Last week, Israeli PM Benyamin Netanyahu issued a unilateral 10-month halt to Israeli settlement construction in parts of the West Bank. The moratorium is riddled with loopholes — it excludes projects in East Jerusalem, as well as those already underway, and exempts public buildings like schools and synagogues.**
Furthermore, cynics believe that Netanyahu proposed the suspension at a time of Palestinian political weakness, putting the onus to respond on a divided Arab leadership that has become increasingly fragile in the wake of President Mahmoud Abbas’ announcement that he will not seek another term as Palestinian president in next year’s already postponed elections.
That’s why this moment is so critical: The Obama administration could play a pivotal role in facilitating some sort of coherent Palestinian response — something (anything!) more than a quick dismissal. It could be the smallest of gestures — even issuing an official statement of acceptance of Israel’s freeze and pledging that the next Palestinian government would like to work with Israel on the peace process — but it must show the world some measure of Palestinian unity and resolve to move forward.
That’s how confidence-building measures work, and the Obama administration should help the Palestinians to remain unified enough to issue a coherent response.
**If you’ll permit a bit of a digression, that last loophole reminds me of an infamous rumor attributed to the Australian Embassy here in D.C. A few years ago, the staff apparently requested funding from Canberra to build a bar in one of the embassy’s back rooms. Twice rejected because Australia’s Foreign Ministry didn’t want to further its diplomatic corps’ rowdy reputation, the staff remained undeterred, and merely switched “bar” to “chapel” on the funding request’s third — and successful — attempt. The moral here is that you can call a facility whatever you want, but its use is the only thing that counts.
