There is little hope that the pro-PA camp, as exemplified in the current political structure, can truly defeat the ‘Deal of the Century’.
A negotiated solution to the ‘Palestinian-Israeli conflict’, at least the way envisaged by successive US administrations, has failed. Now, Palestinians and their allies would have to explore a whole new path of liberation that does not go through Washington.
It is easy to place all the blame on the current US administration, setting apart dodgy characters such as the President’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as the man who has single-handedly diminished any real chances for a just peace in Palestine and Israel.
The truth, however, greatly differs from conveniently molded assumptions. The US-championed ‘peace process’ has been in a hiatus since the last negotiations in 2014. For years prior to the announcement of Donald Trump’s ‘Middle East Plan’ on January 28, Israel did everything in its power to ensure Palestinians can never have a state of their own. Not only did Israeli officials openly speak of their desire to illegally annex much of the occupied territories, but the Israeli government has taken numerous steps to ensure the constant expansion of illegal Jewish settlements.
One would have to be politically naive and morally blind to assume that the Israeli government, at any point in the past, had an iota of interest in a just peace that would guarantee the Palestinian people a minimum amount of dignity, freedom and justice.
Yet, everyone has played along: Israel complained that it has no peace partner while simultaneously entrenching its military occupation and expanding its colonial regime; the Palestinian Authority (PA) of President Mahmoud Abbas ceaselessly waved empty threats, which ultimately amounted to nothing; the Americans urged both parties to return to ‘unconditional negotiations’, all the while funding, to the amount of $3.8 billion, the Israeli military and economy; the United Nations and the European Union followed a predictable political script that was seen as more ‘moderate’ than that of Washington, yet failed to take a single meaningful action to discourage Israel from further violations of international law.
Meanwhile, the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), who are arguably Palestine’s more solid and consistent allies, remained marginal and, by far, the least relevant of all parties. Their occasional statements in support of Palestinians and condemnation of the Israeli occupation became so predictable and ineffectual. Aside from Abbas and his Authority, ordinary Palestinians saw no value in verbal support that hardly ever translated into tangible action.
Somehow, this skewed paradigm sustained itself for many years, partly because it suited everyone except the Palestinian people, of course, whose subjugation and humiliation by Israel carried on unhindered.
Presently, there are two different currents fighting to define the situation in Palestine in the post-‘Deal of the Century’ era.
First, Israel and the United States, who are keen to translate the ‘Middle East plan’ into rapid and irreversible action. They are eager to annex the illegal settlements of the West Bank and the Jordan Valley (approximately 30% of the total size of the West Bank). Moreover, Washington would like to see its diligent, clandestine efforts aimed at normalization between Arabs and Israel translate into actual agreements and, eventually, full diplomatic ties.
Second, the Palestinian Authority, the EU, the UN, the Arab League and the OIC, want the ‘Deal of the Century’ defeated, but they have no alternative path to follow. They insist on respect for international law and remain die-hard supporters of the unfeasible two-state paradigm, but they have no actual strategy, let alone an enforcement mechanism to make that happen.
The pro-PA camp reeks with contradictions, that are no less obvious than that of Abbas’ Authority, which speaks of ‘popular resistance’ while, jointly with Israel, is suppressing any attempt aimed at challenging the Israeli occupation.
A perfect example of the contradictions in this camp is that only two days after the Arab League issued its statement rejecting the ‘Deal of the Century’, the head of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, met with right-wing Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in Uganda. Burhan is hoping to swap normalization with Israel for Washington’s favors.
Another example is reflected in the behavior of Abbas himself, who, on February 1, declared that he would sever all contacts with Israel, including the so-called security coordination, a main pillar in the Oslo agreement, which practically employs PA security forces in the service of the Israeli occupation.
This is not the first time that Abbas has resorted to this lifeline, but he has never gone through with his promises. We have no reason to believe that this time is any different.
There is little hope that the pro-PA camp, as exemplified in the current political structure, can truly defeat the ‘Deal of the Century’.
