By Salama A Salama Since Ehud Olmert and his party won the elections, Arab politicians have been trying to get on the Israeli prime minister's good side. Perhaps Olmert would give us some insight into his future policy regarding the Palestinians. Perhaps Olmert would revive the so-called peace process. Or has he made up his mind to implement Sharon's policy of disengagement? Would he draw up Israel's borders unilaterally? Would he do so even without waiting for the consent of Palestinian and Arab parties? For the time being, Olmert is too busy preparing for talks in Washington on 21 May to talk to us. In all likelihood, Olmert is seeking US approval of his plan, of his scheme to carve out substantial chunks of the West Bank. Olmert apparently wants to dismantle minor settlements and incorporate major ones within the new borders of Israel, behind the Great Wall of Israel, so to speak. According to the new scheme, Jerusalem would be divided, with Israel maintaining control of Jewish parts and disputed religious sites. The Palestinians would be given the Arab neighbourhoods, but only according to special arrangements that would keep the city under Israeli sovereignty. In his acceptance speech at the Knesset, Olmert said that Israel's final borders would be drawn up by 2010. Olmert's position is that a Hamas-led Palestinian government is not a viable peace partner. The Americans agree, and the Europeans are toeing the US line, as usual. The EU has discontinued assistance to the Hamas government, practically strangulating the Palestinians in the hope of making them submit to Israel's demands. Arab reluctance to provide humanitarian aid and donations to the Palestinians is the worst part. The US has threatened to place any banks transferring funds to the Palestinian Authority on the list of supporters of terror. Mahmoud Abbas has toured various countries but failed to resolve the problem. The Palestinian president is now in the same place Arafat used to be, before he was poisoned. Meanwhile, the Palestinians remain bitterly divided, with Fatah and Hamas bickering, Abbas and Ismail Haniyeh in disagreement, gangs seeking power at any cost, and a doctrinal movement in government refusing to give way. Hopes are fading for all Palestinian factions to come together, as are hopes of a government of national unity seeing the light. Israel is about to achieve its goals. Israel has persuaded everyone that it has no partner for peace. Israel is not going to negotiate with Abbas, irrespective of whether Hamas is in or out of government. At most, Israel may ask Abbas to sign a document recognising its unilateral plans. As things stand, Olmert is unlikely to have any trouble getting America's endorsement. Washington, after all, has been trying to weaken Abbas and deprive him of moral or political backing. Abbas received nothing from Sharon but false promises. Abbas couldn't deliver any tangible results to his people, neither with the help of the roadmap nor the Quartet. Israel made its intentions clear to the world the moment Hamas won the elections. Sharon's plan, which started with the Gaza pullout, was only a taste of things to come. The Quartet meeting -- due to be held in New York with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia in attendance -- is at best a formality. Anything you will hear about the roadmap is likely to be little more than lip service; a ruse meant to give Israel time and delude the Arabs and Palestinians. With Hamas in a fix, with democracy uprooted, and with Israel getting its way, what exactly is left for Al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden and Abu Musaab Al-Zarqawi to accomplish?
