Fear And The Palestine Papers: Who's Who Supporting Zionism
04 February 2011By Mazin Qumsiyeh
Ignoring the hype about the Palestine papers is hard.
I spent a lot of time reading through page after page
of the documents showing minutes of meetings and other
exchanges regarding the Palestinian-Israeli
"negotiations" (the quotes are warranted). The
Guardian newspaper summed up the back and forth
arguments about these papers as follows:
" PA and PLO leaders such as Saeb Erekat can be
expected to point out that one of the core principles
of the negotiations is that 'nothing is agreed until
everything is agreed'. As such they are not
necessarily committed to provisional positions that in
the event failed to secure a settlement - though
Erekat made clear to US officials in January 2010 that
the same offers remained on the table. Critics are
likely to argue that concessions - such as accepting
the annexation of Israeli settlements in occupied East
Jerusalem - are simply pocketed by the Israeli side,
and risk being treated as a starting point in any
future talks."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/ world/2011/jan/23/story-
behind-leaked-palestine-papers)
For me two things come out clearly from these painful
documents (some ofthem have parallel data in the US
embassy cables on Wikileaks). First it is not that the
Palestinian officials are traitors but merely (and
this is bad enough) mistakenly and passionately going
through motions hoping against all odds that by
talking and compromising more they could achieve a
tiny fraction of what we are entitled to. The second
observation is that Israel will not sign a peace deal
regardless of how low and ridiculous the concessions
on the Palestinian side: hunt down resisters
(abandoning the internationally recognized rights of
resistance to occupation even unarmed one), give up on
most settlements built illegally on Palestinian lands,
allow Israel sovereignty over nearly 1/3rd of the
occupied old city of Jerusalem, give up on the refugee
rights, allow Israel to keep looting natural resources
in the West Bank, give Israel the right to control our
airspace, and even assure a statelet devoid of
sovereignty. Not even tourism income would be allowed
in this emasculated state. Some critics asked: if, as
the documents show, the Palestinian negotiators were
willing to accept all of this then WHY did Israeli
politicians hold out?
The answer is obvious to anyone who ever faced
Zionism. They believe (rightly or wrongly) they can
get 100% so why should they settle for 91% or even 99%
especially when the ceiling of the Palestinian
requests kept dropping in the past 22 years (since
they accepted in 1988 to let Israel keep most of the
looted parts of Palestine 1948). Today, Israel's three
main sources of income are dependent on a continued
conflict and occupation: the 6.5 billion military and
security exports, the 6 billion US and other western
direct aid, and 3 billion from the captive markets in
the West Bank and Gaza. All three would be threatened
with end of conflict even if Israel gets to keep most
of its stolen loot. Israeli officials are keen to keep
negotiations going to avoid an anti-Apartheid scenario
and for PR and normalization to keep pumping more
money and more settlers into the remaining small
shriveling Palestine because it is economically
profitable.
The recorded meetings show no real interest or even
emotion or any sense of urgency on the part of the
Israelis or their American benefactors. Saeb Erekat
comes out basically pleading and begging sometimes and
other times using the presence of Hamas, Hezbollah and
Iran to try and convince these officials. Jim Jones,
David, Hale, and (Israeli lobbyist Dennis Ross), Tzipi
Livni, Mofaz etc. all just repeat utter few selective
words and simply drag their feet to keep the "process
going". What would be the nature of the conversations
if there was no Hamas to wave as the boogeyman to US
officials and claim success in containing Hamas and
other "extremist movements" (In Egypt Hosni Mubarak
uses the same notion of containing Islamic Jihad but
for the sinister goal of justifying his dictatorship)?
US officials are very confident of their strength and
the Israeli strengths and the fact that they only need
the Palestinians to prevent any attempts at
international isolation of Israel. This they get just
by innuendo or hints of threats on the Palestinians
authority. They studied the situation carefully and
think that Abbas and company have no other options but
to simply keep negotiating and compromising even if it
takes another 20 years.
In some very rare instances the negotiators seem to
connect with their humanity and actually feel sorry
for the fate of these Palestinian negotiators. But
then you could sense how they curb their own feelings
(as irrelevant) and go back to the scripted positions
of their governments which are simply antagonistic to
anything that is not 100% in support of Zionism.
Erekat's occasional threats of a one state seem
vacuous and not serious. My book on Sharing the Land
of Canaan showed with lots of data that "two state for
two people" approach can never lead to genuine peace
(if apartheid was the problem in South Africa, why is
it considered a solution here?).
I have a suggestion for the Palestinian authority: try
to deal with the issues and do release your own
documents instead of trying to shoot the messenger.
Take lemons to make lemonade. Help introduce an even
stronger resolution at the UN security council (e.g.
in support of the Goldstone report or to recognize a
Palestinian state along the borders of 1967) or a
resolution at the UN General Assembly that calls for
expelling Israel from the UN since it has never
honored its commitments when it was admitted in 1949.
Maybe announce publicly that the Oslo Process was a
mistake or at
least is now dead (now every idiot knows it was and
most of those who are getting salaries from the
authority know in their hearts that it was contrary to
basic human rights and to basic international law).
This suggestion essentially is to show courage and
backbone. It could also mean the difference: making
mistakes is human, continuing the path as in the past
only validates those who accuse the authority figures
of treason. Abbas says he will surprise us in
September but I believe he and those around him do not
have that kind of time.