The final statements resulting from the Arab League summit in Cairo and the OIC summit in Jeddah on February 1 and 3 respectively, is a repeat of numerous past conferences, where promises were made and condemnations were leveled, with no follow-up nor any action.
If Arabs and Muslims are, indeed, sincere in their desire to confront US-Israeli plotting, they ought to go beyond this stifling pattern of impractical politics. It is not enough to reject Washington’s stratagem and to denounce Israeli action. They ought to muster enough courage to turn their statements into an actual, unified strategy, and their strategy into action, using all means at their disposal.
Arab countries enjoy massive economic and political leverage in Washington and throughout the world. What’s the value of all of this leverage if not used in defense of Palestine and her people?
Washington and Tel Aviv are counting on the fact that anger at the ‘Deal of the Century’ among Arabs and Muslims will eventually peter out, exactly as happened after Trump recognized all of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, moving his country’s embassy there in May 2018.
If Arabs and Muslims fail Palestine again, then, once more, the Palestinian people will find themselves alone in this desperate fight, which they have no other alternative but to undergo. And when Palestinians rise, as they surely will, their uprising will challenge not just Israel but the entire regional and international apparatus that allowed the Israeli occupation to go unchallenged for so many years.
What Israel refuses to acknowledge is that after a century long struggle, the Palestinians have already won the information war. Growing up in America, the battles fought between the Palestinians and Jews in the region were reduced to black and white photographs of people throwing stones accross borders in many instances. The Zionists controlled the narrative in America, for the most part. The majority of Americans have personally known Zionists, but the majority of Americans have not personally known Palestinians, which gives the Zionists an extreme psychological edge and advantage in the battle of hearts and minds. – I know this Zionist person, verses – I do not know this Palestinian photograph. As strange and as illogical as that may seem, that is the way that the brain processes things, particularly at a young age, when I started reading about this at a very young age.
The internet has changed this. We now see the videos of heart wrenching tragedies of the Palestinians which we had not been exposed to by resources that simply couldn’t portray the level of human suffering caused even if they wanted to portray it because it is too strong to be captured merely by words and still photographs off in a distant place.
There must be an effort by familis in America to showwhat is taking place in Palestine at a parentally decided appropriate age. School boards in America and the West must insist that their story is taught in the history books in school as well. There must also be a refocussing on the Palestinian genocide on college campuses throughout the West.
The Palestinians must increase their online presence if possible, and must organize independently of political parties who have failed to serve them.
Israel announced a new war strategy today combining technology and “intelligence” called Momentum using apps, overlooking the fact that both their hearts and their minds are in the wrong places and no app or technology, or spy program will ever change that.
Both houses of congress have passed a new war powers resolution limitng the presidents ability to unilaterally go to war against another country, though redundant since the constitution clearly states that it is congress that has the right to declare war and not the president. If Trump decides to launch a war against Iran against the will of the people and congress, in addition to international law, he will literally have hell to pay on multiple fronts. Trump has far more nerve than he can afford to have. Trump has already proven this after the assassiniation of Soleimani, and the treason of placing the interests of Israel over the interests of America.
Trump 2020 slogan should read, ” I may be wrong, but I’m stubborn about it.”
It is disgusting, nauseating, sickenning, and gut wrenching that New York City is financing the takeover of cyber security and handing it over, lock stock, and barrel to Israel. This was reported on Mintpressnews today. So now Israel will be in controll of the nuclear buttons in America?! It seems like it! New York City tax payers are also on the hook for $100 million to hand national security over to Israel! The only people that this government in America serves are Israelis and Saudi Arabians! Gutilty of treason, bribery, and high crimes! Innocent law abiding people are punished and spineless, sadistic, psychopaths that are such self-centered, spoiled brats that they believe that they are more important than America, the entire world, future generations of America, and future generations in the world! Israel also stole land in the Negev and evicted 38,000 Bedouin shepherds from their land. We are talking about the people that conspired with our government, corporations, and the Saudi government to create a false flag to go to war against seven innocent nations to fight their battles for the spineless, land theft, weazles, just as in the Yom Kippur war, with the faked 9/11 attacks! No more! I’ve had it! Never Forget the 9/11 dancing Israelis!
