DIRECT peace talks between Palestine and Israel have started in Washington amidst clashes between the extremist Palestinians and Israelis, who are hell bent on fomenting trouble in the region. The extremists do this because they have no control over their decisions and they lack solutions to the pending issues.

When Hamas killed four Israelis on the first day of negotiations, it was an obvious execution of the Iranian wish rather than the alleged resistance. They did this to represent the voice of their Tehran masters on the West Bank streets. This action is similar to the statement issued by Jewish Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who wished that God eliminates the Palestinians. The two sides have been trying to thwart peace efforts, which are essential to Palestine, Arabs and the whole world at a time when alternative solutions have been blocked.

Arab nations, including Palestine, find it impossible to balance power and they have been weak for several decades. Arabs and Palestinians have been wasting their energy on factional conflicts, the last of which was the division between Hamas and the central authority. Hamas has been delaying dialogue with the government to hold Gaza for the Iranian masters. This was another opportunity for Israel to perpetrate atrocities against Palestinians and the Arabs.

Hamas and other ‘trumpets’ of Iran in the Middle East have failed to realize that whoever follows the closed tunnel policy cannot last long, because it only leads to wastage of national rights. Palestinians have not been able to unite to block the wind of regional ‘discipleship’ at various occasions.
The best example is the Iranian National Assembly speaker’s recent statement - a clear interference in internal affairs of Palestine and Lebanon through Hezbollah and Hamas. They have set several Arab countries on fire, while Iran remains far from facing reality by violating international regulations and implementing its expansionist program.  

The noise created by extremists cannot override that of the moderates, so the negotiations should take the right course. This is necessary to expose Israel to the entire world for it to be realistic in handling Arab issues. The United Nations (UN) must understand that the Arab peace initiative is not an experimental balloon but a strategic option for the Arabs to deal with the misdeeds of Israel.
Israel has always been impeding efforts to solve the problems of Palestine and get rid of violence in the region. The interests of Iran and Israel seem to intertwine at this point. For instance, Israel continues to construct settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, while Iran provokes tension in the Arabian Gulf, delays the formation of the cabinet in Lebanon and prevents the people of Gaza from choosing the most realistic option to escape sanctions.

The noise created by extremists will not subside and they will continue to thwart peace efforts. This is a historical challenge being faced by the regional power. They either fall victim to undue violence or continue to push for real peace for the Palestinians to reclaim their full rights.

Email: ahmed@aljarallah.com