The top negotiator for the Palestinian Authority, Ahmed Qureia (Abu Ala), warned on Sunday that the region would suffer greatly in the event that the upcoming Annapolis peace conference failed.Oh, he can predict precisely what will happen all right - if past history is any guide, Fatah is planning the newest intifada phase right now in anticipation of a summit that doesn't accede to all of their demands, just as they did in 2000.
"If the summit fails – frustration will win out over everything else and it will have a negative affect on the region. I cannot predict exactly what will happen, but it may lead to more wars.
"I warn now against failure there, which will open the door for extremists and extremism – and that door will be very difficult to close," said Qureia at a conference held by Meretz activists.
Notice also the usual Arab subtext that they cannot control their "street." This excuse has been used for decades, but for some reason they manage to control their people quite fine - and brutally - when they go against the wishes of whatever regime they are in. It is only when they want to do something that the Arab regimes agree with that they turn into such a "threat."
I have previously described this as "the diplomacy of fear," a well-used part of the Arab negotiating lexicon. It is quite effective so there is no reason for Arabs and Muslims to stop using it.