| #2 By international law, an embassy only exists if one country offers an ambassador to another country, and they are accepted as such, which would represent official recognition of the Palestinian state by Israel. This would be unlikely, as it would confer no benefit to the Paleos. However, the way it appears to be set up, Abbas could claim the victory that "Jerusalem is the capitol of Palestine", even though that capitol is only one building, along with any other Arab properties the PA could obtain in Jerusalem, most likely through coercion--the forced sale by Israeli Arabs to the PA. Remember that Jerusalem is historically measured in inches, quite literally, with various religions and sects jealously guarding their inches. The advantage to the Israelis is that unlike the Ramallah compound for Arafat, they would have complete and utter control over Orient House, to include who goes in and out, its communications, and that no weapons be permitted on the grounds. They could also close it in a heartbeat if they wanted to. All told, this would end up creating five Paleo enclaves: the West Bank, controlled by Fatah, with the de facto capitol; the Gaza Strip, controlled by Hamas; the Lebanese camps, controlled by Hizbullah; the Jordanian camps, that are still fairly independent, preferring to be ruled by someone other than Paleos; and the de jure capitol in Jerusalem, where the PA could entertain diplomats and international sympathizers while under the protection of the Israelis. All told, there are plusses and minuses for both sides, but in balance, both sides profit far more than they lose. |