On the morning of Oct. 2, one day after a meeting in Washington between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama, the Americans were once again reacting to being taken by surprise by building plans for East Jerusalem. Reports of the plans emerged right before the two men were supposed to meet, at a very sensitive time. A White House spokesman used particularly harsh words to express the administration’s condemnation of the construction, stating that it was “poisoning the atmosphere.”
The US condemnation ended a very tough week for whatever was left of any hopes that the diplomatic process with the Palestinians would be revived. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s speech at the UN General Assembly, followed by Netanyahu’s speech before the same august body, dealt the final death knell to “peace talks.” The Palestinians announced that they would seek full recognition from the United Nations.
In theory, Benjamin Netanyahu should be worried about the political implications of the situation because the Hatnua Party, led by Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, has no real place in a right-wing government that has buried the peace process once and for all. In reality, however, Netanyahu has no reason to worry at al. Whatever his political problems, they won't be caused by the two people “bearing the banner of peace” in his government. Those two ministers from Hatnua, Livni and Minister for Environmental Protection Amir Peretz, continue to give the impression that they have no intention of abandoning their seats any time soon, as they have since negotiations broke down in April.
Livni and Peretz have spoken mighty highly of their historical role of advocating for the diplomatic process in the Netanyahu-Naftali Bennett government. They would remain ever vigilant, they said, and lead Netanyahu along the right path. After eighteen months of this partnership, however, they look more like collaborators working with one of the worst governments Israel has ever had in terms of relations with the United States and the diplomatic process with the Palestinians.
AL-MONITOR All-Access gives you unlimited access to all our journalism, the full Daily Briefing, exclusive interviews, premium newsletters, and live events — for less than $2/week.
