Weekly Commentary: By FM Livni's own standard a sovereign Palestinian state
is simply a non-starter

Dr. Aaron Lerner Date: 25 January, 2007

"[I]n the resolution of the Palestinian conflict we must first determine our
principles and then enact them into action - these are principles according
to which we act, and these are the principles we will safe guard in every
step we take.
.
[T]he conditions of the negotiations must be set in such a fashion that even
if the treaty is violated, the security of the state is not compromised;
-
.
"In every political process we decide to undergo, it is our duty to look
after the security of our citizens and to prevent the establishment of a
terrorist state alongside Israel."

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni Monday, Jan. 22, 2007 at the 7th Herzliya
Conference

Sounds reasonable.

In fact, sounds essential.

But FM Livni doesn't follow her own advice.

In the very same presentation she proclaimed that:

"[T]he existence of the state of Israel as a national state for the Jewish
people requires us to accept the principle of 'Two Lands for Two Peoples'."

That's right.

Livni takes as a matter of faith that there must be a Palestinian state.

And as a matter of faith, rather than logic, she refuses to subject her
"faith" to the kind of examination and standard that she outlined in her own
presentation.

Tzipi Livni is the foreign minister - not minister of sports or science.
She has a staff of experts in international law. Livni herself is an
attorney and should have no problem understanding their explanations.

And the issue they can explain to her is quite straightforward: once
formed, a sovereign Palestinian state retains its sovereignty even if it
utterly violates the agreement under which it came into being.

Yes. You can set to paper whatever your heart desires and have the most
beautiful photo-opportunity on the White House lawn with a signing ceremony
that you can fantasize will nark your place in the history books for
eternity - but once the Palestinians have an internationally recognized
sovereign state they can put that document to the torch and still be a
sovereign state.

A sovereign state with everything that goes with sovereignty.

Sure, Israel may try to impose an embargo. But the embargo only is
effective as long as third parties opt to honor it.

During the recent Lebanon war, Israel found itself announcing exceptions to
the embargo on Beirut's airport to avoid clashes with Arab countries that
decided to send in planes.

There's no telling what mess Israel would face in a similar situation in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"[T]he conditions of the negotiations must be set in such a fashion that
even if the treaty is violated, the security of the state is not
compromised."

It is easy to mouth the phrase "iron clad security arrangements" but anyone
who has followed the history of the region knows that there is no such thing
as "iron clad".

It simply isn't possible to either draft an agreement or develop a set of
international guarantees that can assure with a certainty that the security
of the State of Israel would not be compromised if the agreement is
violated.

By Tzipi Livni's own standard a sovereign Palestinian state is simply a
non-starter.

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(Mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-7255730
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
Website: http://www.imra.org.il