The Israeli public has been preoccupied of late by stormy and fascinating political divisions. But, under the radar, feverish diplomatic activity has been taking place. As of 8 p.m. Tuesday night Israel and America had reached an agreement, but Europe -- with Russia as the possible culprit -- derailed the peace train. The Quartet, meeting in Washington to find a way to resume negotiations, has failed to produce a statement. This isn't necessarily a sign of things to come. What all the parties including Israel and the Palestinians have agreed to, or agreed to disagree to, is still unclear. But there is a danger that this latest peace initiative could be derailed. Israel and the Palestinians are not party to the Quartet's deliberations, but professional eavesdroppers Isaac Molcho and Saeb Erekat reveal that one of the main, but not the only, sticking point is Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's refusal to accept Israel's definition as a Jewish state. His refusal stands even if the Quartet were to agree to cite the 1967 borders with adjustments, as per Barack Obama's speeches, in its declaration. This is cause for disappointment, but not despair. There is still a spark of hope for renewed negotiations based on a declaration by the Quartet, which neither Israel nor the Palestinians has to commit to in advance, but that will serve as a basis for renewed talks. It is in Israel's marked interest to re-open a dialogue with the Palestinians. The U.S. for its part is not convinced that the Palestinians share that Israeli interest prior to the convening of the U.N. General Assembly in September. In fact, ever since Abbas (Abu Mazen) refrained (or fled) from responding to Ehud Olmert's generous peace proposal -- after Tzipi Livni met with Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei (Abu Ala) 286 times, not to mention countless additional meetings between senior bureaucrats -- something has changed for the Palestinians. They've made a strategic choice to adopt unilateralism. It is true that Israeli hasbara [public diplomacy] depicts Abbas as a suspicious person who doesn't want negotiations and whose statements are duplicitous. But even the U.S. is starting to conclude that this assessment is not just Israeli propaganda but a true reflection of the permanent state of affairs in Ramallah. Israel's position does not have to perfectly parallel the latest draft produced by the Quartet or U.N. bureaucracy. But it must be within spitting distance. At any given moment Israel must be able to say "yes, but" and never "absolutely not." Particularly at a time when South Africa has the temerity to call Israel an Apartheid state and Israel's own Knesset is adding fuel to the fire of anti-Semitism.
