David Parsons, 28 Nov 2007

The Bush Administration succeeded on Tuesday in convening a major peace conference in Annapolis to jump-start negotiations that will seek to wrap up an accord over an interim Palestinian state before Bush leaves office next year. At the last minute, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas reached a joint understanding on how to proceed and an intense negotiating process will now ensue with backing from the international community.

Broadly speaking, such efforts at peacemaking are commendable, since the Bible says we are to "seek peace and pursue it" (Psalm 34:14). In other words, if left to its natural order, the world tends toward chaos and violence; peace is never going to come to you, so you must go after it.

Nevertheless, the newly launched Annapolis process is fraught with dangers for Israel and may lead to anything but peace.

For instance, a disgruntled Hamas is looming on the sidelines and could easily pounce on a temporary Palestinian state once it is formed and turn it into a permanent terrorist mini-state, as is now happening in Gaza. The West Bank could have easily fallen into the hands of the radical Islamist militia already if not for the IDF’s vigilant presence there.

Even Abbas' own Fatah movement is difficult to trust, as its affilitated militia the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade claimed credit for last week's deadly drive-by shooting near Kedumim and remains committed to the 'armed struggle.'

The Annapolis understanding also solidifies the position of the US as judge and final arbiter of the implementation stages of any agreement reached. This is not only a surrender by Israel of its sovereign rights, but Americans in particular should be troubled at the thought of their nation sitting in judgment over Israel in this way. Recent history has shown that Washington always tends to give the Palestinians the benefit of the doubt, while Israel is expected to assume all the risks for peace.

The artificial timetable for achieving a Palestinian state in 2008 -- before the end of the Bush presidency -- is also problematic. As the Olmert government now enters peace talks, time constraints and other pressures could elicit concessions beyond the consent of the public and the Knesset, leading to new elections and resulting blame on Israel for delaying the peace process.

Such concerns are especially evident with regards to the sensitive issue of Jerusalem. Some Israeli leaders have recently suggested they would be willing to cede periphery Arab neighborhoods in east Jerusalem to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians. Opposition figures contend, however, that it is impossible and even dangerous to now re-divide the city after a whole generation of a united Jerusalem. Polls indicate the majority of Israelis agree. Thus there is a distinct possibility that right-of-center parties Israel Beiteinu and Shas will leave the coalition over this issue, thereby forestalling the negotiations beyond the one-year time frame. The bottom line -- Israel gets pegged as the impediment to peace.

David Parsons is the editor of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem News Service.

Copyright © 2007 International Christian Embassy Jerusalem