Thu Hang
Hillary Clinton’s first visit to the Middle East as her country’s secretary of state failed to produce any specifics about how she intends to secure an end to the war between Israel and Palestine.
Instead, she listened to both, made plain the intentions of the new Obama administration and opened the door to a broader peace between the Jewish State and its neighbors.
United States diplomats have led the effort to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian impasse for decades- a task they have been unable to relinquish or complete.
The world now awaits the outcome of Hillary Clinton’s effort to change the pattern. And as the envoy announced on the eve of her arrival in Tel Aviv: "Time is of the essence".
"We can’t afford more setbacks and delays, or regrets, about what might have been had different decisions been made," she said. "Now is not the time for recriminations. It’s time to look ahead."
Although the secretary of state promised to work with the incoming Israeli government, she delivered the clear message that Washington was committed to the establishment of a Palestinian State alongside Israel.
The concept is at the heart of the effort to end the conflict. "It’s our assessment that eventually, the inevitability of working toward a two-state solution is inescapable," she said.
AFP quoted her as saying that a durable ceasefire was the first step. "But that can only be achieved if Hamas ceases the rocket attacks," she said.
Political transition in Israel is making her task more difficult.
Likud is the Knesset’s second party after last month’s general election but President Shimon Peres has charged its leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, with forming the next government.
Parliament’s major party, Kadima, led by Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has so far refused to join a Likud-led coalition and Netanyahu could well have to create a narrow right-wing government.
Kadima maintains that a Netanyahu-led government will shun the peace process and reject the progress made since the Annapolis conference of November 2007.
Netanyahu reportedly offered Kadima parity in the new government, but senior Kadima politician Haim Ramon said the former prime minister would not accept "two states for two peoples".
Netanyahu’s refusal could have him collide with the Obama White House.
But divisions within Palestine will have to be dealt with regardless of what
Netanyahu decided. And Clinton’s assertion that Washington will not work with a Palestinian government that includes Hamas unless the Islamists recognize Israel and renounce violence is likely to ensure that progress is likely to be slow.
"If there is to be a unity government that includes Hamas, then we would expect that Hamas would comply with the principles as set forth by the Quartet," Clinton said.
"Those principles are that Hamas must renounce violence, recognize Israel, and agree to abide by prior Palestine Liberation Organization commitments. In the absence of Hamas agreeing to the principles that have been adopted by such a broad range of international actors, I do not see that we or they, anyone, could deal with Hamas," she said.
The quartet is the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia.
Israeli warplanes launched an attack against what the country’s defense forces described as six smuggling tunnels about the time the secretary of state was speaking.
The strike was excused as a response to a "heavy barrage" of mortar and rocket fire and seven Palestinians were reported wounded.
Clinton should know that it is unlikely that Washington alone can engineer lasting peace between Israel and Palestine.
Perhaps her decision to dispatch envoys Jeffrey Feltman and Daniel Shapiro to Damascus and talks with Syria’s government show the Obama administration attempts to steer a new course toward a broad Middle East peace.
Clinton and her president want swift progress. So do we all. But we also need the specifics of how the job is to be done.
*Published in the daily VIETNAM NEWS on March 6. |
