Israel and Palestinian leaders begin peace talks

The leaders of Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Egypt began formal face-to-face talks in Washington today.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton opened the negotiations at the State Department, saying they signalled an “important step.

“By being here today, you each have taken an important step toward freeing your peoples from the shackles of a history we cannot change and moving toward a future of peace and dignity that only you can create,” she said.

The discussions, which follow a 20-month hiatus, aim to reach a deal within a year to set up an independent Palestinian state side-by-side with a secure Israel.

However Netanyahu admitted the process “would not be easy”.

“The people of Israel, and I as their prime minister, are prepared to walk this road and to go a long way — a long way in a short time — to achieve a genuine peace that will bring our people security, prosperity and good neighbours,” he said.

But Abbas warned there would be no deal unless Israel ended the construction of all settlements in the West Bank, and end the blockade of Gaza.

Speaking last night on the eve of the talks, President Obama had urged both the Palestinian leader and Israeli Prime Minister not to let the chance to make peace “slip away”.

“This moment of opportunity may not soon come again. They cannot afford to let it slip away,” he said.

Any deal hinges on 'two factors'
Any deal or agreement, Former US Ambassador to Israel Edward Walker told Channel 4 News, will hinge on two factors:

He said: "First is how important is Obama to Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) and to Bibi Netanyahu? Neither of them wants to create an enemy in the president. Bibi's seen what happened in the past when he was being shunned by President Clinton in a similar situation so he doesn't want that to happen.
"He's (Obama) also come out very strongly now saying that he's the man who can make peace, despite his right-wing credentials and probably because of it.
"I think there's a logic to the fact that if Bibi can deliver something - he could probably sell it to the broader majority of the Israelis. Whatever the agreement is it has to have 61 votes in the Knesset and right now it would be very hard to get those votes without Prime Minister Netanyahu and without at least some members of his coalition.
"If these talks are at all successful and if it does appear to the Palestinian people in Gaza and so on that maybe there is really a chance of a reasonable peace and they can get on with their lives by virtue of lining up with the West Bank and the leadership of the Palestinian authorities then I think there's a chance for Hamas to back-track and to take a more moderate position in order to preserve its position in the Palestinian community. But without that kind of success there's no chance."

On 26 September, a 10-month old Israeli moratorium on settlement building will come to an end. Mr Abbas has made it clear that the talks are unlikely to continue unless this issue is tackled.

Channel 4 News international editor Lindsey Hilsum argued that even if the settlement issue could be overcome, both leaders face problems in their own countries over the legitimacy of the talks.

Mr Abbas in particular is in a particularly weak position, she said, because “many Palestinians question his legitimacy”, with a Hamas spokesman suggesting that “any results will not be binding on the Palestinian people.”

Alastair Crooke, who has facilitated discussions between the US and Europe and Islamist organisations including Hamas, and also been involved in negotiating ceasefires between Israel and Palestine in the past, told Channel 4 News, he believed the talks were nothing more than American “electioneering.”

The founder of Conflicts Forum said: “I think the talks are orientated primarily towards US domestic electioneering requirements. The president has a possibly deteriorating situation in Iraq and in Afghanistan, and he needs to show positive elements in his foreign policy…

“It is very clear that officials in Washington are trying to play down expectations which indicates that this is process for process sake. I think one should add a caution about this in that normal logic might suggest well, it is better for people to be talking and negotiating than not, but even Israeli columnists in major Israeli papers have suggested that this is a process that might bring conflict closer rather than further away.”

'Unprecedented weakness'
Mr Abbas has been persuaded by the Americans that he must negotiate, yet he does so from a position of unprecedented weakness, writes Channel 4 News International Editor Lindsey Hilsum.

Many Palestinians question his legitimacy – his term was up more than a year ago, yet no fresh elections have been held. Hamas, not Fatah, holds sway in Gaza and by launching this attack, their armed wing has called into question his control of the West Bank.
Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, said: “Mahmoud Abbas does not have the right to speak for the Palestinians, nor to represent them and therefore, any results will not be binding on the Palestinian people,” adding that the government in the West Bank was “nothing but a tool to protect the security of the occupation and settlers.”
So even if the peace talks are successful, it’s hard to see how Mr Abbas could carry through.
Read Lindsey Hilsum's blog

Stumbling blocks to peace
The resurgence in violence on the West Bank on Tuesday, which saw four Israeli settlers, including one pregnant woman, shot by Hamas, is one of the reasons that no one in Washington is prepared to invite Hamas to join the talks, Washington Correspondent Sarah Smith said.

“But it is difficult to see how they are going to come up with a long term solution if they don’t eventually involve the elected representatives of the people of Gaza,” she added.

The second major issue which the US representatives, along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, must grapple with, is an upcoming deadline.

The talks are being attended by President Hosni Mubarak from Egypt and Jordan’s King Abdullah, moderate leaders from the Arab world. President Obama hosted a private dinner for the group last night, where they were also joined by former UK president Tony Blair, who attended in his capacity as the special envoy of the Middle East quartet.

President Mubarak’s spokesman Soliman Awaad said all sides should be ready for long, tough negotiations.

“It will take more than handshakes, smiles and photo ops to make this long-awaited peace in the Middle East.

“What is really needed is for the United States to step in, remain committed, remain engaged,” he told reporters.

Talks are 'electioneering' for President Obama
"I think the talks are orientated primarily towards US domestic electioneering requirements. The president has a possibly deteriorating situation in Iraq and in Afghanistan, and he needs to show positive elements in his foreign policy," Alastair Crooke, founder of Conflicts Forum and key player in negotiating a number of Israeli-Palestinian ceasefires, told Channel 4 News.

"And also partly because he believes, and others in his administration such as General Petraeus believe, that the atmospherics of the Israel/Palestine conflict directly impinge on projects in other Muslim countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"It is very clear that officials in Washington are trying to play down expectations which indicates that this is process for process sake. I think one should add a caution about this in that normal logic might suggest well, it is better for people to be talking and negotiating than not, but even Israeli columnists in major Israeli papers have suggested that this is a process that might bring conflict closer rather than further away.
"If you look at the times where there talks have failed, they are followed by tension, so what they are suggesting is that if the talks don’t lead towards a real solution it can actually exacerbate not just the Israel/Palestine tensions, but more than that, it can exacerbate regional tensions.
"So there’s a risk these talks might deepen divisions in the region and one of the reasons why is that it is very clear these talks are more in the interests of the mediator than sought by the people in the talks.
"President Abbas is very isolated in these talks – not only Hamas but all Palestinian sections are opposed to direct talks with Israel without a freeze on settlements.
"And also the basic structure of the agreement that was the Oslo accord is no longer believed in by either side.
"These negotiations will really be about who can avoid being blamed for their breakdown, which both sides think will happen."