Olmert visits the emperor - convergence and roadmap to disaster
Ami Isseroff , Executive Secretary of MidEastWeb for Coexistence, and editor of PeaceWatch takes an indepth view of Olmert’s visit with Bush and is very unhappy. He writes,
Israeli PM Olmert is in Washington to advance his agenda. It is not the first time a newly elected leader is going to Washington to win the approval of the Emperor. Haven’t we seen this movie before? The most recent example was Mahmoud Abbas, who visited Washington, and got nothing twice.
In both cases, it is not true that the trip had no value. It had negative value. It demonstrated that the Bush administration is not interested in the Israeli-Palestinian crisis except as a side show to be managed, and doesn’t recognize the urgency of the problems at hand. The failure of the Bush administration to support Abbas in any real public way contributed materially to the rise of the Hamas.
Now we are in for a sequel, with Olmert visiting Washington. Olmert will not get support for his convergence plan, nor will he get any US commitment to take effective action against the Iranian threat. At most, he will get some lip service on these issues and probably a statement about the boycott of the Hamas.
Ami works tirelessly for peace which puts him on the left but his analysis is very worthwhile and should be read.
His lament is that Bush is doing nothing to advance the peace process. Some may think this is a good thing.
Hi Ted,
I think that the visit bore out the expectations, despite the press coverage to the contrary. Unless there has been some secret agreement about Iran, Olmert really got nothing but a pat on the back, and a weak one at that. At most, he got US acquiescence to convergence. No promise of aid, no promise to recognize these borders as the defacto borders of Israel.
Remember that he was going to ask for $10 billion in US aid and decided not to do so after it was clear he would be rebuffed. Bush said that convergence was a big step toward fulfilling the roadmap. Aluf Ben is playing up the “big step” but others are pointing to “fulfilling the roadmap.” The roadmap calls for a Palestinian state that recognizes Israel. The only Palestinian state in view right now is a Hamas state that doesn’t recognize anyone but Allah and Muhamed.
However, it is a waste of time to rail against convergence. Israelis understand that we cannot rule over another people, have open borders and still have security. The only way to stop the suicide bombings in Tel Aviv and Nethanya and Nahariya is to close the border, and for that you need to have a border to close, with few or no Israelis on the other side. How to prevent the West Bank and Gaza from becoming a Hamastan is a different problem. Clearly that is not what any sane person has in mind when they speak in favor of peace.
However the situation is fluid. While campaigns by US Zionists against convergence will not stop it, events may make it impractical to implement the plan - because of the danger of a Hamas state.
Ami I.
Comment by Ami
— May 24, 2006 @ 7:30 am