Latest Developments in the Middle East
Secretary Hillary Clinton made several statements in the last couple of days while visiting Israel and Egypt. Clinton started its tour by saying that it is impossible to accept the idea of putting any kind of Palestinian conditions before negotiating with Israel. Clinton also stated that Israel do not have any law background to use in order to freeze the ongoing settlement building since it already issued permissions for them.
However, Clinton stated that there are Israeli promises not to issue new permissions for building settlements in the future. In her visit to Egypt, Clinton stated again that the United States used to be and is still against the Israeli settlements. It was also said that Clinton asked from President Mubarak to stop the Egyptian efforts which are made to establish a united Palestinian government since the United States is afraid that its aid money would go to the hands of Hamas.
The Palestinian leadership continued to refuse a new round of negotiations before a complete freeze of the ongoing building of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The Israeli government refuses to agree on such conditions since it considers its buildings in East Jerusalem legitimate because East Jerusalem is simply a part of the whole Jerusalem which is the capital of Israel.
Egypt stated that it supports the Palestinian leadership decision not to negotiate until the settlements buildings are stopped. On the ground Israel continues in its plans to obtain more houses in East Jerusalem and enlarge its buildings in the West Bank. A couple of days ago another Palestinian family was removed from its house in Sheikh Jarah in East Jerusalem. The Israeli court claimed that the land used to be owned by Jewish families before 1948 and therefore the Palestinians will have to pay in order to stay or simply leave the houses. There are twenty eight houses which are to be returned to the Jewish settlers who are occupying the Palestinian neighborhood.
While I was listening to Clinton’s statement I was wondering whether she acknowledges the fact that an occupying state does not have the right to issue permissions to build settlements in occupied lands. The International Law states clearly that it is completely forbidden for the occupying country to move any of its population into the occupied land until a solution is reached between the two sides of the conflict. However, it seems that Secretary Clinton pays more attention to the importance of respecting the Israeli unlawful permissions which are leaving no chance for any possible Palestinian state in the future.
Some analysts stated that the American administration is trying to avoid any kind of argument with Israel since the Congress elections are soon. President Obama would not want to lose his support in the congress. However, the Palestinians are paying the price since any possible change for their benefit became related to a complete agreement between the new American administration and the whole Arab world.
The situation in Shekh Jarah is becoming worse every day; people are being thrown into the street under rain because of other Israeli unlawful decisions that contradicts with the International Law. If Israel wants to return the Jews who used to own lands in East Jerusalem into their places then the same must be done for the thousands of Palestinians who own lands inside the 1948 borders. In other words Israel is allowing only Israeli Jews to use this law and it continues to ignore the Israeli Arabs right in returning their homes and the Palestinian resident’s right in Jerusalem from returning to Western Jerusalem. I have no other words except of Racism to describe such decisions.
The current situation shows that it is completely impossible to reach a peace solution between the two sides. Israel is ready to make real efforts to defend its war on Gaza while it completely refuses to open an investigation to understand what happened in the time of the war. Although there are Israeli soldiers who confessed that there were ordered to shoot without differentiating between a civilian and an armed man, Israel prefers to accuse Goldstone of being unjust and misleading.
The Palestinian leadership and people must understand that the Palestinian authority was made not to become obsessed about it but only to consider it a first step towards a Palestinian state which was supposed to be made through negotiations and Israeli intentions for peace. Since Israel today is not ready to accept the idea of giving the Palestinians a state which includes their inspirations and demands which are known since Oslo; East Jerusalem, Refugees right, and the 1967 lands, I do believe that the best choice is to go back to non-violent resistance that shows the world the truth of the Israeli intentions in order to remind Israel that it is still responsible of the affairs and the life of the millions of Palestinians which became simply prisoners in a prison with fake authority.
Israel is simply directing the conflict and do not wish to find a real solution for it. The Israeli current leadership has a specific ideology: Never trust and Arab. The only choice which it believes in is to continue directing the conflict by misleading the world and the Palestinian authority that it seeks peace but under certain conditions. One proof is the latest Israeli policy which started after the Goldstone report. Israel wants the world to become convinced that its action which sometimes cost the Palestinians their lives cannot be stopped. The Israeli media tried to convince the world that Hamas now holds “missiles” which reach Tel Aviv. The latest ship which was captured is simply another factor used to show that Israel’s security activity can never stop and Israel cannot be blamed for victims which fall by mistake. However, Israel do not ask the question why the Palestinians act in certain ways and prefer to enlarge its security efforts instead of compromising for the sake of peace.
If a state believes that strengthening the army and the security services is the only way to stay alive in the Middle East, there is nothing which can be made to reach peace with it. The Western academics wonder why the Arab world today changed and became more attracted to what is called “Radical Islam” although the answer is in front of their eyes. Colonialism in the past caused revolutions in the third world which started without any preparation because of the miserable life of millions of people who were considered slaves and ignorant. Today the Arab world is still ignored and considered a threat although the majority in it believe in the possibility of reaching an understanding with the other side but once there is no answer from the other side and wars are launched in the name of what is called “democracy” of course the result will be what we witness today.
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