News

Issue of the week
Punishing the victims and rewarding the occupier
By Ameen Izzadeen
The question of Palestine is in a state of flux. Things change overnight but whether these changes are in the right direction is the question. This week, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert flew to Washington for a one-on-one meeting with President George W. Bush who, many believe, can intervene positively to bring about a just solution that will make every stakeholder happy. But instead of using his country's ability to wring out a just solution to the problem, Mr. Bush gave his support to Olmert's road map, describing it as a bold move although he knew the Israeli plan was a major digression from what he himself presented in consultation with other members of the quartet — the United Nations, the European Union and Russia.

Mr. Olmert's road map seeks to redraw the borders of both Israel and the future state of Palestine. Creation of two states is probably the only viable solution to the crisis, but what is not acceptable is redrawing the borders unilaterally. According to Mr. Olmert, his unilateral plan involves withdrawing from some settlements in the West Bank. That is only the first part of his plan — a plan that is likely to boost the image of the occupying force. Evicting the Jewish residents from illegal settlements on the West Bank, no doubt, will help Israel earn praise from world leaders and the Western media.

On Wednesday, speaking to the US Congress, Mr. Olmert amidst frequent applause said Israel was willing to negotiate with a Palestinian Authority. "In a few years they could be living in a Palestinian state, side by side in peace and security with Israel."
But he did not say anything about his plan to grab more Palestinian land.
When his plan comes into play, scenes of Israeli security forces forcefully dragging the settlers and destroying their homes will generate a much favourable public opinion across the world.

Once this drama is complete, the second phase of the plan will come into play with Israel gobbling large chunks of what should have been part of the future Palestinian state. This is outright land robbery and it reduces the future Palestinian state into a balkanized Bantustan. Anyone who is familiar with the map of the area that shows Israel and occupied Palestine will wonder how a Palestinian state can be created when Israel stands in the middle separating the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. There is no contiguity, although the original roadmap presented by the quartet spoke of a contiguous Palestinian state.

Emboldened by Mr. Bush's pledge of support in the event Israel comes under attack from Iran, Mr. Olmert will go ahead with his unilateral plan, knowing very well that the United States will back Israel as usual, if his country is criticized for annexing large parts of the West Bank in violation of UN resolutions and international law.

Alarmed by the speed with which Mr. Olmert is executing his plan, Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, on Thursday gave the Hamas-led government a ten-day ultimatum to fall in line with his policy or he would go before the people to get their nod for the recognition of Israel at a referendum. The sudden decision of Mr. Abbas to get tough has resulted in Hamas making some concessions.

Hamas has ordered its newly-formed security unit which had been engaged in street battles with Fatah and Palestinian security forces, to withdraw to its bases. That Hamas leaders and Mr. Abbas are sitting together and sorting out their problems is a welcome sign though such an exercise is anathema to Israel and its western backers who are keen on triggering a civil war between the Palestinian groups.

The referendum formula in a way may offer a face-saving way out for Hamas. On the one hand, Hamas is committed to the destruction of Israel. On the other, it now realizes that the pragmatic path for peace lies in a decision to recognize Israel's right to exist. If the people approve the Abbas document which was worked out by senior Palestinian figures, including leaders in Israeli jails, Hamas could take cover behind the referendum results and recognize Israel. Hamas is not totally averse to the recognition of Israel. Its leaders have said that they will recognize Israel only if it withdraws to the 1967 borders. To its credit, Hamas has also been observing an unofficial ceasefire with Israel in deference to the Palestinian Authority President's truce with the Jewish state. Yet, the new Hamas-led government is branded a terrorist regime. Hamas’ unofficial truce and the fact that a majority of the Palestinian people have elected Hamas to office are lost on the Western powers and their poodle or embedded media.

What is worse? The West is imposing collective punishment on the people of Palestine for the crime that they exercised their democratic right to elect a political force that identified with the plight of the people.

The Palestinian people who have been pushed into the depths of misery by more than four decades of brutal occupation have been subjected to further suppression by the so-called Western powers and Israel. Even the taxes collected by Israel on behalf of the Palestinian Authority are not released to the elected government. There is no direct aid from the international community either.

The quartet only recently agreed to give aid — but not directly to the Hamas administration. It was only last week that the Palestinian Authority paid the March salaries to public servants. Islamic nations have pledged millions of dollars in aid to circumvent the cash crunch, but banks are afraid of releasing money to Hamas fearing punishment from the United States and the West.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency this week held the Israeli occupation government and the international community fully responsible for the tragic humanitarian conditions in occupied Palestine. Reports say Palestinian women are selling off their jewellery just to feed their children while men are caught digging up the ground to remove water pipes and sell them for scrap.

The situation is worsening each day. As the saying goes that desperate situations demand desperate action, starving the Palestinian people could only lead to more violence.