U.S. President Barack Obama announced, immediately after meeting the Jordanian monarch King Abdullah II, that talking would not continue forever, and that practical steps must be taken to overcome the political strife.
He also stressed that the Arab peace initiative was both positive and constructive.
These comments reflect reality, since negotiations are still rotating in a vicious circle, as they have been for many years.
Israel has even carried out measures that could undermine the principles and essences of peace during the entire time of negotiations.
That behavior was used as a cover for these measures, especially after the formation of the new extremist Israeli government which publicly rejects the two-state solution.
King Abdullah does not speak in Washington on behalf of Jordan only, but also expresses the views of Arab countries which authorized him to convey a clear message to the nascent American administration about the Arab peace initiative and the position with regard to the Netanyahu government, immediately after foreign Arab ministers met in Amman prior to the King‘s trip to America.
The American Administration seemingly moved a step forward when it confirmed its commitment to the two-state solution when it stated that negotiations could not continue without ever reaching any conclusion.
In that context, Washington announced that President Obama had sent invitations to President Mahmoud ‘Abbas, and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, together with Netanyahu to visit Washington and hold separate talks focused on the peace process.
We hope that such negotiations might take place as soon as possible. The region should not waste more of the precious time.
All aspects of the Palestinian-Israeli negotiation process have reached a standstill as a result of the Israeli official positions. The region entered a crucial phase, or rather “the brink of an abyss”- to quote Mr. Obama‘s words. This situation should not be allowed to continue, for its continuation would be a recipe for an overall explosion, unless serious efforts are exerted to avert these dangers.
Firm actions should be taken against those who place hurdles in the path of the desired peaceful solution.
Obama has discovered for himself the cause of the problem, confirmed the U.S. commitment to the two-state solution and rejected an endless talking process.
What is required now is to transform these statements into deeds on the ground for the benefit of all the people suffering in the region – most of all the Palestinian people.
Should Obama be interested in improving his ties with the Muslim World, as he frequently declares, then he must recognize that the key for such improvement lies in reaching a solution to the Palestinian cause.
Without that solution, all attempts and good intentions would be useless, and would fall on deaf ears.
Moreover, Israel, led by Netanyahu and his team, would certainly make a grave and destructive mistake if it thinks it can ignore all the Palestinian national rights. Israel should not play on words to implement its unilateral policies, especially when it practices an unprecedented policy of Judaization and displacement in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as if it is in a race against time to create facts on the ground that could not be reversed in any future potential deals.
This is the hour of truth for the new American Administration. Obama has pledged to implement a policy of change, which was his slogan during his campaign. Either these statements be combined with deeds, or he would follow the suit of other politicians who heaped promises before leaving their offices, then they left and their promises evaporated with them. What still remains in the memory of the region are the bitter realities, and the lack of confidence in declarations and verbal positions.
Ibrahim Deibes is a veteran Palestinian journalist. This editorial first appeared in Al-Quds.