[Peace-discuss] A joke in bad taste

[C. G. Estabrook]

"...those whose eyes are not closed tight shut by rigid doctrine dismiss Obama’s 
yearning for human rights and democracy as a joke in bad taste."

	A Middle East Peace That Could Happen (But Won’t)
	In Washington-Speak, “Palestinian State” Means “Fried Chicken”
	By Noam Chomsky

The fact that the Israel-Palestine conflict grinds on without resolution might 
appear to be rather strange.  For many of the world’s conflicts, it is difficult 
even to conjure up a feasible settlement.  In this case, it is not only 
possible, but there is near universal agreement on its basic contours: a 
two-state settlement along the internationally recognized (pre-June 1967) 
borders -- with “minor and mutual modifications,” to adopt official U.S. 
terminology before Washington departed from the international community in the 
mid-1970s.

The basic principles have been accepted by virtually the entire world, including 
the Arab states (who go on to call for full normalization of relations), the 
Organization of Islamic States (including Iran), and relevant non-state actors 
(including Hamas).  A settlement along these lines was first proposed at the 
U.N. Security Council in January 1976 by the major Arab states.  Israel refused 
to attend the session.  The U.S. vetoed the resolution, and did so again in 
1980.  The record at the General Assembly since is similar.

There was one important and revealing break in U.S.-Israeli rejectionism.  After 
the failed Camp David agreements in 2000, President Clinton recognized that the 
terms he and Israel had proposed were unacceptable to any Palestinians.  That 
December, he proposed his “parameters”: imprecise, but more forthcoming.  He 
then stated that both sides had accepted the parameters, while expressing 
reservations.

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met in Taba, Egypt, in January 2001 to 
resolve the differences and were making considerable progress.  In their final 
press conference, they reported that, with a little more time, they could 
probably have reached full agreement.  Israel called off the negotiations 
prematurely, however, and official progress then terminated, though informal 
discussions at a high level continued leading to the Geneva Accord, rejected by 
Israel and ignored by the U.S.

A good deal has happened since, but a settlement along those lines is still not 
out of reach -- if, of course, Washington is once again willing to accept it. 
Unfortunately, there is little sign of that.

Substantial mythology has been created about the entire record, but the basic 
facts are clear enough and quite well documented...

Entire article at

http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175239/tomgram%3A_noam_chomsky%2C_eyeless_in_gaza___/#more

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