[wvns] The Annapolis illusion
Attacking Annapolis
Jim Lobe
November 27, 2007
http://rightweb.irc-online.org/rw/4761
Despite near-universal skepticism about the prospects for launching a
serious, new Middle East peace process at this week's
Israeli-Palestinian summit in Annapolis, a familiar clutch of
neoconservative hawks close to the Likud Party leader, former Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, isn't taking any chances.
Hardliners associated with the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and
Freedom's Watch, a bountifully funded campaign led by prominent
backers of the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), among other
like-minded groups, have mounted a concerted attack against this
week's meeting, which they fear could result in pressure on Israel to
make territorial concessions.
The attack, which comes amid steadily growing neoconservative fears
that the administration of President George W. Bush is becoming
increasingly "realist" in its last year in office, has been directed
primarily against Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, rather than the
president himself.
Rice, who has devoted an unprecedented amount of time and travel in
the past several months to nudging Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas toward agreement on a
framework that will deliver a two-state solution, said she hoped to
achieve that goal by the time Bush leaves office in January 2009.
"The parties have said they are going to make efforts to conclude [a
final peace accord] in this president's term, and it's no secret that
means about a year," she told reporters last week, noting that the
Annapolis meeting is designed to launch an intensive negotiating
effort over the coming months. "That's what we'll try and do. Nobody
can guarantee that—all you can do is make your best effort."
But such an effort is anathema to hardline neoconservatives whose
presence in the Bush administration has dwindled steadily over the
past two years, but who retain influence primarily through Vice
President Dick Cheney and key members of the White House national
security staff, notably Deputy National Security Adviser Elliott Abrams.
Indeed, among the most prominent hawks who have attacked the Annapolis
meeting, to which senior officials and diplomats from 46 nations and
multilateral groups have been invited, has been David Wurmser. Until
August, Wurmser served as Cheney's main Middle East adviser. His
opposition to the aborted Oslo peace process dates back to its
beginnings in the early 1990s.
In a press luncheon sponsored by the hardline Israel Project last
week, Wurmser, a former director of AEI's Middle East program, argued
that the current moment was the worst time for the administration to
initiate a new Israeli-Palestinian peace process, particularly given
the importance and more urgent threats to U.S. interests posed by
North Korea, Iran, Syria, Iraq, and Venezuela.
"It simply sends the wrong signal," he said, stressing that, contrary
to Rice's arguments and those of other foreign policy realists, any
pressure on Israel to make concessions at the moment would only
embolden Iran and weaken Washington's Sunni-led regional allies, which
the administration hopes to forge into an Arab-Israeli coalition
against Tehran.
While Wurmser is perhaps the most recent administration alumnus to
speak out against Annapolis, other hardline neoconservatives close to
Netanyahu are also rallying against any serious peace effort.
Danielle Pletka, AEI's vice president for foreign and defense policy
studies, published a column in the New York Times last week that
accused the administration of aping the policies of former President
Bill Clinton, particularly on North Korea and the Israeli-Palestinian
process.
Pletka, a protégée of neoconservative impresario Richard Perle, was
particularly scornful of Abbas, whom she described as "powerless" and
a "pretender," and of Rice, who, she complained has "recently sought
advice from not just Bill Clinton but, of all people, Jimmy
Carter"—the former president who is excoriated by neoconservatives for
his 1977 endorsement of a "Palestinian homeland," as well as his
recent book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.
Not to be outdone, the Wall Street Journal's "Global View" columnist,
Bret Stephens, also linked Rice's peace efforts to Carter, but omitted
the fact that it was Carter who forged the 1978 Camp David accords
between Israel and Egypt.
Noting the political weakness of both Abbas and Olmert, as well as the
widespread skepticism that the parties are prepared to make the
necessary compromises, Stephens, a former editor of the right-wing
Jerusalem Post, expressed wonderment "why this administration has
gotten itself caught in the Venus flytrap of the Arab-Israeli
conflict, after vowing not to do so, and why it has done so with a
degree of ineptitude that recalls the dimmer moments of the Carter
administration."
