http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/the-spoilers-1.304715

But if the Palestinians are sincere when they say their goal is a state alongside Israel and not Israel's destruction, Netanyahu, who psychologically has already crossed the ideological Rubicon, will meet them halfway.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke the truth: One reason for the Palestinians' refusal to begin direct talks is the meddling by various Israeli players ("and not from the right" ). But even without waiting for leaks from the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee subcommittee to which Netanyahu has promised to reveal the spoilers' names, one can easily identify individuals and organizations engaged in persuading the Palestinians to refuse the move to direct talks.

The world is with you, they tell the Palestinians, and the Israelis are worn out. Netanyahu has given you, gratis, the ultimate recognition that no previous Likud leader ever dared to grant: a declaration of your right to an independent state in the Land of Israel. Yet even the minuscule price the Americans asked of you - direct talks - you refused to pay.

When you continued to refuse, Netanyahu froze construction in the settlements. But even then you did not return to the negotiating table. And if you reaped two strategic achievements such as these while giving nothing in return, why should you hurry? This lemon can be squeezed again and again.

In contrast to the intentional spoilers, there are quite a few Israeli organizations that strive, with the best of intentions, to further an agreement with the Palestinians. Yet even though their intentions are good their actions only impede such an agreement. They toil, for instance, over drafting peace agreements, and the Palestinians reject every one of them. For experience has taught them that for every proposal they reject a new one will be put forth, offering even more concessions than the last.

Such proposals, such as receiving sovereign Israeli territory in exchange for the settlement blocs, have sunk roots into the Israeli consciousness. As a result, a return to the 1967 lines is no longer the end point of Israeli offers, but the starting point. And having obtained so much within so short a time, historically speaking, the Palestinians are convinced that they can wait another few decades.

But Netanyahu will not talk about this in the subcommittee session. Nor will he mention another reason for the Palestinians' refusal: the meddling of their brothers in Israel. They, being well aware of Israeli society's weakness, consistently demand - as they did on the eve of the Annapolis summit in 2007 - that their countrymen not recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

On the eve of that summit, George Bush announced that his speech would include a presidential declaration that Israel is a Jewish state and the national homeland of the Jewish people. His administration invested great effort in trying to persuade Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to accept this declaration. In response, representatives of various bodies that represent Israeli Arabs met in Nazareth and demanded that Abbas not consent to the declaration. A delegation headed by MK Ahmed Tibi even met with him to drive home the point.

Netanyahu will also not bare his heart to the committee regarding the problematic conduct of a certain very senior Israeli figure who frequently visits Washington. Initially these visits were for the purpose of strategic coordination, primarily on Iran. But in time the Americans took up this official (though Netanyahu could note that the dynamic was actually the reverse ) in order to boost their own policies vis-a-vis the Palestinians. This official's goal, in full coordination with the Americans, is to force the prime minister to follow the road laid out by the White House.

Netanyahu spoke the truth when he said he is willing to begin direct talks tomorrow. Granted, his stomach must churn when he repeats his commitment to two states for two peoples, and perhaps he is wagering on the Arabs' continued refusal. But if the Palestinians are sincere when they say their goal is a state alongside Israel and not Israel's destruction, Netanyahu, who psychologically has already crossed the ideological Rubicon, will meet them halfway. And he will bring most of Likud with him - an unprecedented strategic achievement for the Palestinians.

But they will continue to reject direct talks, and influential Israelis, Jews and Arabs alike, will continue to support them. And they know why.