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The Return of Benjamin Netanyahu
Netanyahu has stated repeatedly that he does not want to get tangled up in 'final status issues' -- the boundaries of a future Palestinian state, the rights of Palestinian refugees, the status of Jerusalem, Jewish settlements in the West Bank and water rights. These issues form the core of what must be negotiated between Palestinians and Israelis. Yet the man most likely to become Israel's next Prime Minister does not want to discuss them.
Instead, his plan for the 'economic development' of the Palestinian Territories is a euphemism for intensifying the Apartheid regime that exists there. Rather than move toward the solution that the majority of Palestinians, the United States and the international community embraces -- an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel -- Netanyahu would have the West Bank divided into disconnected Bantustans. Palestinians would be given "business projects" as compensation for the self-determination Israel has denied them for more than four decades.
Netanyahu wants to better accommodate life under occupation, not lift the occupation itself, in the hopes of pacifying Palestinians' desire for freedom and our demand for the recognition of our most basic human rights.
This has been tried many times in the past. It has always failed. A process with no prospects for peace, as was Annapolis under Olmert, is no different to Palestinians than no process and no prospects for peace under Netanyahu.
Netanyahu has also clearly stated that the occupation of Palestinian lands will increase rather than decrease during his tenure. He has promised not to build any new settlements, but to allow for the 'natural' expansion of existing ones -- so as not to 'choke them'.
According to international law, and a number of Israeli human rights organizations, there has been nothing 'natural' about settlement growth from the beginning. The population of settlements over the last two decades has grown at an average of 4-6% annually in sharp contrast to Israeli society as a whole at 1.5%. In 2008, during the ongoing Annapolis 'Peace' Process and amidst condemnation from the United States, settlement construction in the West Bank increased by 30%. If settlements continue to grow as 'naturally' as this, they will soon devour the entirety of the West Bank.
Furthermore, it is not only the settlements which constitute the occupation. By themselves, the settlers consume only 3% of the West Bank; however, the public utility and military infrastructures which unite them to the state of Israel consume over 40%. Total control of our borders and economy is compounded by 700 checkpoints and movement restrictions, a race-based regime of roads and tunnels, a massive cement Wall and barrier which is twice the length of our internationally recognized border and built almost entirely inside the West Bank, and on top of this, we play host to nearly half a million hostile ideologues who consume 80% of our water resources.
Netanyahu seems only too eager to continue 'managing' the conflict long enough to pass it onto our children and grandchildren. However, given the make-up of his likely coalition, he may not have a choice in the matter anyway.
Far-right parties such as Shas and Yisrael Beitenu have gained more strength proportionally in these elections than Likud and will surely be part of the new coalition. They call for more than 'management' of the status quo and a refusal to negotiate a solution; they offer extreme measures of their own - solutions which would be marginalized in any modern democracy. These include more disproportionate violence aimed at 'teaching Palestinians to respect their masters', more institutionalized racism within the 1948 borders, more settlements and even full-scale population transfers - a more palatable expression for ethnic cleansing.
These parties have proven their ability to collapse a government if any meaningful negotiations with Palestinians are to take place and will most likely maintain that pledge with an increased mandate in any new governing coalition.
In sum: meaningful negotiations may not even be feasible on the Israeli side; and if they are, the 'offer' from Israel will most certainly be unacceptable to any Palestinian leadership interested in viable statehood. The status quo of 'occupation with no end in sight' looks set to continue into the foreseeable future.
The result of this election will not bring us closer to a one or two-state solution; it will bring us no solution. And if we continue down this path much longer, 'no solution' will manifest itself in the death of the two-state dream and continued Apartheid for the Palestinian people.
Mustafa Barghouthi is the Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative (PNI). The opinions expressed here are his own and can be found regularly at www.palestinemonitor.org.
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Mustafa Barghouthi ,
Thank you for your thoughtful analysis as welll as your recent trip to Washington to inform our reluctant-to-see-what is really-going-on hapless leaders of conditions under which millions of Palestinians are living. My family has joined several movements to protest the actions of our govt., most notably the "unwavering" support given by our Congress almost 100% in support of the Gaza atrocities & also the continuing silence of the Obama adm. Please continue to speak out & describe these conditions that can't be seen as anything other than apartheid. What concerns so many of us (as well as in Europe) is that we are enabling this ugly, immoral & undemocratic system by handing to the perpetrators what some have said is $10 million dollars A DAY of our tax dollars! President Jimmy Carter also has described recently on Book TV how the barrier wall confiscates huge amts. of Palestinian land. This is not acceptable by any standards. I can't imagine a road anywhere is the USA that is reserved for Catholics or Protestants or Baptists only! Yet our leaders won't speak out! They're even making the American taxpayers pay for them. I say to our leaders how can you possibly justify your support of such conditions imposed on the Palestinians?
