Jordan’s man: ‘Time is running out’ - The Jewish Chronicle

A two-state solution can only be possible if Jerusalem pursues a rapid, comprehensive peace deal with all its Arab adversaries, according to Jordan’s former top man in negotiations with Israel.

“When the time comes for an agreement, it will have to be comprehensive,” Marwan Muasher, Jordan’s first ambassador to Israel, told the JC. The previous failure of an incremental peace process meant that a deal could only work if concluded in a matter of months. “A year is too long in today’s Middle East,” he said.

Mr Muasher, who served as foreign minister between 2002 and 2004, before becoming deputy prime minister, said that only multilateral peace would diminish radical threats in the Middle East — including that from Iran’s nuclear programme.

While there were aspects of genuine concern, he claimed that the focus on Tehran’s regional threat was an attempt by Israel to draw attention away from the Palestinian issue. “But there is nothing you can do to hurt the moderates more than to ignore the conflict.”

Mr Muasher, now senior vice-president of external affairs at the World Bank, continued: “My belief is that only a comprehensive peace agreement is going to diminish any threat from radical forces. The Iranian government has said many times that they are not against an agreement between the Arabs and Israel. If the Arab world signs it, if hardliners and moderates sign it, there will be no space for Iran. The role of any radical forces will be minimised. Hamas has already stated it is ready to live with an agreement. Hizbollah itself has said it will disarm once the occupation ends. It is as much an Arab internal affair as it is about Israel.”

While the Arab world was still in dire need of economic, political and social reform, Mr Muasher said he had identified a clear, moderate bloc on the issue of Israel-Palestinian peace, a thesis he puts forward in The Arab Centre (Yale University Press).

Their willingness for peace was demonstrated, he said, by proposals such as the 2002 Arab League Initiative, which offers normalisation in return for a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders and a solution to the refugee issue.

Elsewhere, however, there was a severe lack of progress on issues such as good governance, female empowerment, a free press and respect for human rights.

Arab states need to “commit to cultural and political diversity, enshrined in a constitution. It’s a long process, but I am a firm believer that we need to start. The continuation of the closed system strengthens the radicals.”

The former ambassador to Washington also warned that the chances of peace under an Israeli administration led by Binyamin Netanyahu — currently topping polls as contender to be the next prime minister -— were slim.

“Today, many Israelis understand the importance of a two-state solution. I can’t say that Binyamin Netanyahu is one of them. He was someone who ran on an anti-peace platform and violated aspects of our own agreements. He has not been a trusted player.”

But, he continued: “If Mr Netanyahu does not face the facts he will have to face the radicals. I hope that if he comes he will support [the process] but his history is not a hopeful one.”