The Quartet continues to go through the motions of “peace talks” even though Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has publicly dismissed them as being irrelevant.
Foreign media for years have adopted the U.S. State Department line of pushing Israel to make constant concessions to Abbas, but they recently have given up the ghost on the “peace process.” They openly ridicule it at U.S. State Department briefings and negatively report on the Obama administration’s continuing attempts to bring Abbas back to what they call the ”negotiating” table, although there is nothing to be negotiated under his terms.
“We are ready to return to the negotiations table if Israel halts settlement activities and accepts the international references”, Abbas said again on Tuesday.
In another language spin, he added, “These are not preconditions, but commitments and agreements between us and the Israelis. We are ready to resume peace talks once they accept them.”
Next Wednesday, American and other Quartet mediators are to talk again – mainly among themselves but will again meet separately with the Palestinian Authority and Israel in Jerusalem.
There is “little hope of even restarting direct negotiations let alone reaching a breakthrough on a two-state peace agreement,” the Associated Press reported Wednesday. The mood is decidedly pessimistic.”
The Palestinian Authority crossed an American red line and apparently the point of no return by trying to win full recognition as a country in the United Nations. After failing to even be assured of the needed two-thirds majority on the United Nations Security Council before the next step of certain approval by the General Assembly, Abbas won acceptance on a United Nations agency, UNESCO.
In the past, the Bush and Obama administrations have surrendered on the need to fulfill virtually any commitment the PA has made in previous agreements, such as halting incitement, recognizing Israel and dismantling the terrorist infrastructure.
If Abbas thought the U.S. government would continue the same routine, current events indicate he is mistaken.
American officials have said that Abbas had agreed to keep a low profile before trying again for membership in the United Nations.
“But the unlikelihood of any concrete progress next month could lead Abbas’ government to rethink its suspension,” according to the Associated Press.