Ramzy,
Do you happen to have any insights to Erdogan’s recent threats to Assad over the Turks in Idlib? This appears to be an extremely troubling developement. Erdogan is evidently going rogue, and willing to incite war over Idlib. The U.S. is probably not involved in that hostile act by Erdogan, since they are angry at him for Russian defense contracts and have cancelled defense contracts with him themselves, although they are probably happy about it.
Iran is commited to Syria for Syrians and is supporting Assad.
Zionists in Germany said this today:
“The strength and the power given by social media to people who are on the margins of society creates chaos in our world, and also instigates terrorist attacks against houses of worship, and also hate and racism all over the world – from the United States to Sri Lanka to Australia,” he said.
Hmm. Like the Isralis seizing the Mosque in Jerusalem and turning into a temple?
Abusers resentments and hatred towards their victims increases in intensity over time. This is as a result of displaced anger. The abusers are filled with self-loathing as a result of their criminally abusive behaviors. Their victims serve as constant reminders to the abusers of the moral depravity that they have succumbed to, and their dark secrets of abuse eat away at them. They increase their delusional behavior by believing that if they could just eliminate their victims, everything will work out for them. That never happens though. They have become poisoned by their own minds. This is evident with the treatment by the abusers of Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning, Joshua Schulte, and Palestinians, and Muslims around the world.
The deal of the century for Israel and Geneie Oil, of whch Kushner is a shareholder. You can’t trust the United States government. They are terrorists that have been terrorizing and stalking me and my family at least since I moved to Wisconsin, the Tax Idea Tax Us Wisconsin Idea State. I have evidently been the victim of FISA and the government has stalked, terrorized me and destroyed my life, in addition to illegally enslaving and falsely imprisoning me in my own home, after doing illegal medical experimentation on me while unconscious inserting micro-chips, sensors, or RFIDs in my nose and ears then started using directed energy weapons on me after my phone was hacked in 2017 for the first time. Read the Constitution Stupid! ” Head like a hole! Black like your soul! I’d rather die than give you control! “- NIN I will not forgive! I will not forget! I will not be silenced! FISA is not a law! FISA is a confession of domestic terrorism and treason, bribery, high crimes, and in my case, violence against women and domestic abuse by anonymous retarded piranha cowards!
Where is the voice of the Russophobic AIPAC crowd over the Israeli elections? Jewish Power amd Jewish Home parties and Netenyahu bribing Jewish Power leader to join forces in a guarntee of political backing and position by Netenyahu for the Dr. Evil price of ONE MILLION DOLLARS?! It’s only on it’s third election for this election. If it isn’t Russia’s fault, Whodunnit?!
Israel is also extremely worried that someone is going to try to interfere with the U.S. election in 2020, which Israel always interferes in the U.S. elections, so they will provide a joint operation practice in the “prophecy” that the Mossad had that this might ” somehow” happen!
Democrats are determined to either hand the election over to Trump or Wall Street. As a former caregiver, I can personally attest to the cruel nature of dementia and it is no laughing matter. Joe Biden clearly demonstrates all symptoms of either age related dementia or Alzheimers disease and is unfit to serve in any capacity of any position of authority. Joe Biden’s latest public display of dementia was exhibited yesterday, confusing his wife with his sister, and in a speech saying “We were all created by the, you know, the thing.”
The fact that the DNC believes that he is their ideal candidate speaks volumes as to the level of corruption within the DNC. He is someone that they can easily manipulate. His family really ought to insist that he withdraw from the race, not only for the good of America, but for his own safety and well being as well. To allow this to continue is extremely irresponsible! They will be able to lie to him and tell him that he signed things that he didn’t sign. This is elder abuse and abuse against persons with disabilities! Somebody with financial resources really ought to step up to the plate to prevent this from happenning! This is dangerous, abusive, and insane!