“The more involved the Americans get in the negotiations, the greater our differences with the Palestinians become.” That was what former Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz (Kadima Party) argued, following the failure of the Kerry initiative to reach a diplomatic arrangement.

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Mofaz estimated that there would be an effort to renew the negotiations in the next few months. If it is an American initiative, however, this will only increase the difficulties that the parties face. “I was still in uniform when I attended the Wye River Summit, which led to the Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron. Whenever the Americans were in the room and we had no direct access to the Palestinians, everyone spoke only to the Americans and as a result, became even more entrenched in their positions,” said Mofaz, the former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff. According to him, US involvement should include accompanying the talks and providing guarantees, but it is very important that the two parties speak directly to one another. In the last attempt, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas did not even meet. Now Mofaz is calling for the implementation of a plan he presented in November 2009. His proposal calls for the creation of a Palestinian state on 50% to 60% of the territory of the West Bank as first stage, followed by a second stage of negotiations in a set time frame to resolve core issues. Mofaz did not rule out talks with Hamas in his plan either.

Al-Monitor:  Did the negotiations ever have a chance?

Mofaz:  No, there was no way to reach an agreement in just nine months. Furthermore, Netanyahu didn’t want an agreement, and he wasn’t capable of reaching one either, personally or politically, considering his coalition. He had no plan at all. With him, political survival overrides any desire to bring about an agreement. Netanyahu set so many preconditions that they became an obstacle as soon as they were on the table. They were intended to cause the talks to fail. Recognition of Israel as a Jewish state should have happened at the signing of the agreement, and not as a condition to carry on the talks. The distance between us and the Palestinians only increased since the negotiations. The lack of trust and the unwillingness to reach an agreement are much greater now. Similarly, the government turned into a coalition of survivors. [Justice Minister Tzipi] Livni and [Finance Minister Yair] Lapid should have quit, but they stayed for political reasons of their own.