My Word: Dealing in dangerous deals

It would be a pleasant diversion – if it were pleasant. Here we are in Israel, in the middle of a war on several fronts, plus a wave of terrorism, cyber war, lawfare, and a massive disinformation campaign in both the traditional and social media, and what is making a comeback? Ehud Olmert’s peace plan. As if we haven’t suffered enough.

Olmert, for those who have forgotten him, was prime minister from 2006 to 2009. He took over from Ariel Sharon after Sharon was incapacitated with a stroke shortly after leading the Israeli disengagement from Gaza. That was the disengagement that brought the ever-increasing rocket attacks and the terrorist infrastructure that culminated in the October 7 mega-atrocity.

The start of Olmert’s term was marked by the Second Lebanon War when Hezbollah used tactics also employed by Hamas in Gaza – abductions, rockets, and psychological warfare. Olmert’s tenure ended shortly after the Winograd Commission found “very serious failings” over his handling of the war. Despite the Winograd findings, Olmert refused to step down as PM but later resigned as he became engulfed in corruption scandals for which he was eventually convicted and served time in prison.

Toward the end of his term in office, Olmert held talks with Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas in which the Israeli leader reportedly agreed to withdraw from most of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) and divide Jerusalem in return for a peace agreement based on a two-state solution along pre-1967 borders. However generous the offer was, it was not enough for Abbas, and he turned it down.

Yasser Arafat had similarly rejected then-prime minister Ehud Barak’s offers at Camp David in 2000, opting instead to launch the Second Intifada that resulted in the murder of more than 1,000 Israelis. And no Israeli above a certain age needs a reminder of the wave of terror that immediately followed the failed Oslo Accords in the 1990s. We still suffer from the nightmares, trauma, and loss of loved ones.

Now, Olmert is again negotiating with the Palestinians. Presumably, he wants to be known for something other than his non-political convictions. This is as much about Olmert’s comeback as a peace plan redux.

Nasser al-Kidwa

Olmert’s partner this time is former PA foreign minister Nasser al-Kidwa, whose claims to fame include being Arafat’s nephew and being the Palestinian official who, in 2004, launched the campaign against Israel in the International Court of Justice for building the security fence as a means of tackling terrorism.

The old-new deal is being promoted by self-described “political and social entrepreneur” Gershon Baskin. Baskin is probably best known for facilitating the Gilad Schalit deal in 2011, under which more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners were exchanged for the IDF soldier who had been abducted and held in Hamas captivity for five years. Among those released was Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the October 7 invasion, mass murder, and abductions.

So much for the credentials of the peace plan dream team.

The plan is similar to the one drawn up between Abbas and Olmert in 2008, although with greater attention to returning PA rule to Gaza – where it was overthrown by Hamas in 2007. The fact that neither Olmert nor Gaza native al-Kidwa have any official position – and very little support – is the least of the plan’s faults.

As Yuval Barnea reported in this paper last month, “The current agreement would see 4.4% of the total territory of the West Bank annexed by Israel, with some Israeli territory being swapped in its place... The swaps would include a corridor linking Gaza and the West Bank as part of the 4.4%. 

Council of Commissioners

“They voiced support for the plan President Biden presented at the UN Security Council, which called for the creation of a ‘Council of Commissioners’ to govern the Gaza Strip after an Israeli withdrawal. ‘This Council should be organically linked to the PA and, together, with the Council of Ministers, should prepare both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip for general elections within 24 to 36 months.’”

Since Abbas hasn’t held elections for nearly two decades for fear of a Hamas takeover, that’s a lot of preparation to cram into two to three years. And since Israel is the size of New Jersey, having a Palestinian corridor cutting across it will not improve its security.

So far, so bad. The plans for Jerusalem would turn the Holy City into an unholy mess. Jerusalem’s municipal boundaries include a little over 125 sq. km. (about 48 sq. miles). Under the proposal, “Israel will receive all of West Jerusalem plus any Jewish neighborhoods built after 1967; these will be included in the 4.4%. All Arab neighborhoods that were not part of Israel before 1967 will be part of Palestinian Jerusalem.”

The Olmert-al-Kidwa plan also calls for the involvement of no fewer than five countries in control of the redivided Israeli capital. If the two genuinely believe this could bring about long-lasting peace and stability, there might have been a secret ingredient added to the peace pipes they’ve been smoking.

Keep in mind that the Palestinian Authority can’t even unite factions in the West Bank, let alone reach an agreement with Hamas in Gaza. It is struggling for survival against the lethal combination of growing resentment of the regime’s corruption and growing Islamist fanaticism. These are the same circumstances that enabled Hamas to take over Gaza and throw PA officials from the rooftops in the first place.

In July, China brought together various Palestinian factions in an attempt to pave the way for “comprehensive national unity” in the so-called Beijing Declaration. At the end of February, Russia hosted an intra-Palestinian meeting under the auspices of Vladimir Putin’s government. Apparently, making peace among the Palestinians takes priority over ending the war with Ukraine, which Russia invaded in 2022. 

Above all, Iran continues to sponsor and fund terrorist organizations, including Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Houthis – uniting Sunni and Shi’ite factions in the joint aim of destroying Israel and America. With friends like China, Russia, and Iran, the Palestinians are not about to create world peace.

WHY AM I dedicating so many words to a plan that has no official standing  – or merit? Because it is a trial balloon; one containing hot air that could spark a fire. The idea is to push Israelis tired of the war, and the West enmeshed in its own socio-economic and political problems, to agree to something – anything – that would theoretically make the century-old problem disappear. 

Baskin noted on Facebook that European Union Vice President Josep Borrell mentioned the dialogue between Olmert and al-Kidwa in his address to the League of Arab States in Cairo on September 10.

Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz famously declared: “War is a mere continuation of policy by other means.” These peace plans are the continuation of the war in diplomatic disguise.

Olmert doesn’t represent anyone other than himself. He certainly doesn’t represent the best interests of Israelis. And he has absolutely no right – politically or morally – to give up Jerusalem, Judaism’s holiest city. He never did.

The Knesset in July passed a declaration against establishing a Palestinian state, saying it would present an existential threat to Israel and, if created now, would be perceived as rewarding terrorism and would strengthen Hamas, encouraging further massacres like October 7 and furthering Islamist jihadist control in the Middle East. The declaration won the support of 68 MKs, including members of the opposition.

Were a Palestinian state to be formed now, the biggest winner would be Iran. As Muslim Arab scholar Bassam Tawil noted on the Gatestone Institute website this week: “The Palestinians did not see the ‘disengagement’ as an indication that Israel wants peace. Instead, many Palestinians viewed the withdrawal as an Israeli display of weakness and retreat in the face of rockets and suicide bombings. The thinking among the Palestinians became, ‘Oh, it’s working! So let’s do it more!’

“In a similar way, Iran, Qatar, Hamas, and Hezbollah have been gaining more confidence from the current anti-government protests in Israel, especially since the Biden-Harris administration began pressing Israel to make concessions, but never Hamas, Hezbollah, Qatar, or Iran.”

It’s not by chance that Hamas videos of the Israeli hostages foster the political unrest in Israel and call for more demonstrations against the Netanyahu government.

The Middle East doesn’t need another “peace process.” It needs peace. And that requires genuine partners, not people who continue to incite, pray for, and pay for the destruction of the sovereign Jewish state.