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Why Palestinians Must Regain Unity
This is the stated Israeli position, plain and simple. Palestinians know it and reject it, yet the world community, particularly the West, is not willing to listen and take notice of what the Palestinians are saying. The US and the EU do not just concur with the Israeli position, they market it. President Bush’s recent statement on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict proves the point. The Israeli position has been the same all along, regardless of which party or combination of parties was and is in power in Tel Aviv. The idea that Ehud Olmert’s government is weak and will not be able to take “difficult” decisions in favor of a just settlement is no more than a convenient excuse to make it easier for the West to swallow and justify Israel’s refusal to return to pre-1967 borders, and not to implement a mutually agreed upon solution for Palestinian refugees. As a matter of fact, the government of Prime Minister Olmert is one of the strongest in recent history in Israel. The coalition majority in the Israeli Knesset is very steady and stable, and, contrary to fabricated rumors and speculations in the Israeli media, Olmert does not face impending danger in office. The Labor Party’s threat to bolt the coalition government once the full Winograd report was released next August is not serious because Ehud Barak, chairman of the Labor Party and Israel’s defense minister, is not ready for new elections. More important, the United States will continue supporting Olmert as the prime minister of Israel. Israel’s strategic stance to realize its objectives vis-à-vis the Palestinian people are based on two corner stones: One, not to retreat from any substantial advancement it made on the ground in the occupied Palestinian territory; this applies in particular to its sustained and persistent efforts to Judaize Arab East Jerusalem, expand, and strengthen Jewish settlement blocks, build the separation wall, control water aquifers on the eastern mountain ridge in the West Bank, in addition to maintaining full control of the Jordan Valley. Two, Israel knows very well that in order to realize these objectives, it needs to weaken the Palestinians, keep them fragmented, and present them to the world as a people entertaining extreme ideologies, bent on destroying Israel, and subsequently unworthy of any sympathy and justice. The Israeli government needs to do all that while maintaining a semblance of normal life for its Jewish public, and to continue receiving full support from the West. Unfortunately Israel has so far succeeded in achieving much of its objectives. The Palestinian people under occupation in Gaza and the West Bank are weak, and fragmented. Helped by certain Palestinian actions and acquiescence, the West is always fearful for Israel’s security. Each and every Israeli aggression against the Palestinians is justified by Israeli and the Western media to the world as a response to Palestinian violence. As things stand now, the West takes it for granted that Jewish settlements in Arab East Jerusalem and settlement blocks in the West Bank need to remain part of Israel. Israel is also assured by the US and the West in general, that no Palestinian refugee will return to the “Jewish state.” Furthermore, a return to pre-1967 borders is no longer feasible. The eight-meter high concrete wall being built by Israel in Arab East Jerusalem and the West Bank for the purpose of delineating borders has made sure of that. To add insult to injury, Hamas mounted a coup in Gaza, and is waging a campaign against the Palestinian presidency and the government of Dr. Salam Fayyad. The policies of Hamas, under the circumstances, can only lead to a dead end, and more suffering for the Palestinian public. The salvation of the Palestinian people is a function of them remaining united under all circumstances, and therefore Hamas must reverse the actions it took in Gaza, recognize the legitimacy of President Abbas’ decrees and the Fayyad government. To face the formidable challenges imposed on the Palestinian people by Israel, its Jewish supporters and allies in the US, the Palestinian people must be strong. Palestinian strength stems from the justice of their cause, from abiding by international resolutions, from behaving in a rational and reasonable manner, and from being a positive factor in the new world order. The Palestinian people need the moral, material and political support of all their Arab and Muslim brethren, and from the world community at large. Regardless of any facts Israel build on the ground, and regardless of any support Israel receives from the West, it is certain that no peace will be achieved in the Middle East without a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian problem. Israel and the US are advised not to push the Palestinian president and his government too far. If anyone needs to be pushed, it is Israel. For the sake of us all, the West must pressure Israel to end its deadly games in Arab East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and to immediately engage the Palestinian peace team of Abbas and Fayyad in genuine peace talks that will lead to a just and lasting solution to the conflict, realizing in the process President Bush’s a two-state vision, and implementing the Arab peace initiative. |
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