Comments on: In-Roads to Damascus http://blog.psaonline.org/2007/12/02/in-roads-to-damascus/ Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:45:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Matthew Rojansky http://blog.psaonline.org/2007/12/02/in-roads-to-damascus/comment-page-1/#comment-507961 Matthew Rojansky Mon, 03 Dec 2007 14:55:55 +0000 http://blog.psaonline.org/2007/12/02/in-roads-to-damascus/#comment-507961 Annapolis seems already to have born fruit for Abbas: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Israel-Palestinians.html?_r=1&oref=slogin" rel="nofollow">Israel released 429 Palestinian prisoners</a> in a gesture the Israeli government says is intended to create new realities on the ground, to strengthen its negotiating partner, the Palestinian authority led by Mahmoud Abbas. It's time for confidence building on both sides, but especially time for concessions from the parties with real power. Israel's latest action was a tremendous first step. Israel should add to it an explicit settlement building freeze (although a de facto freeze is already in place) and a timeline for withdrawal from all of the West Bank. The Arab states, for their part, should begin the process of establishing full and normal diplomatic relations with Israel. Such gestures could build the necessary confidence on both sides to withstand what many experts expect: a flare-up in violence fueled by Hamas and Hezbollah and funded by Iran. Annapolis seems already to have born fruit for Abbas:
Israel released 429 Palestinian prisoners in a gesture the Israeli government says is intended to create new realities on the ground, to strengthen its negotiating partner, the Palestinian authority led by Mahmoud Abbas.

It’s time for confidence building on both sides, but especially time for concessions from the parties with real power. Israel’s latest action was a tremendous first step. Israel should add to it an explicit settlement building freeze (although a de facto freeze is already in place) and a timeline for withdrawal from all of the West Bank. The Arab states, for their part, should begin the process of establishing full and normal diplomatic relations with Israel. Such gestures could build the necessary confidence on both sides to withstand what many experts expect: a flare-up in violence fueled by Hamas and Hezbollah and funded by Iran.

]]>