Obama makes Abbas & Bibi an offer they can't refuse
Planetary Movement Middle East Update 9/5/10
The terms of the rapidly developing agreement appear to be based on the long-established parameters predicated on the 1967 borders and the right of return for a still undisclosed number of Palestinian families displaced by the Arab-Israeli wars. An international force consisting of both Jewish and Non-Jewish as well as Muslim and Non-Muslim troops will be deployed on the West Bank to provide security for both nations: Israel and Palestine.
Contributing Editor Chuck Spinney: Looks like a cape job to me. No mention of settlements and w/o rollback of settlements, a contiguous Palestinian state is inconceivable. And what about the Israeli defensive barrier along lower Jordan River, an issue also related to water rights. Still have the issue of water and Israeli preemption of West Bank Aquifer. There is no way Israelis can back away from preemption, because 30% of their water budget comes from WB, and it is the highest quality water. Netanyahu as long history of scuppering the peace process toward a two state solution One possibility would be proposal for a single binational state of Israel and WB, but with Gaza handed off to Egyptians or UN. Of course the devil is in the details, and given the Israelis history it is hard to imagine a binational state with equal rights for all, which would include the Palestinian right of return (since Jews already have it). Best to wait and see.
