semitism.net

The main militant groups operating in the occupied territories have agreed to maintain the thahdiya, or period of calm, that has been in place since Abbas assumed power. Abbas and the leaders of Hamas and other armed groups reached the acccord at a summit meeting in Cairo.

This event is a significant step toward building a cohesive Palestinian political sructure. The Daily Star reports:

The talks are the broadest between Palestinian factions for years, thanks to high-level representation by groups based in Damascus and opposed to the Palestinian Authority’s policies.

A senior official…said that Hamas was willing to join a reorganized and reformed Palestine Liberation Organization, which is now monopolized by secular factions…

In an interview with the Arab newspaper Al-Hayat published Wednesday, Abbas said he hoped Hamas and Jihad would become purely “political organizations,” participating in the Palestinian government.

Asked if that would mean the two groups would give up their weapons, Abbas said: “The decision of armed resistance should be made by the Authority.”

Haaretz has Israel’s response, to wit,

Sharon’s office said the prime minister told Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak by telephone that “the arrangement reached in Cairo is a positive first step.”

But according to the statement, Sharon made clear that for progress to be made in the peace process, “the terrorist organizations cannot continue to exist as armed groups and certainly not as terrorist organizations.”

This period of calm does not, in itself, signify an end to the military conflict. The armed groups are holding back to see if Palestinian claims can be pursued successfully by non-military means. I would read in Abbas’ statement a committment to them that the armed struggle will resume if negotiation fails.

“What was agreed upon today is calm until the end of this year as a maximum period of time in exchange for an Israeli commitment to withdrawal from cities and release prisoners,” top Hamas official Mohammad Nazzal told reporters on Thursday.

Senior Palestinian officials said militants would not retaliate for Israeli attacks during the period of the calm “to give the international community a chance to press Israel to implement its commitments.”

From Israel’s point of view, peace will have been achieved when the armed groups are dismantled and attacks on Israelis stop.

It seems to me that from the Palestinian point of view, the main things required for a durable peace settlement would be:

• Release of political prisoners.
• Moral acknowledgement of Israeli actions that created the Palestinian refugee crisis in 1947-1948.
• Establishment of a mutually agreed border between Israel and Palestine.
• Dismantlement of the existing separation barrier. If a barrier is needed, it should be built along the agreed border and not within Palestinian territory.
• Palestinian sovereignty over territory that is acceptable in size, contiguity and resources. This basically means sovereignty over the West Bank and Gaza, with some room for compromise over heavily settled areas on both sides.
• Control by the Palestinians of their borders with neighboring countries (Jordan and Egypt).
• Dismantlement of Jewish settlements on the Palestinian side of the border (or, alternatively, continuation of these communities under Palestinian control).
• An end to unauthorized Israeli incursions into Palestinian territory.

If you stop and think about it, these are pretty reasonable conditions. Most of the items on the list are basic elements necessary for the establishment of an independent state. If Israel accedes to them, and makes substantive moves toward implementing them, it has every right to expect a full cessation of hostilities.

However, Israel’s intentions are not at all clear at this point. Sharon is focused on the Gaza disengagement and has given little indication of his intentions after Gaza. Most of the signs point toward a highly limited conception of Palestinian independence, with Israel maintaining control of borders, resources, and most of the territory of the West Bank. I doubt that the Palestinian side will demilitarize until there is genuine progress toward a viable state.

Demanding an end to violence is not enough. Israel does respond to American pressure. If we really care about peace, we - American Jews - need to support the efforts of the Palestinian people to achieve their goals through non-violent means. This means advocating for an American policy that places Palestinian independence and territorial sovereignty on an equal footing with Israel’s security needs.