Diplomatic efforts had been accelerated toward the end of 2009 to resume the installed Israeli- Palestinian peace process, but peace would never be achieved in the Middle East without resolving the core conflict over Palestinian issue.
Those efforts created an atmosphere of cautious optimism over the possibility that 2010
is the year of "reaping the fruits" that would take the region towards peace, security and
stability, said analysts.
The last few days of 2009 saw successive diplomatic efforts and intensive contacts
declared and undeclared. Among these efforts was the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Cairo on Tuesday, preceded by the visit of Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman to Tel Aviv, the visit of Netanyahu's advisor to Washington and the visit of chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat to Cairo.
In addition to those efforts, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to visit
Cairo within days to coordinate with Egypt just before the visit of the Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit and Suleiman to Washington on Jan. 8 to coordinate with the American side.
All these moves coincided with reports that the U.S. envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell would pay a visit to Cairo in the coming few days with "letters of guarantee" for both sides to resume the negotiation process amid a talk about arrangements under way to resume the peace process.
It is expected that the visit of U.S. envoy to the region would carry guarantees for the
Palestinians and Israelis to resume the stalled peace process, said Dr. Emad Gad, Head of
Israeli Studies at Cairo-based Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.
The guarantees to the Palestinian side are to ensure the establishment of a Palestinian state
based on the borders of 1967 through a process of exchange of land and within two years,Gad told Xinhua, adding that the guarantees for the Israeli side are to ensure a Jewish state and the security of Israel.
Touching on the thorny issue of Jerusalem, which was described by both sides as a "red
line", Gad stressed that there is an international agreement that East Jerusalem would be the capital of a Palestinian state with exchange of three settlements which
Israel asks for, adding that the form and the boundaries of Jerusalem would be determined during the negotiation process.
Gad said that the Palestinian state would avoid being dissected, under the principle of
exchanging land, the basis upon which negotiations would be held, stressing
that the essential pillar to establish a Palestinian state is to have territories
linking Gaza Strip with the West Bank.
Regarding the Egyptian efforts to make peace in the region in 2009, Gad said, "Egypt has
continued its efforts significantly at both the national reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah movements to achieve Palestinian unity and at the level of reviving peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians and the restoration of Palestinian rights."
Earlier on Friday, a senior Palestinian official said that Egypt is exerting efforts to hold a summit meeting between Netanyahu and Abbas in Cairo.
Meanwhile, the Israelis and the Palestinians are intensifying the talks on the prisoner swap, which requires Hamas to release the captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for
a number of Palestinian and Arab prisoners.
Netanyahu's visit to Cairo on Tuesday comes within the framework of the so-called "final
account" of a deal to free Shalit, as it coincided with the visit of Hamas delegation to Egypt,said Dr. Fakhri Tahtawi, an analyst based in Cairo.
On reports that Egypt is building a steel wall on its borders with Gaza, Tahtawi said that
Abul Gheit said that building such constructions is not a tool to put pressure on Hamas as Egypt would not stop the constructions after reaching reconciliation agreement.
The Egyptian side, realizing the danger of a deadlocked political process and the freezing of the negotiations, exerted efforts actively by sending Suleiman to Tel Aviv for talks with
the Israeli side while Netanyahu's adviser was in Washington, said Dr Samir Ghattas, a Political analyst based in Cairo.
Ghattas said the United States believes that the current atmosphere suitable for the resumption of negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel through giving guarantees for both sides, as happened in Madrid conference, noting that political reports confirmed the
Israeli Prime Minister would accept such assurances from the United States.
Asked whether the U.S. administration has the tools to push Israel and the Palestinians to
resume the peace process, Ghattas replied that since the establishment of Israel, Washington
has the ability to put pressure at all times, even if there was a conflict of interests between
Israel and United State, the latter does not hesitate to put pressure.
Optimistically, Gad expressed his belief that 2010 would be the year of "reaping the
fruits" of the Egyptian efforts and other key players to make peace in the Middle East.