Palestinians Disqualify U.S. as Peace Broker

Obama will visit on the backdrop of a two --year old simmering Palestinian -- U.S. political crisis, which potentially could explode in the aftermath of his visit.

The U.S. subscription to the UN recognition of Palestinian statehood would establish irrevocably the prerequisite to make or break the only viable "two -- state solution" for the almost century -- old conflict, because it would confirm the 1967 borders as the basis for such a solution and, consequently, will for sure defuse the time bomb of the Israeli illegal settlement enterprise in the Palestinian occupied territories and pave the way for the resumption of negotiations. However neither Obama nor the U.S. is forthcoming and they continue to "manage" the conflict instead of seriously seeking to solve it.

Earlier this month, Israel in an unprecedented move boycotted the UN Human Rights Council because a year -- long investigation by the council produced a report urging that " Israel must, in compliance with article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, cease all settlement activities without preconditions. It must immediately initiate a process of withdrawal of all settlers from the OPT (occupied Palestinian territories)." The report stated that about 250 settlements were established in the Israeli --occupied Palestinian West Bank where 520,000 settlers live now, which the report said could be subject to prosecution as possible war crimes.

Recently, Yacov Ben Efrat, the General Secretary of the Israeli DAAM Party, wrote in Challenge Magazine that when Obama arrives in the Israel -- occupied Palestinian territories "he will see that his policy of appeasing the Israeli right has nearly killed the Palestinian (self- ruled) Authority" economically as well as politically, to conclude: " Having already experienced the Oslo accords, the Palestinians have already seen how the temporary becomes permanent, and there is no way they will accept this."

"It's plain and simple: Either the settlements or peace ... even Obama won't get us abandon this principle," PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat was quoted as saying on February 14.

Should Obama decide to act accordingly, he may reinforce the "unbreakable alliance" with Israel to his convenience, from a Palestinian perspective. Otherwise, any initiative by Obama to resume the Palestinian -- Israeli peace talks during his upcoming visit to the region will be doomed as a non -- starter.

On this February 19, author Marvin Kalb wrote ( http://www.brookings.edu/blogs ): " Instead of opening his Mid-East diplomacy with a cutting critique of Israel's cantankerous settlements policy, often considered the third rail of Israeli politics, " instead of allowing, even encouraging, a discomfiting coolness in Israeli-American relations,  " the Israelis and the Palestinians might be engaging in serious, face-to-face negotiations on a peace treaty by this time."

Releasing a $ 700 million of U.S. blocked Palestinian aid, using U.S. good offices to make Arab donors honor their pledges to them or convincing Israel to release the tax and customs revenue it collects on their behalf are not the kind of U.S. "carrots" that would open a breakthrough.

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