It is a very sad situation,the bloodshed and tension. Just a thought as to why Netanyahu is so hawkish. His brother was the only soldier killed in the rescue of the hostages at entebbe. Trauma often produces an a strained individual. One can only hope that intelligent thought and actions replace the violence and hatred. So hard to escape patterns.
American taxpayers should not be forced by our leaders in Congress to pay for barrier walls, bypass roads for those of one religion only as well as watchtowers where soldiers point rifles at civilians, etc. Congress also allowed & underwrote by means of official permission the abusive & cruel employment of our weaponry during the July 06 war on Lebanon as well as the recent war on Gaza. A growing number of Americans no longer finds the actions of our leaders to be acceptable in that they have continued to excuse & enable the abominable behavior toward the Palestinians.
As the author seems to see Israel & it's Government as an adversarial entity, he misses the 'insiders' perspective that forms the basis for the most important 'meanings' of such a development. Remember when Hamas was elected? Israelis interpreted as a complete rejection of coexistence while Palestinians maintained that it reflected a rejection PLO corruption. A more honest answer perhaps is that Hamas' popularity reflected a belief that co-existence simply would not be achieved.
Netanyahu's election (by less then 25% of voters, but nonetheless) represents more of a reading of reality then an ideological stance. The belief that Hamas (for whatever reason) represents Palestinians, & will take power in the West Bank given the opportunity. Rockets will be fired from WB positions. This fearful reading of reality (debatable, bu not entirely illogical, I hope most will admit)means that under current conditions, steps towards Palestinain sovereignty must be avoided.
BTW, if a Gaza like situation forms in the WB, a much bloodier situation will follow.
Are you seriously advocating that the rest of us should be actively subverting Palestinian sovereignty? That's the most undemocratic thing I've ever heard.
I'm not sure what gave you that idea. I haven't voiced any opinion on how we should approach Palestinian sovereignity. I was commenting on the author's reading of recent political events, namely the election of Netanyahu & the right. I disagree with his political analysis. I haven't commented on his political views.
Mustafa, I wish you could be President of Palestine. They need PNI as a third choice besides those those crooks in Fatah or those extremists in Hamas.
Some of my ancestors were forcibly removed from their forest homelands by people who claimed that God gave them the natives' land, and they did it gradually at first through all sorts of graft and broken treaties. Then when they were able, they moved almost all of them to western wastelands during that episode of ethnic cleansing called the Trail of Tears. They did it in the name of "civilization" and "democracy", not just the doctrine of Manifest Destiny. Much smaller numbers of Choctaw are left in Mississippi, and Cherokee in North Carolina.
Oklahoma was and is their Bantustan. The US government has gotten better since that episode (I can't always vouch for state governments since many had to be forced to abandon slavery and segregation). When I see what is being done to Arabs and others in Palestine, I see history repeating somewhere else. Jews were treated with cruelty in Europe, yes, and I support a Jewish state too, just not a Jewish state that does what it wants with non-Jews in either its legitimate or occupied territory. And I sure don't want any of our taxes and church donations paying for Israel's apartheid policies or their "retaliation" in Palestine or Lebanon.
I have never understood the Israeli government. They continually recycle politicians like yesterday's leftovers. How many times has Benjamin Netanyahu been Prime Minister and how many times have voters voted him out? What about Shimon Peres or Ehud Barack? the same old tired names keep popping up over and over and over. Actually Livni is the first NEW person they have had in decades. Nothing is going to change in Israel as long as they recycle the same people and the same old tired ideas over and over.
Anyone that knows the realities on the ground knows that a one state solution is the only solution. What we have now is a minority ruling over a majority, denying them basic human rights. An apartheid of the most brutal kind.
A two-state solution exists now and has since 1922. All it will take is for the Arabs in eretz Israel to accpet Jordan as their homeland.
Much in the same way Israel 'accepted' Palestine as their homeland.
I think Tammy knows best!
You repeatedly advocate the forced removal of a population based on their ethnicity - this is called ethnic cleansing. Especially as, when repeatedly challenged, you have in no way attempted to deny that violence would be needed to enforce your "solution".
I think I recall reading about you in the Lancet a while back actually, the first successful irony bypass.
Jordan kicked them out! Remember the BLACK SEPTEMBER situation about 30- 35 years ago???
