Sunday's events have sent the peace talks into a tailspin. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that given the choice, he would prefer new elections over the release of more Palestinian prisoners, but he quickly qualified that statement by hinting that if the two parties somehow put the negotiations back on track, he could live with that. That is, if the terrorists Israel releases exclude Israeli Arabs, he would not stand in the way.
Is Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett of the same opinion? Yesterday he attacked those who wanted to renew the talks. He said that when someone leaves the negotiating table, you don't run after him with cash. But what if that person has a change of heart? What if he agrees to have the talks start from scratch?
That is possible. Because the Palestinians, who made the talks all but collapse by taking unilateral steps, are concerned over the crippling sanctions Israel has imposed in return. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat has taken pains to show that the talks are not over; he even told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel must seize the opportunity to make a historic move.
Judging from the latest rhetoric on both sides, everything is possible. No one is going to ditch the talks, although there are voices on both sides calling for such a move. It is too early to pronounce the talks dead. Despite their sluggish pace and complex nature, doing away with the U.S.-led talks is not as easy as you think. And if they do unravel, restarting the negotiations would be much more difficult. What is the alternative? A vacuum? Absolutely nothing?
A situation in which both sides are engaged in mock negotiations, even if they are just engaged in formal discussions and pretend to be talking peace, is still better than having both sides hunker down. If U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry goes back home without a deal, it will take a while before he comes back. If Netanyahu tries to curry favor with the radical elements in his government, he will have a lot of explaining to do overseas. If Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas fails to deliver results for the Palestinians, his leadership will be challenged -- from within, by Palestine Liberation Organization members, and from outside, by Hamas.
Israeli speakers have sounded empty rhetoric too. MK Amram Mitzna (Hatnuah) said that his party must leave the coalition if no dramatic breakthrough is reached. But what exactly are Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and the rest of her faction going to do in the opposition?
Both sides must accept the fact that the ongoing stalemate has changed things. On Sunday there was renewed talk about the impending release of Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard. The U.S. would use this ace in the hole, and Israel, in return, would ignore the Palestinian Authority's decision to seek full-fledged membership -- as a sovereign state -- in more than a dozen international organizations. That is far-fetched.
How could the talks be salvaged? Kerry has already talked with everyone on this matter. But there is a case to be made for tripartite talks. He should call Abbas and Netanyahu and put them both on the line and finalize what is essentially a shared interest: a deal that would extend the talks. There is a ready-made deal that is just waiting for implementation: Israel would release 400 terrorists and announce a settlement construction moratorium; the PA would suspend its efforts to accede to various international bodies. That deal is the lesser evil. Let common sense prevail.
טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו
