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09/08/2010

The opening of the ninth peace process lasted 36 minutes, and as would be expected, there was much talk of peace: true, permanent, fair, comprehensive, lasting and secure peace. Benjamin Netanyahu alone uttered the word "peace" 28 times. That's a lot for a man, for whom, until now, one would not have thought peace was his favorite word. One member of the Israeli press corps whispered that Netanyahu could have been mistaken for a representative of the Meretz, the country's answer to the Green Party.

In the competition to claim the title of peace seeker-in-chief, the Israeli prime minister came out on top, leading Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (who mentioned the word "peace" 20 times), Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (18) and Jordan's King Abdullah II (11). The other three are veterans in the peace process -- with its steps forward and its many setbacks -- and, thus, claimed to be "cautiously optimistic."

Israel's 'Yes We Can'

The speech Netanyahu gave in Washington on Wednesday could have been an Israeli version of US President Barack Obama's "Yes, we can". He emulated Barack Obama's deep baritone, made skillful pauses and smiled into the cameras. "Every peace begins with leaders," he said. He then tried catching Abbas' eye, but he appeared to be too far away. "I didn't come here to find excuses or to make them," he said. "I came here to find solutions." Mubarak, resting his chin on his index finger, took a deep breath. And when Netanyahu said, "there are many reasons for skepticism," Obama bared his teeth and nodded. The Israeli leader then added, "But I have no doubt that peace is possible."

The four gathered in the White House, making statements in front of the world press corps, as if they were competing for the nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. Last year's winner stood behind them at an angle, like a teacher, listening attentively as his students recited their poems.

As harmonious as the Washington meetings may have seemed, however, there were still moments when the discord became apparent -- for example, when Mubarak demanded a freeze on all " settlement activities," which he described as "contrary to international law." Abbas was even clearer. "We call on the Israelis to carry out their obligations, including a freeze on settlement activities, which is not setting a precondition but a call to implement an agreed obligation."

Because no one else had addressed the issue and because he was the last speaker of the evening, Abbas sought to remind everyone just what the meeting was all about: Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, water rights, the release of prisoners and the borders of a Palestinian state.

'This Is Not Easy'

Each of the four came to Washington for a different reason. They all want something from Obama. Netanyahu was there to talk Obama into going to war with Iran, a step the president doesn't want to take. Abbas needs money for his Palestinian Authority. Jordan's King Abdullah II is afraid of the Islamists and, like Netanyahu, Iran. Finally, Hosni Mubarak brought his son with him to Washington and sought to introduce him as his successor.

The question is this: Can all of these competing individual interests combine into a new peace process?

"This is not easy," Obama said when his four pupils had finished. He patted Abbas on his back and then the group disappeared. The first episode of had been aired of "Peace Process of the Middle East," a soap opera that is scheduled to continue for the next year.

In the wake of the meeting, many questions remain. Is Benjamin Netanyahu really serious when he mentions "peace" 28 times? Is this really proof of the thesis that only an Israeli hardliner can bring about peace?

No one knows. Netanyahu's remarks even left the traveling Israeli press corps guessing. A TV reporter, who has been "maybe 40 times" with the Israeli prime minister to the White House, said, "I'm surprised by Bibi. He looked like he meant it." Another one said: "That was a radical speech."

Never before had an Israeli prime minister voiced so often that peace was possible, that he came with good intentions and that he was willing to do something -- even if it involved making difficult compromises.

That, indeed, was not to be expected from someone who, until a little more than a year ago had great difficulty bringing himself to utter the words "two-state solution" -- the cornerstone of the peace process for the past 17 years.

No Peace Plan in the Bag

On the other hand, never before had an Israeli prime minister opened a peace process without saying the word "Jerusalem." And that leaves one to wonder whether so much fuzziness is a good or bad thing?

Netanyahu has no peace plan in the bag, and in this matter he remains strict: There will be no concessions on the end of the moratorium on settlement construction, despite the fact that Abbas has threatened to break off negotiations if it isn't extended past its September expiration date. It is the oldest Israeli position: First you have to come together, and then, at the very end, one can discuss the major issues.

The leaders didn't shed much light on what they discussed in this first meeting in 20 months, and very little got leaked out to the press. That could mean a couple of things -- either that they are very serious, or that there isn't much to say. "Zero also is a value in mathematics," a member of Netanyahu's team said. The Israeli prime minister's spokesman then suggested one could write about how Netanyahu relaxes between discussions with a cigar, or how he slept the whole eight hours of his flight.

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• Part 1: Did a Mellower Netanyahu Debut in Washington?
• Part 2: The '90-Year Conflict'