By: Shaul Arieli, Haaretz

27.07.09

Now that the parties to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have finally recognized reality and agree on the idea of two states for two peoples, the Obama administration has an obligation to illuminate the proper path for the two rivals - each of whom is convinced the ball is in the other's court.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who demands that the negotiations be continued from the point where they were stopped, is afraid Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to make him travel a "Via Dolorosa" that begins with the map of "vital interests" drawn up by Netanyahu 20 years ago - according to which the Palestinians will retain 40 percent of the West Bank. Netanyahu, for his part, has refused to restart the negotiations from a point that has already crossed his "red line." An American proposal that offers clear parameters for all the issues at hand could reduce the gaps and bring the two parties to effective negotiations, to be supported by existing and future processes.

In order to make proper use of the two years U.S. President Barack Obama has allocated to the process, we must begin with intensive negotiations over a proposal whose main points are the following: an exchange of up to 4.5 percent of land, at a 1:1 ratio, which enables 80 percent of the settlers to remain under Israeli sovereignty; the transfer of the Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem to Palestinian sovereignty; and the creation of a special regime in the Holy Basin in Jerusalem. On the matter of refugees there will be discussion of options including compensation options, returning them to the State of Palestine, having them remain in their current places of residence or be absorbed in a third country. The State of Palestine will be demilitarized, with no army or heavy weapons, and will have security forces designated to fight terror. 

The negotiations should be accompanied by four parallel processes: a graduated continuation of the construction of the Palestinian state according to the "Jenin Plan" model, with an emphasis on the formation of security forces with proven ability to enforce law and order; the evacuation of the illegal outposts, limited Israeli construction in the settlements, the removal of roadblocks and the implementation of approved Palestinian economic projects; steps toward "normalization" on the part of Arab countries vis-a-vis Israel, subject to progress in the negotiations; maintaining and strengthening the cease-fire in Gaza, while completing the deal to return captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, and the imposition of efficient supervision by the PA and international bodies at the border crossings.

These processes are meant to create the conditions and the atmosphere necessary for conducting successful negotiations, as well as to reduce the sensitive time lapse between the signing of the agreement and its implementation. The implementation will naturally depend on objective and subjective factors. The former include the time needed for drawing the new border, deploying the Israel Defense Forces, constructing the corridor between Gaza and the West Bank, preparing for the evacuation of some of the settlers and the establishment of two capital cities in the Jerusalem area, and more.

The subjective factors are designed to remove fears shared by both sides of partial implementation that will harm their interests. Israel will not transfer territory to Gaza in the context of the territorial exchange nor open the corridor between Gaza and the West Bank before there is total Palestinian control over both parts of the state; in addition, it will not transfer supervision at the international crossings or withdraw from the Jordan Valley before multinational forces are deployed there. On the other hand, the UN Relief and Works Agency will not stop taking care of the refugees before an international mechanism to address their needs is established.

In spite of the complexity of the problems, the lack of trust between the sides and dependence on regional factors such as Iran and Syria - the Quartet (the UN, the European Union, the Russian Federation and the United States) has an obligation to "concoct" suitable conditions in advance of the upcoming conference in Moscow, which is likely to serve as a significant milestone in promoting the process.