Word: settlements
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Arafat's new tone is indeed remarkable. His achievement thus far--meeting America's conditions for negotiation--was a crucial first step toward settlement. Nevertheless, America set those preconditions so it could deal with the PLO; this was not a pledge to accommodate the PLO. A number of key issues justify skepticism in the PLO before anyone can embrace its proposal to comandeer a Palestinian state...
ARAFAT has never explicitly recognized Israel. His words dance around the United Nations resolutions that include recognition of Israel. Take, for example his Geneva proposal for "a comprehensive settlement...including the state of Palestine, Israel and other neighbors, within the framework of the international conference for peace in the Middle East on the basis of Resolutions 242 and 338 and so as to guarantee equality...and respect the right to exist in peace and security...
...Israeli port and massing troops along Israel's southern border, Syria shelling the northern border and both nations calling for war, Israel fought back. Israel won the West Bank and Gaza in that war and at the time indicated that it was eager to negotiate a peace settlement to give them back. The Arab leaders meeting at the time refused, charging "no peace with Israel, no negotiations with Israel...
...covenant and its record of terror are key stumbling blocks to believing that Arafat is committed to a peaceful settlement. The convenant is incompatible with the creation of a separate Palestinian state in the occupied territories, since it says, "Palestine with its boundaries that existed at the time of the British Mandate is an indivisible territorial unit." The covenant asserts "armed struggle is the only way to liberate Palestine...
...editor Henry Muller and chief of correspondents John Stacks, the Arab leaders each emphasized that the incoming Bush Administration should make the Middle East a top priority and must persuade (a polite word for "pressure") Israel's newly formed unity government to enter peace negotiations aimed at reaching a settlement fair to the Palestinians...