Meanwhile, the ultra-hawkish president of the Center for Security
Policy (CSP), Frank Gaffney, also took out after Rice in a Washington
Times column last week that derided the Annapolis meeting as "Condi's
Folly," called Rice herself a "zealot who has lost any sense of
reality," and labeled Abbas' Fatah party a "terrorist organization"
along with other "Islamofascist" groups, including "Hamas, Hezbollah,
al-Qaida, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps."
Gaffney, another Perle protégé, argued that the "only Palestinian
state that can possibly come from ... Rice's zealotry will be a dagger
pointed at the heart of Israel and a new safe-haven for terror aimed
at the United States and other Western nations."
The column's title, "Staticidal Zealotry," partially echoed recent
public complaints by two Freedom's Watch founders, Sheldon Adelson and
Gary Erlbaum, regarding the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's
(AIPAC) endorsement of a letter signed by some 130 lawmakers in
support of the Annapolis initiative and increased U.S. assistance for
Abbas' Palestinian Authority (PA).
AIPAC, which is widely considered the heart of the so-called "Israel
Lobby" in Washington, has itself been pressed hard by both the
administration and the Olmert government to support the Annapolis meeting.
Adelson, a casino magnate with an estimated net worth of more than $26
billion who is also a strong backer of Netanyahu, argued that Olmert's
engagement with the Annapolis process posed a mortal danger to Israel.
"I don't continue to support organizations that help friends
committing suicide just because they say they want to jump," he told
the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in what was taken as a threat to reduce
his substantial financial backing if AIPAC did not heed his Likudist
agenda.
Both Adelson and Erlbaum, who is a Philadelphia property developer,
are major donors to Freedom's Watch, a group formed in August 2007 to
defend the Bush administration's "surge" strategy in Iraq against
legislative efforts to mandate a withdrawal of U.S. combat forces.
The group, more than half of whose leaders are drawn from the RJC
board and staff, intends to raise at least $200 million for
advertising and other public relations activities to support its
hardline positions on the Middle East, according to a recent New York
Times profile.
In recent weeks, the group has employed a high-priced public relations
firm to test-market a campaign apparently designed to rally public
support for an attack on Iran, according to a recent article by
investigative reporter Laura Rozen published in Mother Jones magazine.
Ari Fleischer, who served as Bush's chief spokesman during his
presidential campaign and in the White House until 2003, is one of a
number of former administration officials active in Freedom's Watch.
Jim Lobe is the Washington bureau chief of the Inter Press Service and
a contributor to IRC's Right Web (http://rightweb.irc-online.org/).
===
The Annapolis illusion
By Khalid Amayreh in Occupied East Jerusalem
Date: 22 / 11 / 2007
"The mountain went into labor, then it gave birth to a rat ," so says
the famous Arab proverb. This adage is likely to caricature the
outcome of the upcoming American-sponsored "peace conference," slated
to take place on 27 November, in Annapolis, Maryland.
Forecasting the failure of the Annapolis meeting is more than
speculation. It is a realistic assessment of an event that is not
intended to be successful, even if the declared desire suggests otherwise.
Indeed, apart from the pleasantries which are meant to create positive
atmospherics, Israel and the PA have failed to reach any modicum of
agreement on the core issues that define the Palestinian problem.
A few weeks ago, PA officials were almost euphoric about the
conference. PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas vowed to boycott the Annapolis
meeting unless Israel agreed in principle at least to end its
occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, as well as
accept a just settlement of the refugee problem pursuant UN resolution
194. But Israel, of course, agreed to non of that.
Now, the PA will go to Annapolis without any assurance policy, relying
mainly on George Bush's "good will," (whatever that means in real terms).
I asked one high-ranking PA official in Ramallah this week how come
the PA leadership was going to Annapolis, despite the clarion fiasco
of the protracted meetings between Israeli and Palestinian officials..
Embarrassed by the question, the official said "we are going to
Annapolis to demonstrate to the world the justice of our cause and the
need for a just and durable peace in this volatile region."
