Report: (Israeli) Leftists, Palestinians near 'Swiss Agreement'

The Jerusalem Post ^ | 9 October 2003 | JPOST.COM STAFF

[anotherview]

Oct. 9, 2003
Report: Leftists, Palestinians near 'Swiss Agreement'
By JPOST.COM STAFF

Leftist Israelis and senior Palestinian officials are near a deal on a permanent settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute along the lines of discussions under way in the late days of the Clinton administration, the Hebrew website Ynet reported this morning.

The negotiators, described as being from Israel's left and working with the knowledge of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, are scheduled to meet later this week in Jordan to finalize the reported breakthrough agreement, Ynet said.

Labor Party sources told the Jerusalem Post the two prime drivers in this new effort are Labor's Yossi Beilin and Yasser Abed Rabbo.

The website said the group has been meeting for months on what it is calling the "Swiss Agreement."

In late 2000, near the end of former US President Bill Clinton's second term, Israeli and Palestinian officials meeting in Taba, Egypt, came up with an outline of an agreement that roughly called for Israel to cede some 95 percent of the territories, for Arab control of east Jerusalem, and for the right of refugees to return to a new Palestinian state, but not to pre-1967 Israel.

In a possible attempt to blunt the impact of the Ynet news report, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon last night - before its publication - sharply criticized the Labor party and Israeli leftists for talking with Palestinian officials.

"There is a cynical political attempt by Labor and the Left to topple the government at a time when it is fighting terror," Sharon said. "This must be taken seriously. They did it in a time of war before, and now, too, they are cooperating with the Palestinians in a time of war."

Labor Party Chairman Shimon Peres said, in response, that Sharon was interested in unity only through the last election, and that he can speak with whomever he wants, wherever and whenever he wants.

Further, Labor Party officials have regularly had contact with Palestinians throughout recent months.

(Gil Hoffman contributed to this report.)

[anotherview]

I thought Yossi Beilen bolted Labor for Meretz. In any case, he's on the far left and was one of the architects of Oslo.

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[onedoug]

The boxcars to the left. Schnell!

[Semper Paratus]

A Swiss agreement full of holes.

[Howlin]

and for the right of refugees to return to a new Palestinian state

Ah, sure.

[Lunatic Fringe]

[adam_az]

The website said the group has been meeting for months on what it is calling the "Swiss Agreement."

More like the Swiss Cheese agreement - forged by the losers of the last Israeli election, and Palestinians with no real power to live up to any deal they make, and who don't have any control over terrorists.

Sure Peres can talk to whomever he wants... Just so long as he doesn't do it in the name of the people who voted his party out of office.

[Alouette]

Who gives these renegades the authority to conduct negotiations?

[Howlin]

I'll show my ignorance: what is a "Swiss agreement," other than something that is not ever going to work?

[anotherview]

Of course they have no authority. I think they hope to say "look, we have an agreement!" and convince someone (Shinui maybe?) to bolt the government and force new elections. Then they can do what Ehud Barak did in '99 -- claim the choice is between peace and war and that they can bring peace.

I don't think it can work. Shinui has a lot of influence in this government as shown by the reassignment of the religious courts to the Justice Ministry. Why would they leave? They are getting what they want from Ariel Sharon. Would they do better under Peres? I doubt it. National Union certainly won't help the left. That's the whole coalition right now. I don't see how Peres could ever get 61 votes and the next regular election isn't until 2007.

[anotherview]

A would-be draft final status agreement as envisioned under the Oslo accords. The Swiss government has brokered negotiations between the far left led by Yossi Beilin and Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abbed Rabbo. Abbed Rabbo *may* have been given some sort of authority by Arafat since he's a loyalist. Yossi Beilin has no official standing whatsoever. He isn't even a member of the Knesset any more.

[aynrandfreak]

These traitors are seeking power by selling-out to terrorists. Even Rabin's widow said that Barak conceded too much at Camp David.

[anotherview]

My main problem with Camp David was the idea of dividing Jerusalem again. Everything else we could live with. The Jerusalem issue is what brought down the Barak government, and rightly so.

[Blood of Tyrants]

This would be the equivalent of Schumer and Kennedy and Jesse Jackasson going behind the president's back and brokering a "deal" between the US and Saddam.

[Alouette]

The Israeli government is busy doing far more IMPORTANT things like putting the Chief Rabbinate into the hands of Tommy Lapid, which is like turning the Vatican over to the Saudis.

[anotherview]

Actually the Chief Rabbinate is NOT going under the Justice Department, but the religious courts are. The two Chief Rabbis are up in arms about the rabbinate being separated from the courts.

FWIW, Tommy Lapid is quoted as saying he will not interfere with halachic decisions.

[anotherview]

I happen to believe that the peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan have mostly worked. Can it work with the Palestinians? Good grief, I don't know! It has to be tried, though. The current situation cannot be maintained indefinitely and if Israel tried the transfer you (and Benny Elon, for example) advocate I believe there would be international intervention. Yes, I know about Israel's deterrent capability. That's still an awful scenario.

The Arab world is split between moderates and radicals. Are most Palestinians radicalized now? That is what I fear. Worse, I fear the Israeli Arab community is becoming more and more identified with the Palestinians and less and less identified with Israel. Not most, not even a majority, but far too many to be comfortable with.

Oh, and no, I'm not ignoring what the Arabs are saying to their own populations in Arabic. I know. I just don't think your solution would work.

I do know what I fear most is Iran or Syria with nuclear weapons. Then no border will be secure.