| Annapolis has come and gone but what happened | | | | of history if he could pull it off. |
| there guarantees that the next 12 months of | | | | But it is obvious this can never happen and that his |
| negotiations to implement the Bush two-state solution | | | | departure from office will be ignominious and humiliating |
| will end up going nowhere - just like the fruitless | | | | - unless the PLO first amends its Charter to excise |
| negotiations conducted over the last four years. | | | | these Articles immediately. President Bush and Ms. |
| Annapolis clearly confirmed that these on-going | | | | Rice should be insisting this be done now if these |
| negotiations with Israel will be undertaken by the | | | | on-going negotiations are to have any prospect of |
| Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) - whose | | | | success. |
| Charter specifically rejects the two state solution | | | | These amendments were promised 14 years ago but |
| proposed by the President. | | | | they still remain unchanged as testimony to an |
| President Bush cannot be unmindful of the PLO's | | | | organisation that hates Jews, despises the notion of a |
| pivotal role as one of the negotiating parties. He himself | | | | two state solution and fails to recognise the binding |
| read out at Annapolis a joint statement prepared for | | | | effect of international law. |
| the meeting which stated in the very first sentence: | | | | Mahmoud Abbas simply has no power or authority at |
| ""The representatives of the government of the state | | | | the present time to negotiate for a two state solution |
| of Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization, | | | | because the PLO Charter expressly precludes him |
| represented respectively by Prime Minister Ehud | | | | from doing so. |
| Olmert and President Mahmoud Abbas, in his capacity | | | | This is not some kind of technical hair splitting |
| as chairman of the PLO executive committee and | | | | argument. It goes to the entire mindset under which |
| president of the Palestinian Authority, have convened | | | | negotiations are to be undertaken and the ability of the |
| in Annapolis, Maryland, under the auspices of President | | | | negotiating parties to achieve a solution. |
| George W. Bush of the United States of America, and | | | | Mr Abbas should be required to take steps to |
| with the support of the participants of this international | | | | immediately repeal these provisions of the Covenant |
| conference …" | | | | before any further negotiations take place. This is |
| If President Bush needed any more confirmation of this | | | | something he can implement - and very quickly. He |
| fact, Mahmoud Abbas gave it to him in the first | | | | may not be able to procure the release of kidnapped |
| sentence of his speech: | | | | Israeli soldiers, he may not be able to stop terrorist |
| "Allow me Mr. President to thank you in my capacity | | | | attacks - but he can very easily convene a meeting of |
| as Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, | | | | the National Council of the PLO to repeal these odious |
| the sole representative of the Palestinian people, and | | | | provisions of the Charter. |
| on behalf of the Palestinian people, for inviting us to this | | | | The capacity of the PLO to deliver peace - even if |
| international conference." | | | | the above offending and offensive articles were |
| The PLO Charter is as anti the two state solution as | | | | removed today - is also highly questionable. |
| could possibly be articulated - stating without | | | | Respected veteran analyst Danny Rubinstein pointed |
| equivocation that : | | | | this out very clearly in an article written by him in |
| 1. Palestine with the boundaries it had during the British | | | | Ha'aretz on November 16 when he stated: |
| Mandate is an indivisible territorial unit . | | | | "The institutions of the PLO which presumed to |
| 2. The Arab Palestinian people reject all solutions which | | | | represent the entire Palestinian nation have in recent |
| are substituting (sic) for the total liberation of Palestine. | | | | years become obsolete and unimportant. They do not |
| 3. The Partition of Palestine in 1947 and the | | | | include any representation for a national religious |
| establishment of the State of Israel are entirely illegal | | | | movement like Hamas (which holds that religion takes |
| 4. The Balfour Declaration, the Mandate for Palestine | | | | precedence nationality (sic), although its supporters |
| and everything that has been based on them are | | | | make up about one third of the Palestinian public...for |
| deemed null and void. | | | | quite some time now, the PLO has ceased to be a |
| 5. Claims of historical or religious ties of Jews with | | | | relevant body in Palestinian politics." |
| Palestine are incompatible with the facts of history | | | | President Bush and Ms Rice must wear rose coloured |
| 6. Jews do not constitute a single nation with an | | | | glasses or have very blinkered vision if they fail to |
| identity of its own. | | | | recognise or acknowledge these basic failings in the |
| How President Bush and Condoleezza Rice believe | | | | ability and strength of the PLO to deliver any |
| the PLO can negotiate in good faith for a two state | | | | successful outcome for the President's two state |
| solution in the face of these fundamental impediments | | | | vision over the next twelve months. |
| to achieving such a result is one of the great | | | | It is incongruous that President Bush and Ms. Rice |
| mysteries that remains unanswered after the | | | | continue to dine and dialogue with this elderly |
| festivities, hand shakes and toasts have been | | | | bespectacled white- haired PLO Chairman in a Saville |
| concluded and everyone has gone home. | | | | Row suit who purports to negotiate a two state |
| The time line for the successful completion of these | | | | solution for an organization which forbids it eventuating |
| negotiations is supposed to allow President Bush to | | | | and which expressly states that its objective is to |
| leave office in January 2009 as the President who | | | | drive the Jews into the sea and out of a Palestine that |
| was able to bring peace to the Middle East - certainly | | | | belongs only to the Palestinian Arab people. |
| an effort worth the Nobel Peace Prize, the eternal | | | | Allowing negotiations to continue on such a brittle base |
| gratitude of the nations and the favourable judgement | | | | is a guaranteed recipe for disaster. |