I reminded him that "we have been doing this for ages but to no
avail." Disquieted by the rejoinder, the official looked rather
attentively at me, saying "what else can we do, if you have some
ideas, convey them to Abu Mazen?"
There will be several categories of participants and attendees at the
Annapolis conference: First, the master of disaster, George W. Bush,
the Fuhrer of the White House who has invaded, occupied and destroyed
two Muslim countries and killed or caused the death of over a million
innocent human beings under the pretext of ridding the world of Iraq's
weapons of mass destruction that turned out to be nonexistent.
The man , who claimed that God had told him to do what he did, has
never had the moral courage to say "I made a mistake, Mea Kulpa."
Instead, he concocted all sorts of pretexts, canards and lies to
justify his criminality and evil designs. After all, criminals show no
concern about their crimes.
Which really begs the following question: can the peoples of the
Middle East in particular and humanity in general count on one of the
world's most premier murderers and liars to force Israel to make
peace? Let us not forget that this is the man who had described Ariel
Sharon, the certified Israeli war criminal, as a man of peace.
Then there is the perpetual murderer, liar land thief, namely Israel,
a state that murders school children and calls the murder self-defense
and then lies about its crimes and calls the lying hasbara and public
relations, a state that claims to have ended its occupation of Gaza
while continuing to tightly control Gaza's borders, border crossings,
territorial water, skies and the region's very lifeline.
The leader of this nefarious state, Ehud Olmert, is going to the
Annapolis conference, not to make peace and show good will towards
Israel's victims, but rather in order to make sure that no substantive
progress will come out of it.
Olmert, a man notorious for his criminality, mendacity and
deceitfulness, will heavily indulge in prevarication, verbal juggling
and red herrings, but will shun the real issues, namely ending the
hateful occupation of the Palestinian homeland and brutality against
the Palestinian people.
Olmert will not even allude to millions of miserable Palestinian
refugees languishing in squalid refugee camps all over the Middle East
because a state calling itself a light upon the nations wouldn't allow
them to return to their homes and villages from which they were
uprooted when that state was born sixty years ago.
He will not mention East Jerusalem whose Arab Christian-Muslim
identity successive Israeli governments have sought to decapitate,
humanly spiritually, demographically and economically.
And, of course, he will completely ignore the sinister Israeli
blockade of 1.4 million Gazans who are being tormented and starved to
death because Zionism can't forgive Palestinians for electing a
political party that Israel doesn't like.
Instead of dealing honestly and seriously with the real issues ,
Olmert, will launch a charade about strengthening PA Chairman Mahmoud
Abbas and encouraging "the forces of moderation and peace" as if the
real problem in Palestine was the absence of moderation and peace
among Palestinians, not the Nazi-like Israeli occupation and
oppression of Palestinians.
And then there is Abbas, the American-backed PA leader who apparently
thinks that now is the best time for making peace because America's
conscience has suddenly awaked up from its slumber and George W. Bush
has undergone a graceful metamorphosis, from an evil man to a saint.
Abbas looks really very pathetic. He had already placed all his eggs
into the American basket which means that he won't be able to say "No"
to the Americans even when he must.
This is why all he can do to save his Palestinian Authority, which is
actually devoid of any real authority, is to day-dream and implore the
werewolf of the White House to press Israel to demonstrate true desire
for peace. Day-dreaming, psychologists say, represents the highest
degree of frustration.
But, as the famous Arab poet Zuheir said more than 1400 years ago, he
that doesn't respect himself shall not be respected by others. Abbass
should have himself to blame. He trusted Bush and Olmert too much to
the extent that he has become a vanquished supplicant at their
doorsteps. He maltreated his people and did many things that should
not have been done, all to please and appease Olmert and Bush, but to
no avail.
In a nutshell, beggars can't be choosers.
And then there will be the usual horde of Arab despots who are at
America's beck and call and who always value the legitimacy that comes
form America's acceptance more than which comes from their own masses'
acceptance.
