By David Singer —— Bio and Archives January 16, 2019
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"The challenge to a peace plan is making the case for a much more sober assessment of the realities in this region. The last time there was a meaningful agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians was 1993 [Ed--The Oslo Accords]. A lot has happened since 1993"Friedman's comments came during a joint media conference held in Jerusalem alongside US National Security Adviser John Bolton. Bolton had seen General Jim Mattis resign as Secretary of Defence in December. Since 2013 Mattis had strongly supported the two-state solution --the creation of an additional Arab state between Israel and Jordan--contemplated by both the Oslo Accords and President Bush's 2003 Roadmap, and unsuccessfully pushed for eight years by President Obama and his Secretaries for State--Hilary Clinton and John Kerry.
"I hope at some point the Administration recognizes and perhaps it is already quietly--that the two-state solution isn't going anywhere. If anything I would say to King Abdullah of Jordan--"Be prepared to reassert Jordanian sovereignty over part of the West Bank--negotiate with Israel". I think that's a far better outcome than the continued pursuit of a mythical--I believe--unattainable viable Palestinian state"Twelve months down the track Bolton's Jordan approach has seemingly prevailed - especially after Friedman's assertion last September:
"Since 1994, the United States has thrown more than $10 billion in humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. Without minimizing the importance of medical treatment and quality education for children--and we don't minimize that, not even for a minute--we found that these expenditures were bringing the region no closer to peace or stability, not even by a millimetre. To spend hard-earned taxpayer dollars to fund stipends to terrorists and their families, to expend funds to perpetuate rather than to mitigate refugee status, and to finance hate-filled textbooks--I ask you, how does that provide value to the United States or the region?Friedman's "wordsmithing and smoothing" comment indicates that Jordan and Egypt could be holding out for further American financial and security guarantees before agreeing to negotiate with Israel. Trump's legendary negotiating skills--and patience - are being seriously tested. Author's note: The cartoon--commissioned exclusively for this article--is by Yaakov Kirschen aka "Dry Bones"- one of Israel's foremost political and social commentators--whose cartoons have graced the columns of Israeli and international media publications for decades. His cartoons can be viewed at Drybonesblog
David Singer is an Australian Lawyer, a Foundation Member of the International Analyst Network and Convenor of Jordan is Palestine International—an organization calling for sovereignty of the West Bank and Gaza to be allocated between Israel and Jordan as the two successor States to the Mandate for Palestine. Previous articles written by him can be found at: jordanispalestine.blogspot.com