Haaretz: “Israel-PA Relations have Never been So Good”

Aaron Keyak — September 9, 2009 – 12:23 pm | Israel Comments (0) Add a comment

With all the news coming out of the Middle East one of the more positive developments seems to have been overlooked. Amos Harel of Haaretz wrote that “Israel-PA relations have never been so good.” Take a look at Harel’s piece to read a telling anecdote about how far the relationship has come.

Here’s an excerpt:

In view of the calm, senior IDF officers have begun referring to the PA’s leadership - President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad - in terms never before heard from such highly placed Israelis. Even during the brief period of hope that followed the Oslo Accord, the attitude was not like this.

Abbas and Fayyad have completely ended the former Palestinian doublespeak about violence, lowered the level of anti-Israeli incitement and tightened control over their security forces. Moreover, there is now close cooperation among the IDF and the Shin Bet security service, the various Palestinian security organizations, and their American advisers.

All this does not mean the Palestinian leaders have ceased to be tough opponents in diplomatic negotiations: On that front, they are making no concessions. And the compliments about their behavior on the security front have bolstered their negotiating position in the international arena.

The most noteworthy change in the PA’s behavior has to do with the fight against Hamas. The PA got the point after the Islamist organization took over the Gaza Strip in June 2007. When Fatah emerged from its shock, senior PA officials recognized that if they wanted to prevent a repeat of Gaza in the West Bank, they must stop leaving the war to Israel.

First, they targeted Hamas’ charitable network and placed Fatah-affiliated imams in mosques. Then they arrested Hamas operatives en masse, killing those who resisted.

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