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Peace Process

Peretz will fast track PLO state


By Ryan Jones
December 12, 2005

When Israelis go to the polls in late March, two leading parties, Labor and Kadima, will offer them a nearly identical policy on the ?peace? process: Accelerated negotiations with the PLO leading to the birth of a Palestinian Arab state on ancient Jewish lands within four years.

The only difference between the two, according to speeches by Amir Peretz and Ariel Sharon, is that Peretz's Labor looks set to capitulate to nearly all ?Palestinian? demands in order to conclude a peace deal, while Sharon is prepared to unilaterally surrender the land if he is not met halfway by the Arabs.

Peretz's policies vis-a-vis the Israeli-Arab peace process have been somewhat of a mystery to many in Israel, as he has focused most of his career on social issues.

But in a meeting with 25 European Union ambassadors Saturday, the longtime labor union chief signaled he would take a path even further left than his Labor predecessors.

More than five years of a still ongoing ?Palestinian? terrorist war notwithstanding, Peretz said if he becomes prime minister, he will accelerate negotiations with the Palestinian Authority in a bid to conclude a final peace agreement within one year, with full implementation within four years.

He even openly stated his willingness to allow the PA to skip its Phase I Road Map commitment to disarm and dismantle anti-Israel ?Palestinian? terrorist organizations in order to stick to that timetable.

Only on the division of Jerusalem and the so-called ?right? to flood Israel with millions of Arab ?refugees? did Peretz say he would maintain the current red lines. If, as expected, the ?Palestinians? make both issues obstacles to reaching an agreement, however, it is believed Peretz will capitulate.

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