A passionate plea for Palestine
Friday was a historic day when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas informed the UN General Assembly (UNGA) that he had formally submitted an application “for the admission of Palestine on the basis of the June 4, 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, as a full member of the United Nations”. Mr Abbas called upon the UN and the world to vote in favour of Palestine’s full membership and to recognise the state of Palestine. “Will it [the world] allow Israel to continue its occupation, the only occupation in the world? Will it allow Israel to remain a state above the law and accountability? I come before you today…to say, after 63 years of suffering of the ongoing Nakba: enough,” said Abbas. In response to the Palestinian leader’s speech, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the UN “the theatre of the absurd” where “year after year Israel is singled out for condemnation more often than all the nations of the world combined”. Mr Netanyahu said the critics of Israel “praise those who unwittingly feed the insatiable crocodile of militant Islam as bold statesmen”. Netanyahu offered ‘peace’ to the Palestinians numerous times during his speech while playing the victimhood card and not offering any real peace in essence. While Abbas got a standing ovation at the UNGA, Netanyahu’s speech was met with subdued applause by his few supporters. From the response it seems that Israel and its biggest supporter, the US, are isolated in the world community. The Palestinians managed to achieve a major diplomatic victory.
After Mr Abbas submitted Palestine’s bid at the UN, the Quartet of Middle East negotiators comprising the UN, the US, the European Union (EU) and Russia urged Palestine and Israel to resume peace talks within a month “to agree [on] an agenda and method of proceeding in the negotiation”. The Quartet statement said, “At that meeting there will be a commitment by both sides that the objective of any negotiation is to reach an agreement within a timeframe agreed to by the parties but not longer than the end of 2012.” It seems that it will be business as usual since such meetings are only about buying time while Israel gobbles up piecemeal more Palestinian land through settler colonialism. The partition of Palestine as a result of Europe’s guilt at the persecution of the Jews was no partition; it was an expulsion of the Arabs from their land. More than half a century later, the Palestinians are weaker than ever while Israel grows stronger. The world needs to wake up and give the Palestinians justice that they richly deserve and at the very minimum a state with considerable independence and sovereignty.
(my editorial in Daily Times)
After Mr Abbas submitted Palestine’s bid at the UN, the Quartet of Middle East negotiators comprising the UN, the US, the European Union (EU) and Russia urged Palestine and Israel to resume peace talks within a month “to agree [on] an agenda and method of proceeding in the negotiation”. The Quartet statement said, “At that meeting there will be a commitment by both sides that the objective of any negotiation is to reach an agreement within a timeframe agreed to by the parties but not longer than the end of 2012.” It seems that it will be business as usual since such meetings are only about buying time while Israel gobbles up piecemeal more Palestinian land through settler colonialism. The partition of Palestine as a result of Europe’s guilt at the persecution of the Jews was no partition; it was an expulsion of the Arabs from their land. More than half a century later, the Palestinians are weaker than ever while Israel grows stronger. The world needs to wake up and give the Palestinians justice that they richly deserve and at the very minimum a state with considerable independence and sovereignty.
(my editorial in Daily Times)
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