By Syed Qamar Rizvi.
The ambitious French idea first suggested by Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius at the end of January of holding an international conference to kick-start the two-state solution process in Paris in July is alive and kicking. A senior Western diplomat in Jerusalem told Al-Monitor that the initiative to restart Israeli-Palestinian talks has been adopted by the new French Foreign Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius announced on January 29 that France will try to convene an international conference aiming to “bring about the two-state solution” to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Speaking in Paris at a conference of French diplomats, Fabius said that if the efforts to kick-start the negotiations reached a deadlock, Paris would recognize a Palestinian state, which was welcomed by the Palestinian presidency.
Taking note of the current impasse of the peace process, France calls for a change in the negotiation method. It promotes an increased role of the United Nations Security Council in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It promotes the Security Council’s endorsement of the parameters for resolving the conflict and a timeframe for ending negotiations.
France also calls for closer international support to encourage parties to conclude an agreement and a stronger involvement of Arab countries and Europeans alongside the United States. It stands ready to hold an international conference in this connection. It hopes that negotiations can be concluded in the near future.
The French initiative came after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the UN Security Council that Israel’s “provocative” expansion of the Jewish settlements in the West Bank raised questions about its commitment to a two-state solution.
Promise to recognise Palestinian state & the US response
In response to Fabius’ announcement, a senior US administration official said: “We are not going to speculate about the proposed Conference … The US position on this issue has been clear. We continue to believe that the preferred path to resolve this conflict is for the parties to reach an agreement on final status issues directly.”
The Middle East peace process has stalled because of differences over borders and settlements. There have been no serious moves to resume the peace talks between Israel and Palestinians.
If this last attempt at finding a solution hits a wall, “well … in this case, we need to face our responsibilities by recognising the Palestinian state,” Fabius said.
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Fabius added that France had a responsibility to try to keep up efforts to find a solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
The peace impediments
Analysts, however, eye three major obstacles faced by the French initiative.
“The first is the weak Palestinian position due to the internal division that started with Hamas movement in 2007,” said Hamada Fara’na, a political analyst from the West Bank.
“The second is the confused situation in the Arab world and the current conflicts and wars in the region, and the third is the international community’s involvement in the world’s economic crisis and fighting terrorism’’. Israel has rejected Fabius’ position. “Israel will not negotiate under threat,” Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said Jan. 30 in response to Fabius’ statement.
The senior Western diplomat noted that there is nothing to suggest that France’s new foreign minister has backed away from that stance. “France’s goal right now seems to be bringing all parties to Paris and to reach that goal. The French want to be sure not to antagonize any party,” he said.
The Israeli reaction
Israel has criticized the French initiative, saying it represents a motive to the Palestinians to reject the peace negotiations.
Israel Public Radio said it will be so difficult by this way to hold a negotiation process and consequently, “peace cannot be achieved.” It added that the United States has also expressed reservation towards the French declaration.
The United States, European Union and the United Nations have issued unusually stern criticism of Israel, provoking a sharp response from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and raising Palestinians’ hopes of steps against their neighbour.
France condemns settlement activities, which are illegal in international law
Israel settlement building in the territories of the future Palestinian State constitutes illegal appropriation of lands, which should be addressed in peace negotiations between the parties on the basis of the 1967 lines. Settlement activities threaten the viability of a two-state solution.
Concrete measures were taken at European level to address the acceleration of settlement activities. EU guidelines adopted in July 2013 do not allow any Israeli
entities with activities in settlements to be awarded European funds as from January 2014. Many Member States, including France, issued recommendations warning of the financial, legal and reputational risks related to pursing activities in settlements.
The French standing on the resolution
France considers that the conflict can only be resolved by the creation of an independent, viable and democratic Palestinian State living in peace and security alongside Israel.
The two-state solution is one that fulfils the national aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians. With this in mind, France has defined, with its European partners in a number of conclusions of the Foreign Affairs Council of ministers of the European Union since 2009, the parameters that should govern resolution of the conflict:
Borders based on the 1967 lines with equivalent land swaps; Security arrangements preserving the sovereignty of the Palestinian State and ensuring the security of Israel; A just, fair and agreed solution to the refugee problem; An arrangement making Jerusalem the capital of the two states.
The French thinking on Jerusalem
France considers that Jerusalem should become the capital of the two states, Israel and the future State of Palestine
Pending a negotiated settlement of the conflict and under internationally recognised resolutions, France does not recognise any sovereignty in Jerusalem. It calls for the easing of tensions and particularly respect of the status quo on holy sites. Any challenging to the status quo would pose a major threat to stability.
France works closely with Israeli and Palestinian governments to encourage them to resume negotiations and reach a final agreement ending all the claims. It calls on them to avoid any unilateral action and any incitement to violence that could jeopardise a two-state solution.
A measure under consideration by Europe is asking Israel to compensate the EU for projects in the West Bank damaged by Israeli settlement expansion. But while EU member states share a clear consensus against the Israeli settlement policies, there is a divergence of views as to the severity of the necessary boycott measures, with Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands being more lenient.
Conclusion
France has long called for the creation of a Palestinian State at the end of negotiations. A State for Palestinians is a right, repeatedly reaffirmed, and acknowledged in the partition plan of the mandated Palestine (1947). However
recognition of the State of Palestine must serve peace. That is why France defends the idea that this should happen within the framework of a comprehensive and definitive solution to the conflict, negotiated by the two parties. If negotiation is impossible, or if there are no conclusions, France will shoulder its responsibilities by recognising without delay the State of Palestine.
A major stumbling block to the conference has been the possibility of Israel refusing to attend over the French desire to recognize a Palestinian state if the talks fail, according to the former minister. Speaking to an annual gathering of French diplomats Jan. 29 about what France would do if it faced a wall of Israeli rejection, Fabius said, “Well, … in this case, we need to face our responsibilities by recognizing the Palestinian state