Most of these kings and presidents-for-life are quite tired of the
enduring Palestinian cause and are very much eager to sell out
whatever has remained of Arab honor and Arab rights, probably
including the al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest shrine. This
inertia, this exhaustion, can be detected in the tone of their voices.
However, these tyrants would like to see the Palestinians themselves
do it first so that they would be able to tell their respective
peoples "look! we can't be more Palestinian than the Palestinians."
These are the same so-called leaders who are now quietly colluding
with Israel to decimate and starve to death the people of Gaza in
order to appease America and obtain from it a certificate of good conduct.
Then there is the European Union (EU), whose leaders continue to curry
favor with Israel, despite its wicked treatment of Palestinians. This
is the same EU that has proven ad nauseam that it won't miss an
opportunity to succumb to Israeli and Zionist pressure, even at the
price of seeing innocent civilians starved and killed.
A few days ago, France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner assured
Israel that France would always seek to ensure Israel's security. You
see the moral whoredom! The security of Israel, a country that
possesses 300 nuclear weapons, 700 state-of-the-art fighter bombers,
and 4000 battle tanks and several nuclear-fit submarines, must be
protected and preserved, while the Palestinians who can hardly put
food on the table for their starving children, must be blockaded and
punished.
We shouldn't forget Tony Blair, the deceitful and duplicitous former
British Prime Minister, who has tons of Iraqi blood on his dirty
hands. This war criminal is now trying to bribe the Palestinians with
"economic projects," in the hope that this would make them forget some
of their inalienable rights, including the right of return for the
refugees and Jerusalem.
Finally, Annapolis will be honored to have the comical Ban Ki-moon
attending the conference. For those who don't know, this Ki-moon must
always watch his tongue very carefully lest he inadvertently says
something Bush and Condoleezza Rice don't like.
Well, with such a great company, the Palestinians need not worry!!
Their cause is in honest hands.!
===
Iranian Leader: Annapolis 'doomed to failure'
Mon, 26 Nov 2007
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=32667§ionid=351020101
Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution says the US-sponsored Middle East
conference in Annapolis is solely aimed at aiding the Zionists.
"All politicians in the world are aware that this conference is doomed
to failure," Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said Monday.
In an address which was broadcast to more than 8 million Basijis, the
Leader said the Annapolis conference will deny the Palestinians their
rights, who have been suppressed by Israel. "Arab countries must be
aware of Zionists' plots and tricks," Ayatollah Khamenei said, warning
the Arab states attending the conference.
"They [the US and Israel] hope that by holding the so-called peace
conference, they can whitewash the Zionists' failure," the Leader added.
In the Annapolis conference, Washington seeks to restart peace talks
on Palestine. However, Analysts believe the talks are aimed at
protecting the Zionist regime.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei hailed the volunteer
forces of Basij, who have always been present in the front line of
combating the enemies.
"World powers were supporting Saddam's invasive regime [ in eight
years of Iraq's war against Iran]," the Leader continued. "However,
the Basij forces managed to design and carry out complex military
tactics in an unjust war, which was imposed on Iran," Ayatollah
Khamenei explained.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution also pointed out that due to its
popularity amongst the Iranian nation, the Basij forces are stronger
than ever before.
"With their fierce determination, the Iranian people have shown the
enemies that their plots against the Islamic Republic have failed,"
the Leader added.
Ayatollah Khamenei called on the enemies of the Iranian nation to own
up to their defeat, as well as admitting the fact that they are no
match against the great Iranian nation and its Basij forces.
*********************************************************************
WORLD VIEW NEWS SERVICE
To subscribe to this group, send an email to:
wvns-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
NEWS ARCHIVE IS OPEN TO PUBLIC VIEW
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/wvns/
Need some good karma? Appreciate the service?
Please consider donating to WVNS today.
Email ummyakoub@yahoo.com for instructions.
To leave this list, send an email to:
wvns-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wvns/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wvns/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:wvns-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:wvns-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
wvns-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
No comments:
Post a Comment