Mutual Mistrust???

Submitted by Ali Baba (United States), Mar 29, 2013 at 16:02

Dr Pipes, I am curious as to your opinion on a very recent article published in The New Republic I believe it was, by a Ben Birbaum.

Firstly, the article seemed to be very objective and written from a neutral and unbiased point of view.

Birbaum writes that the best deal offered to the Palestinians was not, as is popularly held, the Camp David offer by Ehud Barack in 2000, but an offer made by Olmert to Abbas in 2008. This offer was so good, that according to Birbaum Abbas told Olmert it was a "very serious offer" and Olmert replied by saying that such an offer would never be proposed by another Israeli leader again.

Birbaum states that Abbas did not accept the offer, not because he didn't think it was enough, but because he didn't believe that Olmert could deliver due to his impending legal troubles. Additionally, Tzipi Livni had urged Abbas to forego the Olmert deal, and to deal with her when she took over Kadima.

Thus it seems harsh, from an objective standpoint, to blame either or only one side for a failure to reach a peace deal.

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