Clinton trying to plug holes in Obama's credibility

TEL-AVIV -- Israel is awaiting with great in­terest the results of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's discussions Monday with Arab foreign ministers in Marrakech, Morocco.

Clinton went to Morocco after her failure to convince Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to resume "without any further delay" his peace negotiations with Israel. Abbas insisted on Israel declaring a total freeze of its settlement activity in the West Bank as a pre-condition for resuming negotiations.

In a statement that had stunned the Palestinians and the Arab world, Clinton said that what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered in specifics of a restraint on his settlement policy "is unprecedented." She added that "there has never been such an offer from any Israeli government." Clinton did not reveal Netanyahu's proposal but she implied that, once negotiations begin, Netanyahu will repeat it to Abbas.

Sources close to the negotiations revealed that Netanyahu offered a nine-month moratorium on settlement activity in the West Bank, except for 3,000 housing units that have to be completed. Netanyahu is reported to have assured Clinton that since he became prime minister on March 31, no new settlements were built, no land was confiscated and there was practically an undeclared freeze on settlement activities.

Netanyahu is also reported to have explained to Clinton that Abbas is using the settlement issue to deflect attention from his inability to impose his leadership on his people and on the Gaza Strip. Abbas practically left his people with two rival governments. Abbas' behaviour also is explained by his desire to fight the perception among the Palestinians that he always yields to American demands.

Clinton's trip to Marrakech was motivated by another reason. After announcing his Middle East policy in his June address in Cairo, U.S. President Barack Obama made it clear that he wants to achieve an Israeli-Palestinian peace within the first term of his presidency.

In return for Israeli concessions on settlements, Obama sought some Arab gestures of normalization with Israel. So far, Obama has been unable to deliver.

Morocco is the only Arab country that allows the Israeli airline El-Al to fly over its airspace on direct flights to Argentina. The general Arab refusal exposed the limits of American clout in the region. Clinton was trying in Marrakech to reverse this perception.

Israel hopes that after Clinton's visit, Morocco and some Persian Gulf countries would restore relations with Israel to the pre-Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip.

Mauritania had an embassy in Israel; Morocco and Qatar had "interest sections" in Tel-Aviv. Israel believes that Persian Gulf states are very concerned about Iran's regional ambitions. Hence, Israel offers intelligence-sharing and co-operation in the fields of high-tech and water desalination. As part of Clinton's efforts, Israel hopes to establish direct telephone links, travel facilities and public encounters with officials and journalists.

For several years now, Israel has allowed Arab TV networks and newspapers to operate in Israel. It expects similar facilities for Israeli media.

Israel attaches great importance to Clinton's meeting in Marrakech.

The entire region was convinced that Obama's rhetoric would be followed by deeds. This did not happen. On the contrary. Obama's engagement approach was perceived as a weakness and was not reciprocated by the region's leaders. Hence, after Clinton's meeting in Marrakech, Obama should be able to decide what "adjustments" he would have to introduce to his Middle Eastern policy.

Samuel Segev is the Winnipeg Free Press Middle East correspondent.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 3, 2009 A13