This commentary was published in the Arab News on 10/01/2011
One of the main sticking points to any Israel-Palestinian peace deal is the future of East Jerusalem, slated to be the capital of the new Palestinian state during previous peace negotiations.
However, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman insists Jerusalem will never again be divided. "It is clear that a real solution cannot involve a return to the situation that existed before 1967, when the city was divided by a wall, barbed wire and elite Jordanian snipers," he said.
In an attempt to alter the status quo, the Israelis have been illegally evicting Palestinians and knocking down their houses to make way for Jewish homes. Last week, Israeli bulldozers were sent to the Arab neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah to demolish a wing of the historic Shepherd Hotel that was once owned by the Mufti of Jerusalem Haj Amin Al-Hussaini, and was later grabbed by Israel and illegally sold to the Jewish-American millionaire "bingo king" who supports the settler movement. Adnan Husseini, a Palestinian-appointed mayor whose family says the hotel was stolen from them, has characterized the destruction as "an act of barbarism."
In its place will be homes for three Jewish families. The Israelis are scrambling to create a new reality on the ground to diminish the Palestinian case. Major illegal Jewish colonies on the West Bank, such as Ariel and Ma'ale Adumim have set a precedent as even though they breach legality, the Bush administration blessed their existence after the fact.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has criticized the bulldozing of the Shepherd Hotel as undermining "peace efforts to achieve the two-state solution," but, as usual, her condemnation lacks any real punch. On the other hand, the EU has come out strongly against all demolitions in East Jerusalem.
A report compiled by European diplomats in Jerusalem and Ramallah, forwarded to the EU's Political and Security Committee in Brussels, makes the following recommendations:
• East Jerusalem should be treated as the capital of any future Palestinian state.
• EU officials and diplomats should decline to visit Israeli government offices in East Jerusalem and refuse the protection of Israeli security details in the Old City and its environs.
• EU officials and diplomats should refrain from using Israeli businesses, such as hotels, care-hire companies etc., operating in East Jerusalem and should avoid visits to archaeological sites controlled by "pro-settler organizations".
• EU officials should be present at house demolitions and forced evacuations as well as court hearings on those issues.
• The EU should intervene when Palestinians are arrested for peace, cultural, political or social activities in East Jerusalem.
The report further recommends that "violent settlers in East Jerusalem" be refused entry into EU member states and suggests a EU boycott of Israeli products made in East Jerusalem. The report's authors would also like the Israeli authorities to agree to the reopening of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) office in East Jerusalem, in accordance with terms agreed in the road map.
The document states that Israel is deliberately trying to undermine the credibility of the Palestinian National Authority by accelerating its master blueprint for a Jewish East Jerusalem while Washington is making efforts to revive peace talks. "Israel's actions in and around Jerusalem constitute one of the most acute challenges to Israel-Palestinian peace-making," it affirms.
While EU diplomats should be congratulated on taking such a firm stance, even if the report's recommendation were adopted, they would be unlikely to sway the hard-line, nationalistic Netanyahu government. The only country with the clout to make a difference is the US.
But despite President Barack Obama's grandiose promises to facilitate peace early in his presidency, he has shied away from cracking the whip and from making a strong personal commitment to peace efforts in the way that Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton did before him.
Worse, there are indications that Obama intends to wield his country's UN Security Council veto to thwart the efforts of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abass to unilaterally declare an independent Palestinian state and gain UN recognition thereof.
In December, the House of Representatives unanimously approved a resolution introduced by the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Rep. Howard Berman, condemning any unilateral declaration and demanding that the Palestinians "cease all efforts at circumventing the negotiation process, including efforts to gain recognition of a Palestinian state from other nations." The resolution also calls upon foreign governments not to extend such recognition.
Almost 100 countries have already recognized a Palestinian state and during past weeks five Latin American nations — Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador and Chile — joined Venezuela and Costa Rica with the rest of South America expected to follow suit.
It's no wonder that the Palestinians have reached the end of their tether in their efforts to fulfill their rightful ambitions. They have tried militancy, as is the right of any occupied people, which hasn't worked. They have tried negotiations on numerous occasions that have failed due to Israeli intransigence and expansionism. They have turned to international law and the United Nations, which have let them down time and time again. Mahmoud Abbas has even followed the White House's bidding to relinquish violence and split from Hamas, but that has left him personally discredited among his own people and empty-handed.
What are the Palestinians required to do that will satisfy Israeli and US demands...Roll over and die? Or agree to a postage stamp-sized noncontiguous entity with no rights to its own-self protection?
When the entire world, including America's closest ally, the EU, can see what is right and just, the White House and Congress should feel ashamed of their unconditional support of the Jewish state in its oppression of four million Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. As long as US lawmakers continue bowing to the demands of the pro-Israel lobby and American presidents put personal popularity and the longevity of their careers before humanitarian ethics, international law and justice, peace in the Middle East will remain an unattainable dream.
The late Egyptian President Gamal Abdul Nasser once said, "What was taken by force can only be restored by force." In a world where the rule of law is applicable to all except "the Land of the Free" and its satellite Israel, sadly, he might be right.
However, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman insists Jerusalem will never again be divided. "It is clear that a real solution cannot involve a return to the situation that existed before 1967, when the city was divided by a wall, barbed wire and elite Jordanian snipers," he said.
In an attempt to alter the status quo, the Israelis have been illegally evicting Palestinians and knocking down their houses to make way for Jewish homes. Last week, Israeli bulldozers were sent to the Arab neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah to demolish a wing of the historic Shepherd Hotel that was once owned by the Mufti of Jerusalem Haj Amin Al-Hussaini, and was later grabbed by Israel and illegally sold to the Jewish-American millionaire "bingo king" who supports the settler movement. Adnan Husseini, a Palestinian-appointed mayor whose family says the hotel was stolen from them, has characterized the destruction as "an act of barbarism."
In its place will be homes for three Jewish families. The Israelis are scrambling to create a new reality on the ground to diminish the Palestinian case. Major illegal Jewish colonies on the West Bank, such as Ariel and Ma'ale Adumim have set a precedent as even though they breach legality, the Bush administration blessed their existence after the fact.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has criticized the bulldozing of the Shepherd Hotel as undermining "peace efforts to achieve the two-state solution," but, as usual, her condemnation lacks any real punch. On the other hand, the EU has come out strongly against all demolitions in East Jerusalem.
A report compiled by European diplomats in Jerusalem and Ramallah, forwarded to the EU's Political and Security Committee in Brussels, makes the following recommendations:
• East Jerusalem should be treated as the capital of any future Palestinian state.
• EU officials and diplomats should decline to visit Israeli government offices in East Jerusalem and refuse the protection of Israeli security details in the Old City and its environs.
• EU officials and diplomats should refrain from using Israeli businesses, such as hotels, care-hire companies etc., operating in East Jerusalem and should avoid visits to archaeological sites controlled by "pro-settler organizations".
• EU officials should be present at house demolitions and forced evacuations as well as court hearings on those issues.
• The EU should intervene when Palestinians are arrested for peace, cultural, political or social activities in East Jerusalem.
The report further recommends that "violent settlers in East Jerusalem" be refused entry into EU member states and suggests a EU boycott of Israeli products made in East Jerusalem. The report's authors would also like the Israeli authorities to agree to the reopening of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) office in East Jerusalem, in accordance with terms agreed in the road map.
The document states that Israel is deliberately trying to undermine the credibility of the Palestinian National Authority by accelerating its master blueprint for a Jewish East Jerusalem while Washington is making efforts to revive peace talks. "Israel's actions in and around Jerusalem constitute one of the most acute challenges to Israel-Palestinian peace-making," it affirms.
While EU diplomats should be congratulated on taking such a firm stance, even if the report's recommendation were adopted, they would be unlikely to sway the hard-line, nationalistic Netanyahu government. The only country with the clout to make a difference is the US.
But despite President Barack Obama's grandiose promises to facilitate peace early in his presidency, he has shied away from cracking the whip and from making a strong personal commitment to peace efforts in the way that Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton did before him.
Worse, there are indications that Obama intends to wield his country's UN Security Council veto to thwart the efforts of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abass to unilaterally declare an independent Palestinian state and gain UN recognition thereof.
In December, the House of Representatives unanimously approved a resolution introduced by the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Rep. Howard Berman, condemning any unilateral declaration and demanding that the Palestinians "cease all efforts at circumventing the negotiation process, including efforts to gain recognition of a Palestinian state from other nations." The resolution also calls upon foreign governments not to extend such recognition.
Almost 100 countries have already recognized a Palestinian state and during past weeks five Latin American nations — Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador and Chile — joined Venezuela and Costa Rica with the rest of South America expected to follow suit.
It's no wonder that the Palestinians have reached the end of their tether in their efforts to fulfill their rightful ambitions. They have tried militancy, as is the right of any occupied people, which hasn't worked. They have tried negotiations on numerous occasions that have failed due to Israeli intransigence and expansionism. They have turned to international law and the United Nations, which have let them down time and time again. Mahmoud Abbas has even followed the White House's bidding to relinquish violence and split from Hamas, but that has left him personally discredited among his own people and empty-handed.
What are the Palestinians required to do that will satisfy Israeli and US demands...Roll over and die? Or agree to a postage stamp-sized noncontiguous entity with no rights to its own-self protection?
When the entire world, including America's closest ally, the EU, can see what is right and just, the White House and Congress should feel ashamed of their unconditional support of the Jewish state in its oppression of four million Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. As long as US lawmakers continue bowing to the demands of the pro-Israel lobby and American presidents put personal popularity and the longevity of their careers before humanitarian ethics, international law and justice, peace in the Middle East will remain an unattainable dream.
The late Egyptian President Gamal Abdul Nasser once said, "What was taken by force can only be restored by force." In a world where the rule of law is applicable to all except "the Land of the Free" and its satellite Israel, sadly, he might be right.
No comments:
Post a Comment