Talks for the sake of talks

Since the signing of the ill-famed Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in 1993, hundreds of rounds of talks have been held between the two sides to implement the agreement which in fact, if implemented, does not meet the aspirations of the Palestinians to self-determination and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

The talks between Palestinian Authority and Israel did not achieve anything for the Palestinian people over the past 20 years. On the contrary, the talks have achieved many benefits for Israel, especially with regard to showing itself before the whole world as a peace advocate. The idea of negotiations is used as a convenient tool to distract the international public opinion by portraying Israel as a reasonable entity willing to make concessions for peace and security.  Moreover,   the talks have brought more security achievement and more settlement buildings for the Israelis. The Zionist leaders have been trying to use the talks in order to influence the Palestinian Authority to give up some of the Palestinian rights, at the same time to buy more time to expand illegal settlements in unprecedented way.

The prospects of a peace deal between the PA and Israel have never been such bleak as they are now because of Israel’s anti-peace measures, especially with regard to its expansionist settlement policy that violates all international conventions.  

The Palestinian authority officials should know well that the settlement activity is deepening the Palestinian people’s mistrust in the seriousness on the Israeli side toward achieving peace. 

Israel aims through this intensive settlement activity to destroy the basis of the solution called for by the international community.

The Palestinian officials should launch a major publicity campaign to expose the US and Israel’s Machiavellian manoeuvring behind the so-called peace talks with the Palestinian Authority. The campaign should publicize the duplicity and deceit of Israel in all of the past negotiations and how ineffective America has been as a mediator.

The Palestinian Authority should make a wise decision and withdraw from these negotiations, because it has nothing to gain in entering negotiations now.  In fact, the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territories and in diaspora have understood well the sinister goals of Israel behind such talks. For this reason they always express categorical rejection of such talks.  On the eve of the most recent round of talks hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets of Ramallah to protest against the talks with Israel considering the talks as meaningless aimed at covering up Washington and Tel Aviv’s agenda in the region. They are part of a trick concealing and obscuring the real intentions of the US and Israel in the Middle East. While the destitute Palestinian people undergo territorial disposition, the shameful peace talks have served as nothing more than a smokescreen for Tel Aviv to systematically colonize what is left of the Palestinian homeland.

K.Q.