an op-ed in A-Sharq Al Awsat

“With regard to [Palestinian] refugees, it is no longer possible to apply UN Resolution 194,” Osman continues. “It has become such an unrealistic request to allow displaced Palestinians to return to their homes after 65 years. It cannot be implemented. How can Israel accept the return of 3 million Palestinian refugees to its land? If this happened it would create a Jewish-Arab state in Israel.

“The Arabs must try to deal with reality so they don’t miss the opportunity to establish an independent state for the Palestinian people on their land… After the Arab League’s announcement, there is a favorable opportunity to reach a final peace agreement between the Palestinians and Israel. Will the Palestinians exploit this golden opportunity to create their own state?”

Catch that preacher!

Egyptian police have captured an Islamic preacher named Hafiz Abdullah Badr, who was wanted for insulting the actress Illham Chahine on cable television. The London-based pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat reports that Badr publicly called Chahine a “bitch” for her support of deposed Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and for criticizing the rise of conservative Islam in Egypt.

Badr was found in a rented apartment in the eastern province of Nile Delta. He will be sent to prison for a year and fined 20,000 Egyptian pounds, almost $3,000.

Another Islamic preacher is also facing trial: Sheikh Abu Islam Ahmed Abdullah, the owner of a popular Islamic TV channel. Abdullah reportedly tore up a copy of the Christian Bible during an anti-American demonstration in Cairo.

The arrests are being carried out in accordance with Egypt’s laws against public character defamation and the insulting of monotheistic religions.