A recent study says that Israel’s best diplomatic option is accepting the Arab peace initiative which requires a return to the borders of 1967.
A study recently published by the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya states that if Tel Aviv declares its acceptance of the Arab initiative, it will not only improve its image, but it will also promote its security and economic status, Ha’aretz reported on Tuesday.
The study led by Prof. Alex Mintz, described as a scholar in government decision-making, political psychology and foreign policy, reportedly examined the options according to six parameters that influence decision-making in the short and long term.
The factors in question include the security, demographic, economic and political-regional dimensions, Israeli-US relations and the diplomatic-image dimension.
The research notes that given the re-launch of direct talks with the Palestinian Authority and the ongoing stalemate in negotiations with Syria, accepting the Arab initiative is preferable to declaring a unilateral evacuation of settlements and moving residents to larger settlement blocs.
The researchers suggest that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must heed the initiative with the reservations that the Palestinian state be demilitarized, the Palestinian refugees return only to the Palestinian state or only a small number be allowed to live in Israel.
They also say that anti-Israeli resistance should be immediately halted and its infrastructure be dismantled, security arrangements be made and the large settlement blocs be preserved as part of a land swap.
The comprehensive Arab Peace Initiative was first proposed at the 2002 Arab League summit in Beirut by then Saudi Crown-Prince King Abdullah and re-endorsed at the Riyadh summit in 2007.
The initiative means normalizing relations between the Arab world and Israel, in exchange for a complete withdrawal from the occupied territories, including East al-Quds (Jerusalem), and a "just settlement" of the Palestinian refugee crisis based on UN resolutions.
(Press TV)
