CAIRO: Arab countries will not sway the US and Israel towards negotiating with the newly formed Palestinian unity government, commented an expert on recent efforts by Jordan's King Abdullah to boost the peace process. "It's difficult for them to do so, Diaa Rashwan, analyst from Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies told The Daily Star Egypt, "especially considering how the US and Israel view Hamas. "I don't think that at the moment the US administration has a desire to throw its weight behind this process. It's caught up in Iraq, Afghanistan and now Iran. Therefore Israeli pressure on the US to not deal with Hamas will be successful as they themselves are not fully involved. King Abdullah II met Sunday in Cairo with President Mubarak to discuss the newly formed unity government between Fatah and Hamas in Palestine as part of Abdullah's four-nation trip to revive the peace process. Egyptian Presidential spokesman Suleiman Awad said that the meeting was an effort to create a "common Arab vision for the Arab summit Saudi Arabia plans to host in March. Awad added that the results of the summit are to be presented to the Quartet (US, EU, UN and Russia) in a meeting hosted by Egypt in April. Rashwan also said that Israel is loathe to negotiate with a government that involves Hamas. This would lend the Islamist group further legitimacy without meeting Israel's condition that Hamas recognize it. Rashwan also doubted that the Arab states have the leverage to convince Hamas to make such concessions. He said: "Hamas too want concessions before recognizing Israel, mainly concerning the right of return for Palestinian refugees and Israeli contrition for the suffering they have caused, as well as an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 borders. So I doubt the Arabs can pressure Hamas to accept Israeli demands when Israel itself is not offering anything. King Abdullah is heading to Saudi Arabia next, followed by the UK and finally the United States. The monarch is attempting to get the peace process back on track and to convince Western allies that the unity government be considered a partner for peace negotiations, something the West and Israel is balking at due to the involvement of Hamas, which is boycotted by the West and dubbed a terrorist organization. "It s not just ... the international players, but the Arab countries are also expecting the new Palestinian government to adhere to the policies that we have set out in the Quartet, Abdullah said in an interview with Israeli television's channel 2 on Saturday. But Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had said in a meeting with the foreign press in Jerusalem last Wednesday that Israel will not deal with a cabinet that includes Hamas. "I will not speak with Hamas, I will not speak with [leader Khaled] Meshaal, I will not speak with [Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail] Haniyeh, I will not speak with a government which does not accept the very right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state as it is, he said. Olmert also said "the agreement signed between Fatah and the Hamas does not promise any change in the basic position of the Palestinian government with regard to the basic principles of the Quartet, which are the guidelines for any future agreement. Political science professor at Cairo University Ahmed Thabet however, believes that this stipulation is merely a ploy to turn Fatah and Hamas against each other once again. He says Hamas is not required to recognize Israel as part of any negotiations as it has no bearing on the matter. "The Palestinians decided in the National Reconciliation Agreement of July 26 that all negotiations, which include recognition [of the state of Israel], with the Israeli side are the domain of the Presidential office that is controlled by Fatah, Thabet told The Daily Star Egypt. He added: "The government's role is an administrative one, so the national unity government is not required to recognize Israel. That is irrelevant.
