When Netanyahu closed the door on peace talks

[azurnoir]

The following story probably won’t dispel the widespread notion among the Israeli public and leadership that since the Second Intifada there has been no partner on the Palestinian side. This is a notion that is based on statements from politicians from the right, among others, who claim that every time the moment of truth comes, PA President Mahmoud Abbas rejects peace agreements.

Although Abbas came to far-reaching understandings with Peres on a framework deal, or principles according to which talks would be restarted, at the last minute Netanyahu changed his mind about the agreement. After that, the possibility of restarting talks centered on the principle of two states — based on the 1967 lines with land swaps — was gone, Israeli and Palestinian officials told the Times of Israel.

The existence of the talks themselves was previously revealed by journalist Ben Caspit, who also reported on the last-minute cancellation of a meeting between Peres and Abbas planned for July 28, 2011, in Amman, Jordan, in the wake of Netanyahu’s rejection of concrete proposals that Peres wanted to present.

What has not been published until now is the content of the conversations and the understandings reached by both sides, with the full knowledge of Netanyahu — until the moment of truth, that is, when Netanyahu backed out and refused to endorse the talks.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/when-netanyahu-ran-away-from-peace-talks/#ixzz3RehBszpt

[sabbat hunter]

1. I think that Abbas

is not a very good peace partner, because if he were to sign a treaty with Israel, the Palestinians would then no longer have Israel to blame for their woes and would instead focus on him.

It is similar to the reason why he has not held elections, even though they are long over due. Abbas fears that if he held open and fair elections he would lose to a Hamas backed candidate, or that Hamas would boycott the election which would still make Abbas have an aura of illegitimacy around him.