Some Israeli stories during the Western holiday season: During the week, I recorded around the end of the Western year a couple dozen news items about the Israeli Supreme Court's Decision to open road 443 to the Palestinians, which has been closed since 2002. The office of the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, protested against the decision citing the ensuing threat to security, although the biggest threat is the presence of a fascistic government that works against peace. The Israeli press was also full of a similar number of news stories about Netanyahu's attempt to split the Kadima party. As it is known, he had offered Tzipi Livni the opportunity to have four ministers of state representing her party in the cabinet, but without holding any portfolios. He rejected this proposal rather angrily, and thus Netanyahu ceased his attempts by saying that the time is not right, and he was subsequently attacked by representatives from both parties. Then I read a news story that argues that the Kadima party will split and divide itself at any rate. Thus, when Netanyahu cannot find Arabs to conspire against, he conspires against the opposition. In the other news stories, there is talk about the peace process, and it seems that Netanyahu is hoping to convince President Hosni Mubarak and President Mahmoud Abbas to meet with him, and that the Israeli Prime Minister even wants a tripartite summit. As it is known, the Egyptian president met with Netanyahu, and then met with Abu Mazen after him. However, the Egyptian stance, which is a general Arab stance, insists that freezing the settlements in Jerusalem as well should be done prior to negotiations, and what the Israeli press writes hence is wishful thinking. The year 2009 ended with the usual Israeli fabrications in what regards the prisoner swap; as such, I read one news item then its opposite day after day, and I choose from the end of the year a commentary written by Guy Bechor, a prominent Israeli journalist, in Yedioth Ahronoth, which has nothing to do with the reality we know. He said: Hamas's negative reply to the Israeli government's proposal was to be expected, in complete contrast to the disinformation that the Arabic press disseminated last week. Hamas has no interest in a prisoner exchange deal, and the ongoing negotiations only intensify the psychological warfare that it uses on Israeli society and magnifies its strength. This is a free gift that the Israeli government gives it, with the Israeli media serving as a sound box. Just last week it was reported here that almost everything was tied up and that any second it would happen, and it turns out now that almost nothing has been sewn up. The writer then claims that the “enemy”, meaning Hamas, is shrewder and more versed than the Israelis in the skill of negotiating. He also said that a situation must be created in which every option for Hamas is bad. Of course, the writer is wishing all of that. If there were any bad options available, the fascistic government would not have spared them. More importantly, it is arrogant to claim that the Palestinians are better versed in negotiations with the Israeli wolves, or that Hamas does not want to close the deal, but that it is rather engaged in psychological warfare, or even that the Arab press is complicit with Hamas, when half of this press is against Hamas in the first place. I am not saying that the writer is lying, since I cannot read his mind. Rather, I say that he is turning the facts upside down. Last week, I met with Khaled Mashaal, the head of Hamas's political bureau in Damascus. We had a late lunch together which started around five o'clock. The lunch meeting lasted two hours and a half, with the subject of Shalit and the prisoner swap deal occupying only five minutes, because Hamas's stance in this respect is known, and I did not have to go over it with Abu al-Walid. The party that lied and backed off was in fact Israel. The original deal stipulated that 450 prisoners and detainees are to be released upon the receipt of Gilad Shalit, then 50 others followed by another 50, or 30, are to be released in the following weeks. However, the core condition in this deal is the four hundred fifty prisoners, which include Marwan Barghouti and Ahmad Saadat, and two of Hamas's military commanders, Ibrahim Hamed and Abdullah Barghouti. On the other hand, Israel was demanding that 130 men be deported from the West Bank, then it increased the number to about 200, while refusing to release the four senior prisoners. After that, the security government voted three for and three against, with Netanyahu's vote favoring a rejection of the deal. The above is not an opinion, but rather facts. Then an Israeli writer claims after this that it was Hamas who backed off from the deal. Abu al-Walid said that the negotiations were set back because Israel rescinded its previous offer. However, Israel did not withdraw, and the German mediator is still trying. I do not know what Netanyahu's reasons for backing off and for manipulating the number of prisoners and deportees are, but I know that Hamas is not in a hurry at all, and can wait until it gets what it wants. However, what is more important than a hundred Shalit is Palestinian reconciliation. For this reason, I spent two hours with Khaled Mashaal talking about it, and found him focusing on the reconciliations. This made me hopeful of seeing positive results soon. [email protected]
