Validity of Israeli-Palestinian proximity talks in doubt
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In the coming days the Middle East will host important visits by key international players as the United States hopes to get Israeli-Palestinian peace talks back on track.
The star-studded lineup includes US Vice President Joe Biden, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
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![Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a session of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem March 3, 2010. Netanyahu, who has called for direct talks but has not ruled out indirect negotiations as a first step, said after the Arab League move that conditions were improving for the start of so-called 'proximity talks'. [Xinhua photo]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20100305/001372a9a93f0cfaaf670a.jpg "Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a session of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem March 3, 2010. Netanyahu, who has called for direct talks but has not ruled out indirect negotiations as a first step, said after the Arab League move that conditions were improving for the start of so-called")
Before they cross the Mediterranean, US special envoy George Mitchell will make the journey this weekend. While the others will be in town to give their backing to renewed peace negotiations, it is up to Mitchell to enable that process to begin.
He received a major boost on Wednesday, when in a meeting Arab League foreign ministers gave their support to the American proposal to push ahead with indirect talks.
In the wake of that gathering in Cairo, both Israel and the Palestinians issued statements saying they would give proximity talks a chance to work.
Washington also lauded the Arab League vote of support. "This is positive. And as we've said for some time, we believe that negotiations should and ultimately will take place through a variety of channels," said State Department spokesman Phillip Crowley.
"Not real progress"
While the US is delighted that it received the backing to finally get the peace ball rolling once again, analysts are not convinced indirect or proximity talks are the best way forward.
Proximity talks involve the parties being physically near to one another but not in the same room. An intermediary shuttles from one room to another, passing messages until there is white smoke. At that point the sides agree to face-to-face meetings.
This system has been used in Cyprus and by Mitchell himself with considerable success in Northern Ireland after some initial hiccups.
However, as former Israeli Foreign Ministry Director General Alon Liel told Xinhua, in the case of the Israelis and the Palestinians, it would be an "embarrassing" exercise given that the negotiators from the two sides have known each other for years and in some cases are close friends.
It is a view shared by leading American analysts.
"This is a backward step. Why are proximity talks needed when the parties are already talking directly?" said Bill Rugh, a former American ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
"I am not sure it is all that consequential," said Nathan Brown, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University.
Such a practice was adopted decades ago when the Arabs refused to talk to the Israelis, said Rugh.
"It sounds to many people like another stalling tactic on the part of the Israelis. It is of no use to the Obama team," added Rugh, who is currently the Edward R. Murrow visiting professor of Public Diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
