Whichever way we look at it, the renewal of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority is, from Israel's perspective, a positive thing. The Americans and Palestinians also don't have a better option. This despite nothing changing since 2010; the players are the same (Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, PA President Mahmoud Abbas, and U.S. President Barack Obama), the problems are the same and the hopes are the same.
The only thing we can hope for now is that the talks will be different. A final-status agreement is so far away, but the biggest achievement is breaking the stagnation and avoiding the dangerous vacuum.
Officials in Jerusalem can be satisfied that Ramallah's preconditions were removed from the table. Israel did not commit to returning to pre-1967 borders. In his 2009 speech at Bar-Ilan University, Netanyahu committed Israel to the "two states for two peoples" solution, but also emphasized that a return to pre-'67 borders is unacceptable to Israel. It is not acceptable to his government, it was not acceptable to previous governments, and it likely won't be for future governments, either. At least on this issue, Israel is still capable of projecting a clear and unified message to the world.
The demand to freeze settlement construction was also removed. The Palestinians may have leaked to The Wall Street Journal that Netanyahu agreed to a "quiet freeze," but let's not forget that Abbas also has constraints and also needs to produce achievements, especially with Hamas breathing down his neck.
The Palestinian agreement to forego initiatives against Israel in the United Nations is also a considerable achievement. Up until Friday, the Palestinians were still adamant about continuing their endeavors on their "home court" (the U.N. General Assembly in New York). Wisdom, however, prevailed in Ramallah: In New York they can get another warm hug -- in Washington they can get a state.
Netanyahu and Abbas currently share the same problem. They both have an intransigent opposition at home, which could make their face-to-face meetings pleasant in comparison. For Netanyahu, the matter of releasing Palestinian prisoners could exacerbate the situation at home. This is without question an extremely difficult issue with many pitfalls for the prime minister, who wants to maintain a hard line against terrorism. The Gilad Schalit precedent, however, allows Netanyahu to make this gesture prior to negotiations (or during, as was suggested by Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz on Saturday), which is intended to instill good will and trust between the sides as they sit down around the table. It is, after all, clear to everyone that a peace agreement comes with a price. Merely renewing talks, even if they are without preconditions, also has a price.
We can certainly welcome the renewal of negotiations after three years of stagnation, particularly while the Middle East burns around us. The Americans are still showing interest in our region and are assuming responsibility for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- they want to help. If the Palestinians have returned to the negotiating table, it is first and foremost because of American pressure. The Palestinians were extremely tempted to stay home. Ramallah also understands, however, that Hamas gets stronger in a vacuum.
Netanyahu and Abbas are taking a political gamble by renewing talks. U.S. President Barack Obama is appreciative.
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