Jordanians and Palestinians are two different ethnic groups. What your advocating is akin to putting the Ojibwa and the Navajo on the same reservation somewhere out in the southwest US -- because "they're all just Indians, right?" You know, it's pretty hypocritical for the descendants of European Jews to deny the validity of anyone else's culture considering that was /exactly/ what was done to you.
WHY would Israeli Jews want that when in a few years the Muslims will outnumber the Jews...and vote to get rid of Israel as a democracy....and as a Jewish Homeland??? Tammy does NOT know best!!
"Anyone that knows the realities on the ground"
That is very misleading (& a weasel word). Very few leaders in anywhere near the centre are of this view. Currently, the only politically significant (perhaps excepting Sari Nuseibeh ) proposing a single legal entity in the entire area of Mandate Palestine are the (mostly Religious) right/nationalist of each side. Only the extreme bring it up. Usually it involves getting rid of the other ones.
The window for a 2 State solution is almost (if not already) closed. Blame can be laid on both sides but that doesn't help us get to a situation that can help both people. It would appear that one democratic State is truly the only solution. A State where people can become equal citizens with the same rights regardless of their race or religion.
The idea of a Jewish State after World War II may have made sense - but in today's world how can we as Americans support with 3 billion dollars of our tax dollars annually any government that discriminates against those who aren't the right religion or race. Why shouldn't a Christian who wants to live in the Holy Land and become a citizen of Israel be allowed? Why should they be discriminated against? And why should we be supporting that with our tax dollars?
I have close friends who are Jewish and Muslim who live in Haifa and both talk about co-existence there were Arabs and Jews co-own business and work and live together. That should truly be the model - one land for all people regardless of race or religion where all rights are equal - just like the United States.
I' like your moral position. But it's not doable.
Democratic revolutions have a bad recent track record and we have worse conditions:
a -Palestinian political culture (dictatorship only ended after Arafat's death, a civil war, a purge & was replaced by theocracy.
b - Israeli political culture is in better shape, but doesn't exactly shine & probably would collapse under the weight of that.
c - This replacement state would have no internal idealists. Israel was built in the 20s-40s by absolute idealists. You don't get that kind of support for a compromise. You need enthusiasm to build a state.
A single state, is a big task. It would be unloved with no internal ideological support. Not ideal conditions for nationbuilding. For scale, think of removing 'under God' or an item from your constitution & multiply by 1000 or think of creating a merged the US/Venezuala/Bolivia/Cuba - multiply by 26.
This is a point I hope University-style pundits will take on. A logically/morally 'smooth' solution isn't really needed.. Again back to context, Israel is an 80% liberal democracy, missing 20% because it exists for Jewish people. But compare that to monarchies that exist for the Royal families. Qatar or Dubai (or Iran in some circles) get held as beacons because of their acceptance of some democratic or humanist principals.
Any 'solutions' also need to take into account that they need to survive under live fire and a rejection (best case) of 1/3 of both populations.
"As The Arabs See The Jews"
His Majesty King Abdullah
The American Magazine November, 1947
Summary
February 26, 2009 "Information Clearing House" - - This fascinating essay, written by King Hussein’s grandfather King Abdullah, appeared in the United States six months before the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. In the article, King Abdullah disputes the mistaken view that Arab opposition to Zionism (and later the state of Israel) is because of longstanding religious or ethnic hatred. He notes that Jews and Muslims enjoyed a long history of peaceful coexistence in the Middle East, and that Jews have historically suffered far more at the hands of Christian Europe. Pointing to the tragedy of the holocaust that Jews suffered during World War II, the monarch asks why America and Europe are refusing to accept more than a token handful of Jewish immigrants and refugees. It is unfair, he argues, to make Palestine, which is innocent of anti-Semitism, pay for the crimes of Europe. King Abdullah also asks how Jews can claim a historic right to Palestine, when Arabs have been the overwhelming majority there for nearly 1300 uninterrupted years? The essay ends on an ominous note, warning of dire consequences if a peaceful solution cannot be found to protect the rights of the indigenous Arabs of Palestine.
Read the article here: http://informationclearinghouse.info/article22108.htm
Thank you for sharing this article. Boy did this get stuffed down the memory hole by the AIPAC crowd.
"Palestine" has never been ffree of anti-Semitism, despite the claims by the king. While it may be true that some Arabs are marginally better than some goyim is splitting hairs. Neither group can claim to have ever treated Jews with justice and humanity.
The Desert Cockroach Hussein makes Posters here seem honest!! It's ALL lies! The killings of Jews over the decades by Arab Muslims is in the history books! I guess Hussein couldn't read....but he SURE COULD LIE!!
It's King Abdullah, why don't you bother to read?
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