Netanyahu's Congress speech could set Middle East peace back another 18 years

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech to Congress yesterday offered only more obstacles to lasting peace in the Middle East. He not only failed to provide a vision for the peace process, but he also introduced new terms and phrases that are likely to hamper future peace efforts.

Christian Science Monitor
By Ibrahim Sharqieh / May 25, 2011
Doha, Qatar

Taking advantage of his New York accent while addressing Congress on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered an eloquent speech offering only more obstacles to a lasting and just peace in the Middle East. He not only failed to provide a vision for the peace process in a changing Middle East, but also introduced new terms and phrases that will probably hamper any peace efforts in the future.

While Mr. Netanyahu demanded that a final agreement not be made along “indefensible lines,” he failed to define what borders he would consider “defensible.” Indeed, defining this term alone would require several rounds of negotiations. This issue of defensible borders is particularly complicated in today’s world, where technology plays an increasingly important role, as mentioned by President Obama and as evidenced by the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions.

Even if one follows the traditional definition of defensible boundaries, it remains unclear what would satisfy Netanyahu’s definition. This vagueness sets a dangerous precedent, which is capable of providing a pretext for Netanyahu to annex the entire Palestinian territories and still argue that the borders are not defensible.
What are 'generous offers' and 'painful compromises'?

Though he has categorically rejected them in the past, Netanyahu also referred to the “generous offers” made by two Israeli Prime Ministers to argue that peace is not possible with the Palestinians. What he considers to being a “generous offer” is in fact what the Palestine Papers revealed to be merely a map presented to Palestinian President Abbas, which he was reportedly allowed to take down on only a napkin.

Netanyahu’s treatment of this as a “generous offer” sets yet another dangerous precedent. Since the Israeli prime minister has rejected such border offers in the past, he is now likely referring to an offer that is most likely to be even less generous than a map on a napkin.

Furthermore, Netanyahu repeatedly used the term “painful compromises” without ever explaining what the phrase meant. Netanyahu’s political history does not indicate to what extent he would be willing to engage in what he calls a “painful compromise” to reach peace with the Palestinians.

For someone with his right-wing political agenda, withdrawal from any part of the West Bank could be seen as a “painful compromise.” This deliberate ambiguity makes the quest for peace even more elusive, as we are left to chase definitions of terms rather than begin negotiations on final status issues and create a possible peace plan.