The Israeli Government has temporarily put on hold a plan by a private developer to build 70 Jewish homes in Arab East Jerusalem pending an appeal against the go-ahead which had been given by Jerusalem municipal authority. It also agreed to resume talks with the PLO on meeting commitments made under their interim peace deals.
Despite what seems like a concession, the PLO has every reason to treat it as yet another delaying tactic and it has every reason to question how genuine the Netanyahu Government is in coming to a workable peace agreement. The fundamental difficulty is that Mr Netanyahu came to office on a conflicting mandate of on one hand pursuing the peace process begun by the Oslo Agreements of 1991 and on the other hand of increasing Jewish settlements on the West Bank and keeping Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel. The conflict came to a head in March when Mr Netanyahu approved the construction of a new Jewish suburb of with 6500 appartments in east (formerly Arab) Jerusalem.
Since then the Middle East peace process has stopped. Indeed, until yesterday it was for practical purposes dead, though no-one was willing to say so. The PLO praised yesterday’s steps by Israel as steps to restore confidence, but stressed that the sides were far from surmounting the deadlock on proceeding with final peace talks.
The building permit has only been suspended. Ulitmately the construction could go ahead. And the contruction by a US Jewish land developer to build 70 Jewish homes in Ras al-Amoud, a 11,000-strong Arab neighbourhood on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, can only be described as provocative and counter to the intent of the Oslo accord, if not its letter. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state as part of a peace settlement. Jewish settlement there is inimical to peace.
All the suspension of the plan does is buy time for Mr Netanyahu. Senior PLO negotiator Nabil Shaath and Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy have now agreed that joint Israeli-PLO committees would renew talks on some outstanding issues from an interim peace agreement made in 1995. They include the opening of Gaza air and sea ports, a safe passage for Palestinians between the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. But even if these are resolved it will leave fundamental issues unresolved — West Bank and east Jerusalem settlements, Jerusalem as capital, and the return to final negotiations which were suspended upon the March housing construction.
Also unresolved is continued terrorism against Jewish targets, despite Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s pledges to stamp it out. Mr Arafat does not control all Palestinians.
Despite yesterday’s concessions there is little hope on the horizon for lasting peace. The Clinton administration does not seem inclined to act by withdrawing aid and arms. It rarely goes beyond harsh words. And there is little chance of a change of heart by Mr Netanyahu to prohibit future settlements and acknowledge that an undivided Jerusalem cannot be Israel’s capital. Mr Netanyahu is too beholden to the religious right to retain office.
The patience of Palestinians is likely to wear thin as living standards decline and little progress is made on peace issues.
One can only hope that Israel’s Arab neighbours mark time and that a more peace friendly government is elected in Israel in 2000 before forces within those neighbours (which do not have free elections) cause further pressure on the very fragile truce in the Middle East.