I, like Edward Said and millions of Palestinians,
disagreed strongly with the choices made by this Oslo
group to built the Palestinian autonomous
administration (of the Palestinian people warehouses
or concentration camps) that relieved Israel from the
burdens of managing us and from International
isolation based on not even promises of freedom or
return of rights. But I also can't help but feel sorry
for those who took that path. It must be very painful
for a human being to go down a tunnel where there is
no possibility of a light at the end and during this
trip into the depths of darkness feel
the leaches crawling up his back sucking his blood and
voices from behind calling him back (some of them his
political enemies, others ex-comrades in Fatah).
Palestinian negotiators are fearful of going back
because they think it might give political opponents a
PR tool. They are just fearful of losing face; I am
always grateful to a wise advisor who 30 years ago
convinced me to drop this fear of admitting mistakes
(a fear common especially among men). They may also be
fearful of losing a job. The Palestinian people are
very angry though many feel afraid to speak out for
fear to lose their
sources of income, fear that the alternative to Fatah
maybe just as bad, fear of Israel, fear of the US or
just simply fear of their own power. But ultimately
fear is a lack of self-confidence to take another
course. And their fear should be balanced by the fact
that people are literally dying for justice and
wanting leaders to care about them and not about
themselves.
[Here we must remember the thousands of martyrs who
gave their lives and hundreds of thousands who were
injured or lost homes and livelihood and still yearn
for freedom].
The status quo is to many humans a comfort in the
known/predictable. Taking another path is feared
because humans fear the unknown. I believe that fear
is the most destructive and paralyzing human emotion.
Common people around the world are just beginning to
break the barrier of fear and speak up more for
themselves. From Tunisia to Egypt to Lebanon, the
walls of fear are cracking. We common people and even
some leaders must realize that many of these walls are
far weaker than we may think. I can actually hear them
cracking.
The Arab world is in revolt. The fire is spreading.
Responsible people need to step forward with courage
and conviction. There could be surprises along those
lines even from Central Committee members of Fatah.
Already Nabil Shaath took a position different than
Mahmoud Abbas. This is just the beginning. Palestine
will survive. The Palestinian people are not sheep.
They are mature enough to take the truth and to
rebuild our national liberation movement. History
marches on and I am 100% sure that Zionism will fail
and Palestine will be free.
--------------------
Palestinian Students take over Palestine London
offices demanding representation of all Palestinians.
I think their call for representation based on the
Prisoner's documents and the Cairo Declaration) should
be taken-up by all Palestinians of conscience. See
http://ploembassysitin.tumblr.com/
A Call to the People and Governments of the Free World
from the Egyptian National Coalition: We call upon all
of you to support the Egyptian people's demands for a
good life, liberty and an end of despotism. We call
upon you to urge this dictatorial regime to stop its
bloodshed of the Egyptian people, exercised throughout
Egyptian cities.. We believe that the material and
moral support offered to the Egyptian regime, by the
American government and European governments, has
helped to suppress the Egyptian people. We hereby call
upon the people of the free world to support the
Egyptian people's non-violent revolution against
corruption and tyranny. We also call upon civil
society organizations in America, Europe and the whole
world to express their solidarity with Egypt, through
holding public demonstrations, particularly on
People's Anger Day (28/01/2011), and by denouncing the
use of violence against the people. We hope that you
will all support our demands for freedom, justice and
peaceful change.
The Guardian Newspaper: Palestinian distrust of Iran
revealed in leaked papers. Mahmoud Abbas asked
businessman to donate $50m to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's
opponents, according to the documents
http://www.guardian.co.uk/ world/2011/jan/26/palestinian-
distrust-iran-leaked-papers
Media Matters M.J. Rosenberg stated about the Papers:
"The bottom line is that, despite the assurances the
Palestinian Authority gave to the Palestinian people
that it was driving a hard bargain with the Israelis,
the Palestinian Authority accepted Israel's position
on every key point: borders, Jerusalem, settlements,
refugees. On no major issue did the PA hold the line.
None. The Palestinians offered Israel everything
Israel wants and Israel still said "no" with the
backing of the United States."
http://politicalcorrection.org/fpmatters/201101240004
It is interesting to see such analysis as from former
top CIA official Robert Grenier:
http://english.aljazeera.net/ palestinepapers/2011/01/2011123135633144648.html
But even though career diplomats are voicing
interesting opinions and diversions from official
policy, the Obama administration still shows the
notion of just drawing on AIPAC associated fossilized
brains. (see Why Obama's "new thinking" initiative on
Middle East peace is doomed to fail By Lawrence
Davidson http://www.redress.cc/ americas/ldavidson20110122)
Palestinian intellectuals and activists articulated
why this is the end of the charade of the peace
process industry Karma Nabulsi gives a pointed
analysis
http://www.guardian.co.uk/ commentisfree/2011/jan/23/middle-
east-peace-process-over-palestinians
Prof. Saree Makdisi shows more emotion as he writes
"The Palestinian people betrayed" http://latimes.com/news/
opinion/commentary/la-oe-makdisi-israelis- palestinia
ns-20110127,0,3343339.column
Yet another BDS victory: John Lewis stops stocking
Ahava products in Britain http://www.bigcampaign.org/
john-lewis-stops-stocking-ahava- products-in-britain/
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