I am writing on Wednesday noon, and no sooner than these words will be read that the negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel, sponsored by the United States (the Quartet is just a name), will have ended before they began. These are negotiations for the sake of negotiations, and not to reach solutions. The negotiations are the equivalent of a political theater of the absurd. It is a banquet in the White House, while the food offered to the guests is probably not worth the ten thousand kilometer trip for President Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah II. I read that these upcoming negotiations are the first between the two parties to take place in 20 months. However, I personally believe they are the first in ten years, because in truth, negotiations had effectively ended with the parameters agreement proposed by President Bill Clinton to Yasser Arafat between the end of 2000 and early 2001. The negotiation process itself started 17 years ago, and it is impossible that any point of contention between the two sides has not been already brought up, time and again, ad nauseam. The bottom line is that the Palestinians conceded to a state on the territories occupied in 1967, i.e. 22 percent of their country, and that Israel has rejected this. A closer looks at the details, which have not changed since 1993, reveals that the Palestinians will not forfeit the occupied territories, as they want a contiguous viable state, while Israel wants to keep the settlements that cut across the West Bank, a demilitarized Palestinian state, an Israeli military presence in the Jordan Valley, and for the Palestinians to recognize the Jewishness of the state while forfeiting the right of return for the refugees. I say that this is impossible, and will never happen. Abu Mazen will forfeit nothing, and I hope I will be held to my words as I know him better than Hamas's supporters do (Hamas in turn will not forfeit anything, as the issue is settled for it, and is out of the question). Why are they meeting then? Abu Mazen is weak by virtue of the Palestinian divisions and Arab withdrawal. They told him in Cairo that he has the freedom to choose, i.e. they told him “You're not our problem” in plain English. However, this does not to mean to say that I object to him travelling to Washington, because if he doesn't, he will be immediately accused of having thwarted the establishment of a Palestinian state. Once again I say: follow the liars to their doorsteps. President Obama is not lying. He indeed wants a solution, and he needs the negotiations. However, the Israeli liars are standing at the U.S's doorsteps. The Israelis want negotiations for their own agenda, since Israel is currently the target of a worldwide campaign to legitimize it, of which Arabs and Muslims are not participants, and perhaps they do not even know about it. Moreover, not only is the boycott of Israel a worldwide trend at present, but it also actually has supporters within Israel. In short, Israel is in a tough position that it can only escape through negotiations with the Palestinians. For instance, as the Israeli government engages in negotiations, it can say to the boycotters that their stance is radical and irresponsible, since the Palestinians themselves are not boycotting Israel. How can a fascist government give up the West Bank, when it does not even give up the settlements? All it seeks is to undermine the negotiations from within while continuing to build settlements. The Israeli government's decision to freeze settlements for 10 months ends on the 26th of September, at least according to what we read on this issue. At any rate, this is a complete lie. Settlements were not frozen for one second despite the said decision, but instead were aggravated by demolishing Palestinian homes in Jerusalem, and by stealing the homes that were not demolished. Meanwhile, the Netanyahu government is talking about evacuating illegal settlements, or demolishing them, while some of us repeat what we hear without thinking (would we have ever come to this if we were thinking?) What is true instead is that all the settlements are illegal and that Israel itself is an illegal outpost and will remain so until the Palestinians, the native and rightful owners of the land give it a certificate of legitimacy. I belong to a generation that I remember would use the term colony and colonies, and I do not know when the term suddenly became settlement and settlements. However, there probably is a new Arab generation that would not understand it if I went back to speaking of Israeli colonies. Yet, the Palestinians continue to have the option to say no both before the White House banquet and afterwards, and as long as they say no, no solution can be imposed on them. The dinner at the White House is no doubt delicious, and is prepared by a renowned chef. However, the Palestinians are facing a bitter meal, or much ado about nothing. I write without necessarily practicing journalism, but self-flagellation and a follow up of the Cause. As there is no solution in the horizon, this means further pain, sadness and despair. [email protected]
