Abbas rejects Clinton's call to return to negotations

November 1, 3:45 PMForeign Policy ExaminerAimee Kligman

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Clinton met with Abbas during her travels to the region this week

Less than a year ago, in March 2009, Hillary Clinton was quoted in the UK's Daily Mail after she learned of Israel's demolishing of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem. She said:

'It is an issue we intend to raise with the government of Israel and the government at the municipal level in Jerusalem'. 

At the time, the Israeli government had not been finalized, and Clinton took care to mention that this and other issues would be resolved, and that a Palestinian state would need to be created, despite Israel's lack of support for the latter.Since March of 2009, much has occurred in the way of 'talking', but little if any progress has been made in either halting settlements, destruction of Palestinian homes, and it would appear that any promises of change in the U.S. status as an honest broker in the negotiations have gone out the window.

Not only did Obama blink, but he has 'flip-flopped' on a condition that could have very well set the tone for the two parties to begin serious dialogue to set the way for action. However, unlike his failure to sway former President Bill Clinton, Netanyahu, for the time being, is bathing in the limelight of success at having had the Obama administration drop its demand for an immediate freeze on all settlement activity.

Netanyahu jubilant for US support (Reuters)

During a joint press conference in Jerusalem with Netanyahu, Secretary of State Clinton affirmed that she'd like to see negotiations resume between the two parties without any pre-conditions. A few hours before the conference, Clinton had met with Abbas in Abu Dhabi, at which time he reiterated that her proposal was totally unacceptable.

On the other hand, Netanyahu declared that the Palestinians were using this precondition as an excuse to stall the peace talks, which he deemed as a 'new development' and one that would not contribute much to the peace process.

Palestinian negotiator Saëb Erakat repeated that in the name of the US administration, Mrs. Clinton had requested that negotiations re-start, based on an agreement secured by George Mitchell with Israel, that does not include a complete freeze on settlement activity. According to Erakat, Abbas had expressed his total refusal to both Clinton and George Mitchell, indicating that a stop to colonization and demolition of Palestinian homes was 'key' to jump start negotiations. Speaking to journalists, Abbas also said that the question of Jerusalem was at the heart of discussion with Clinton, and that 'Jerusalem was in danger, and without Jerusalem, there will be no peace'.

Clinton wants to restart negotiations without preconditions (Reuters)

Abbas urged the U.S. administration as a mediator, to compel Israel to live up to its obligations, including East Jerusalem, whose annexation' is not recognized by the United States  nor by the international community. '

U.S. peace efforts will continue early this week in Morocco. Mrs. Clinton is expected at the Forum for the Future of Marrakech, where she intends to discuss the peace process with all its Arab counterparts.

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