A new round of Peace Talks

This week begins direct peace talks in Washington D.C. between the Israelis and Palestinians. I tend to be cynical because of the issues I know are huge obstacles to a working peace. First of all, there are obstacles as to the logistics of what a peace agreement would include:


1. The list of issues that have been put off in previous peace agreements is daunting: borders, status of Jerusalem, rights of refugees and security. These have been put on the back-burner in past peace talks, and must be addressed and implemented soon if a viable peace is to be reached.

2. Having lived in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, it is very hard to see any viability in a two-state solution because of the seperation wall and Israeli settlements that weave in and out of the West Bank and the large amount of the West Bank that is completely controlled by Israel, including the Jordan Valley area. Also, the fact that Gaza and the West Bank are completely separated geographically makes a two-state solution less and less viable. If there is a to be a two-state solution, this may be the last chance as facts on the ground move both sides further and further from this direction.

3. The other alternative as I see it is a one-state solution. This is even less likely because of the tenets of the Israeli government that say their country will be a democratic, Jewish state. One-state would create a large non-Jewish majority. Even in the state they have now, with a large Arab-Israeli population, the Arab population has little influence and say in government, questioning the legitimacy of the democracy Israel now says it has. There are also many emotional barriers between the two populations which would make a one-state solution very difficult.

Not only, are there obvious obstacles on the ground and in the technicalities of what kind of peace could result from the peace talks, but there are also concerns for both sides:

1. The Israeli government is highly pressured by the extreme right settler population. If Netanyahu were to offer peace, this faction of society could revolt and send Israel into violent upheaval. The fear of a civil war is a thought in many Israeli minds and will most likely be on the mind of Netanyahu as he enters the negotiating table. This sector of society is not content with making any sacrifices, which could make Netanyahu more hesitant to make the sacrifices he will need to make to reach a viable peace. Not all Israelis agree with the extreme right, but it is a very strong and vocal sector of society and is not afraid to use violence.

2. The Palestinian side also faces it's on internal issues. Throughout the years the Palestinians have given up more and more in regards to their desires for a Palestinian State and the situation on the ground for them is dire. There are many every day trials they must endure, including checkpoints, permits, night raids by the Israeli army, confiscation of land, the siege on Gaza and the resulting poor humanitarian situation. Living in these kind of conditions, many Palestinians will not be happy of Mahmoud Abbas gives up too many of their desires. Abbas will have to be careful about what kind of sacrifices he makes. Then there is the obvious divide between Palestinians, between Hamas and the PA and their different approaches to peace. It will be hard to get Palestinians to rally around a peace plan, when there are many different views about the best way to achieve peace. You may have heard about the four Israelis recently killed just before the peace talks began. Before you think that this represents the views of all Palestinians and was completely in response to the ensuing peace talks, please read this article and the following opinion poll:

PA condemns attack claimed by Hamas

Opinion Poll about the Middle East Peace Process

With such obstacles in the way, you can imagine that it is hard for me to see a positive result coming from these peace talks. But recent articles I've read and posts from friends has caused me to have a little hope that maybe Now is the Time.