Wikileaks and US Diplomatic cables

The one that got away

The current cache of US diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks has put the US govt. on a diplomatic marathon to mend any potential damages done with its allies. Its PR department has been working round the clock to divert attention from damning pieces in the leaks. The US govt. had even tried to prevent the site from uploading the cables by hacking their site.

Media Coverage

Saudi Arabia requesting to attack Iran, Iran and its nuclear programme, more doubts on Iran, Doubts in Mahmoud Abbas's leadership by the Israeli leaders, Germany's Chancellor Ms. Angela Merkel as "risk averse and rarely creative", Vladimir Putin as the "Alpha-dog" etc. These were the ones that the media chose to cover prominently.

In the current socio-political environment the current selection might be helpful in pushing forward certain agendas. For example, it may be helpful for Iran's detractors apply more pressure with the support of the Arab nations, not that they (Arab nations) have an opinion other than the ones dictated by the US. And then there is Israel, as always.

When there's Israel, the media prefers to turn a blind eye to its evil ways.

Negotiating Peace

Middle East peace quartet or The US peace envoy to the Middle East is not something new. Neither would be Israel's blatant violation of international law- building in occupied Palestinian territories, attack on a foreign soil and civilians, war crimes and so on. Or the way the media calls occupied territories in Palestine as 'settlements.'
But new to everyone out there would be Netanyahu's non-commitment to the peace negotiations- in writing. That too from the US. In a cable sent from Tel-Aviv detailing a meeting between Ackerman and Netanyahu,

Netanyahu said he would not agree to such a withdrawal since the 1967 lines were indefensible, but he added that the "right of return" was the real acid test of Arab intentions. Instead of Israel making more step-by-step concessions, Israel should insist that further concessions be linked to reciprocal steps toward peace

....
Netanyahu insisted not one refugee could ever return

....Netanyahu said UNSCR 242 was not a bad formula since it did not specify precisely from which territories Israel would withdraw.

The main issue that has been derailing the current 'peace talks' is the settlements and illegal constructions in Palestine by Israel. There has been partial construction freeze (s) which only prevented giving new permits during the freeze period, but allowed construction work on the ones already approved by the authorities concerned.

The above transcript sheds light on the current impasse over the Israel-Palestine negotiations. Netanyahu was never serious over the settlement issues; rather he is buying time and bullying Palestinians into expanding the territorial reach of Israel. He is wasting time to make sure that the existence of a Palestinian state will be a fraction of its former self by including terms like "security of its people" and "the right to self exist". From the onset, Israel has stated that it is entitled to any area it controls but is ready to make some "territorial concessions" that suits its needs and interests.

The ongoing peace process has been stalled over the same issue, over and over again, and Israel is not interested in giving back Palestinians their rightful, rather using it as a bargaining chip to pressurise Palestinians into giving up more, in the process legitimising their occupation.

Yasser Arafat had called the Oslo peace process "the peace of the brave" and the world around called it a moment in history. But we seemed to have missed the irony- 'The peace of the brave' was originally used by General de Gaulle about the end of the Algerian war. The French lost the war in Algeria.