Kadima MK Shaul Mofaz: Talk to Hamas, Palestinian state in a year

[ubergeek]

Mofaz: Talk to Hamas, Palestinian state in a year
By Mazal Mualem, Haaretz Correspondent

Kadima MK Shaul Mofaz on Sunday presented a plan to negotiate with Hamas and establish a Palestinian state on 60 percent of the West Bank within one year.

"Assuming that Hamas is elected and will want to sit down at the negotiating table, at that moment it accepts the Quartet's conditions and is no longer a terrorist organization," Mofaz said at a press conference on Sunday.

"The state of Israel must sit down with any element that changes its priorities," Mofaz said.
"I believe that responsible leaders sit down with such elements," he continued. "I know that Hamas continues to fire and amass long-range missiles and prepare for conflict with Israel, and I want to tell Hamas leaders that if they continue on this path, their fate will be decided."

Mofaz developed his proposal following consultations with figures in the defense establishment, the heads of think tanks and politicians. He contends that the stalemate in the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians is dangerous from a demographic standpoint and with respect to Israel's legitimacy in the world.

According to the Mofaz plan, in the initial stage of the establishment of a Palestinian state with provisional borders there would be no need to uproot Jewish settlers in the West Bank, but legislation would be enacted to show Israel's serious intent, providing for the subsequent relocation in the Galilee and in West Bank settlement blocs of about 70,000 residents of isolated settlements.

Mofaz has not excluded the possibility that outlying Jerusalem neighborhoods would eventually become part of the independent Palestinian state.

Mofaz accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of stalling the Middle East peace process and of wasting time that the country doesn't "have the privilege to waste."

Mofaz's proposal is a challenge not only to Netanyahu but also to his own party's leader, Tzipi Livni.

The Mofaz plan provides a centrist, pragmatic approach. He intends to initiate a debate on his plan at a meeting of the Kadima party council.

From a political standpoint, Mofaz has signaled that he has no interest in returning to Likud and that he seeks to make a bid for the leadership of Kadima.

[Francois Cellier]

I saw this earlier today. The problem is that Kadima is currently in the opposition, i.e., Mofaz can say whatever he wants without immediate consequences. His statements are meant to improve his chances in a future election, nothing more.

[ubergeek]

Originally Posted by Francois Cellier

His statements are meant to improve his chances in a future election, nothing more.

If openly stating that he supports talks with the Hamas, improves his future chances, I think optimism is in place. Don't you?

[Francois Cellier]

Originally Posted by ubergeek

If openly stating that he supports talks with the Hamas, improves his future chances, I think optimism is in place. Don't you?

Maybe.

The current administration of Benjamin Netanyahu does everything in its power to boycott any compromise with the Arab world. He thinks that time is on his side. If he could get away with it, he would annex the entire Westbanks and make the life of the local Arab population so miserable that they would leave on their own in large numbers.

Many Israeli understand that time is not on their side. In order to improve his chances in a future election, Mofaz needs to distance himself from Netanyahu ... and wait for the Netanyahu government to self-implode. It is a safe bet that it eventually will, as this happens to pretty much every government over time. This is what he is trying to accomplish with his latest statement.

When Kadima was in power, his statements were quite different. At that time, both Livni and he needed to compete with Netanyahu for votes, and therefore, both were more hawkish in their statements than lame-duck Olmert.

Unfortunately, almost all Israeli politicians today are highly opportunistic (a euphemism for corrupt). They will state what they think the voter wants to hear, rather than what they themselves believe in.

Peres may be the exception to the rule ... which may be the reason why he was never overly effective in political campaigns.

[ubergeek]

Originally Posted by Francois Cellier

Maybe..

Israeli politics is full of crap.
There isn't a single politician that I respect today.
The honest ones are impotents.

Still, what encourages me is the fact that the politician, opportunistic as they get, realize that a change is needed.

[VanishingPoint]

Originally Posted by ubergeek

Israeli politics is full of crap.
There isn't a single politician that I respect today.
The honest ones are impotents.

Much like American Democratic party (impotent).

Originally Posted by ubergeek

Still, what encourages me is the fact that the politician, opportunistic as they get, realize that a change is needed.

I hope so...