Preparing well for a crucial issue

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh Sunday met with France’s Middle East envoy Pierre Vimont to discuss ways to revive the stalled peace talks on the Palestinian situation.

The meeting took place at a time the “peace process” — the never-ending mechanism through which Israel buys time and carries out unimpeded its designs on Palestinian land — is rarely, if at all, mentioned.

The wars and destruction in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya, whose repercussions are felt well beyond the region, offer the best excuse to the international community to turn a blind eye to Israel’s increasingly racist and damaging policy.

France is preparing for an international conference on the Palestinian situation, scheduled to be held in Paris before the end of this year, hoping to revive the moribund talks. 

As Judeh emphasised to the French envoy, the “Palestinian cause is the core issue in the region” and the two-state solution, which would enable the Palestinians to establish their own independent state in the West Bank with East Jerusalem as its capital, remains the only viable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Still, wishing to hold an international conference on the Palestinian issue before the end of this year appears too ambitious and may not be viable or realistic, with the holiday season just around the corner.

The Middle East peace process has waited all this time; it can wait for an additional month or two if that assures the highest level of attendance and allows time for thorough preparations for a conference.

As our minister explained, there is pressing need for the creation of the right environment for holding a successful peace conference.

There is no denying that now the region and much of the rest of the world have Syria and Iraq, as well as with the Yemeni crisis, uppermost on their minds, so it might not be the best time to turn the attention to the conflict in Palestine at this point in time.

Not to forget that a new US president will occupy the White House come February, and it is important to see which direction he will take.

The US role in any meaningful peace conference is certainly pivotal, but so far, little is known about the position of the new American president on the Palestinian question.

Convening a peace conference in the spring next year might hold more promise than a hasty conference in the little time left before the year ends.

It should be well prepared and yield tangible results, for, it is time to end the illegitimate Israeli occupation in this 21st century.