What price indirect talks?

Secretary of State Clinton says that indirect talks between Israel and the PA will begin next week. But Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat suggests that the talks are not a done deal. He says that “every effort is being made” to have the talks go forward, but the official decision will be made by the Arab foreign ministers and the PLO executive committee.
You have to believe that the fix is in with the Arab foreign ministers and that the talks, such as they are, will go forward. The key fact here, as I have argued, is not so much that the there will be non-talk talks between Israel and the PA, but that the Arab states are in control of the process.
That, I imagine, is fine with the Obama administration. You can only wonder what promises it made the Arab states in exchange for permitting the talks in order to save Washington’s face and preserve the illusion of a peace process.

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