A proposal from a columnist in the Daily Star in Beirut, Rami Khouri, to call Israel's bluff on the dormant peace process and raise the stakes.
We go to Geneva to directly negotiate final-status issues, starting with borders, refugees, Jerusalem, and mutual recognition and security. We will do this seriously for three months, after which the process will stop if no agreements or significant breakthroughs to final-status accords are reached.
Such a bold Arab response to the Netanyahu proposal would stop the silly legacy of Arabs constantly finding themselves in a weak position of responding to Israeli and American initiatives; reflect our commitment to negotiate a comprehensive and fair peace; and force the Israelis to reveal if they were interested in serious negotiations to end the conflict.
We should not respond to Netanyahu’s proposals with only another round of passive Arab rejectionism. We need to get out of the ambiguous biblical epics and move into the definitive world of poker. We should call and raise the Israeli bet, galvanize our peace proposal and reinvigorate Arab diplomacy, challenge the Israelis to negotiate seriously in Geneva on the basis of existing proposals and already negotiated principles that offer both sides their legitimate national rights, and nudge the Americans to be fair and decisive mediators.
This is an opportunity to smoke out the Israelis and Americans from their world of delay and deception, and to see once and for all if they wish to emerge from the mud pits and stand on solid ground of law, reciprocity and genuine peace and security anchored in mutual justice.
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