When Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas phoned Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri this week to express his condolences for the passing of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, he was not aware that Yosef had changed his mind about how the verse "Show no mercy unto them" (Deuteronomy 7:2) should apply in our time. The verse is widely interpreted as a prohibition on giving up parts of the land of Israel to non-Jews, but Yosef originally ruled, in support of the Oslo peace process, that the prohibition should be set aside in favor of a greater principle, the saving of lives. Later he came to regret this, given that the Oslo process led not to peace but to increased bloodshed. Abbas consoled Shas because the Palestinians are in the midst of a process of connecting to elements in Israel in order to strengthen their position in the negotiations currently idling along with Tzipi Livni and Yitzhak Molcho. The Palestinians are expressing their irritation and disappointment in outbursts in all directions, from threatening to leave the negotiations, despite their commitment to sit down and talk, to prodding the Americans to continue their mediation efforts. Now, after the storm of an interim deal with Iran, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is returning to the region to preside over the talks, but he will find a Netanyahu whose attention is focused on Tehran and it is doubtful he is emotionally and spiritually available to deal with Ramallah. The direction the Palestinians are headed is also unclear. Eastern European sources said two weeks ago that despite its negative declarations, the PA is liable to accept the push toward an interim deal, as long as it stipulates a time frame for the end of negotiations over the final status agreement. This is an interesting development, but does it reflect a change in the PA's position or is it merely a trial balloon- If there is indeed such willingness on the part of the Palestinians, it would spark considerable interest in Jerusalem, despite Netanyahu's declarations about not deviating from a final status arrangement. In the case of an impasse, the alternative always seems more ideal. Regardless of any path under consideration, it is clear that the great deal of attention invested on Iran has already caused Jerusalem, Washington and Ramallah to realize that negotiations will not conclude before the predetermined nine-month time frame runs out. The Palestinians are also not interested in further burdening U.S. President Barack Obama, whose party will be busy for a few months with midterm elections for the Senate and House. They will oblige with an extended time frame for negotiations. They will also, however, certainly request something in exchange. If they tie the extension of talks to the cessation of construction in Judea and Samaria or the release of more prisoners with blood on their hands, the ball will then be in Israel's court. But there is a possibility that they will revisit the subject of unilaterally establishing a Palestinian state, under a U.N. umbrella, without determining its borders. If they choose this direction, they can reach an American-Palestinian agreement, which does not provide Israel with an ability to offer input into its content. It is clear, though, that Obama will have to ask Netanyahu to scream about it, but not too loudly. Kerry arrives in the Middle East today to kick-start a process that has practically stalled, while the deal with Iran has sparked antagonism, and Ukraine is hoping to disobey Russian President Vladimir Putin but cannot find the daring, and the Chinese are provoking the Japanese, and as the great America stands dumbstruck, how much actual success can Kerry hope for along the Jerusalem-Ramallah axis? Kerry himself understands.
