The Palestine Papers reveal that Kadima's leaders refused to compromise on even the most basic issues.
Gregg Carlstrom
Al-Jazeera
"Tzipi Livni, Israel's main opposition leader, has sought in recent months to position herself and her Kadima party as the voice of moderation in Israeli politics - the "pro-peace" alternative to the country's current hard-right governing coalition.
She frequently accuses Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, of choosing short-term political expediency over a peace agreement with the Palestinian Authority (PA).
"When Netanyahu needs to choose between a coalition and peace, he prefers his political survival," she said in a December interview with Israel's Army Radio. "There is a political majority, a national consensus and a public majority for a [peace] agreement and Netanyahu's political decision indicates his intentions."
The PA embraces this view of Kadima as a "partner for peace”. Negotiators frequently express concern over how their actions might affect Kadima's standing in Israel's domestic politics. One senior PA official even says he would vote for Livni if he had the chance – a striking sentiment, even if intended as a joke.
However, the Palestine Papers reveal that Kadima's leadership took an extremely hard line during negotiations, refusing to compromise on even the most basic issues. Livni endorsed the transfer of Israeli Arab villages into a Palestinian state, the same plan endorsed by Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s current right-wing foreign minister. She refused any right of return for Palestinian refugees. And she dismissed Palestinian concerns about the territorial integrity of their future state.
Kadima's actions, in other words - particularly Livni's - offer little evidence to support the popular view of the party as a more flexible partner for the "peace process"......"
Gregg Carlstrom
Al-Jazeera
"Tzipi Livni, Israel's main opposition leader, has sought in recent months to position herself and her Kadima party as the voice of moderation in Israeli politics - the "pro-peace" alternative to the country's current hard-right governing coalition.
She frequently accuses Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, of choosing short-term political expediency over a peace agreement with the Palestinian Authority (PA).
"When Netanyahu needs to choose between a coalition and peace, he prefers his political survival," she said in a December interview with Israel's Army Radio. "There is a political majority, a national consensus and a public majority for a [peace] agreement and Netanyahu's political decision indicates his intentions."
The PA embraces this view of Kadima as a "partner for peace”. Negotiators frequently express concern over how their actions might affect Kadima's standing in Israel's domestic politics. One senior PA official even says he would vote for Livni if he had the chance – a striking sentiment, even if intended as a joke.
However, the Palestine Papers reveal that Kadima's leadership took an extremely hard line during negotiations, refusing to compromise on even the most basic issues. Livni endorsed the transfer of Israeli Arab villages into a Palestinian state, the same plan endorsed by Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s current right-wing foreign minister. She refused any right of return for Palestinian refugees. And she dismissed Palestinian concerns about the territorial integrity of their future state.
Kadima's actions, in other words - particularly Livni's - offer little evidence to support the popular view of the party as a more flexible partner for the "peace process"......"
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