I salute the inter-Palestinian agreement reached yesterday in Mecca on the creation of a national unity government...

"The inclusion in this government's programme of respecting international resolutions and agreements signed by the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) constitutes a step in the right direction towards full adherence to the international community's demands."

That is a fairly cautious statement for Douste-Blazy, who is famous for having remarked that Iran is a force for stability in the Middle East.

The agreement is designed as an enabler, to eliminate the Western sanctions against the Palestinians, without really changing any policies. It is a masterful implementation of the disastrous concept, "creative ambiguity," which is another name for saying nothing. Therefore, it "allows Saudis to say" that the Palestinians support the Arab peace initiative. Conversely, it also "allows Hamas to say" that they do not agree to peace with Israel and will never agree to it. It allows the Palestinians to say that they "respect agreements" including the quartet roadmap, and it is supposed to allow the Quartet to say that the Palestinians are now in compliance. However, it will also allow the Palestinians to continue armed resistance. Everyone can say what they like. It is only what they do that matters.

The problem arises because from the beginning, Israel and the Quartet had incorrect criteria for the new government. It doesn't matter what they say, it matters what they do. Even if Hamas agrees to "commit" to past agreements, it is not necessarily meaningful. PLO signed the same agreements and is "commited" to them, but doesn't fullfil its obligations under those agreements. Despite repeated pledges of Fatah leaders to end violence, the Fatah Al-Aqsa brigade sent people to blow themselves up in Israel. Despite repeated agreements to unify security commands, they were never unified - not under Arafat, not under Abbas, and certainly not under the Hamas government. Despite repeated pledges to recognize the existence of Israel, PLO and Mr. Abbas still insist on full right of return for Palestinian refugees, which would mean the end of Israel as a Jewish state.

Support for the Palestinian Authority and the peace process should be based on actions, and not on words.

Note - sources for items cited in this article are given here.


Ami Isseroff