Palestinians Paying the Price for US/Israeli Imperial Arrogance
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)
Following Trump’s pronouncement on Jerusalem, three days of rage left two West Bank Palestinians dead, 767 wounded (according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society), along with over two dozen Gazans injured and four killed by Israeli shelling and terror-bombing, continuing Saturday – the Palestinian Health Ministry reported.
During a Friday Security Council meeting, all members except America strongly criticized Trump’s move – none intending actions against it, none supporting Palestinian rights except rhetorically, none interceding on their behalf, none suggesting sanctions or other punishments on Washington and Israel.
Russia’s UN envoy Vasily Nebenzya urged relaunching a “meaningful political process” to try resolving the Israel/Palestinian conflict through a two-state solution.
No political process exists, no legitimate peace process, no possibility of a two-state solution because Washington and Israel reject it on acceptable terms – namely, Palestinian statehood within June 1967 borders, 22% of historic Palestine with East Jerusalem as its exclusive capital.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniya called Trump’s pronouncement a “war declaration against Palestinians,” urging a new intifada against the Zionist enemy.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the PA won’t talk to Washington until Trump reverses his move – at least not until next week or next month.
Addressing the UN General Assembly on Friday, Iranian UN envoy Gholamali Khoshroo said “(o)ccupation of the Palestinian land lies at the root of all crises in our region, and any action to deny the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including with regard to the holy city of al-Quds (Jerusalem) and particularly al-Aqsa Mosque, will only result in more bloodshed and rage
Sergey Lavrov said Rex Tillerson “hinted…that the United States is expecting to strike a ‘deal of the century,’ which would resolve the Palestinian-Israeli problem in one swoop.”
Isn’t that what Oslo was touted to accomplish – what became a Palestinian Versailles masquerading as conflict resolution!
In October 1993 following the agreement, Edward Said commented as follows:
“Now that some of the euphoria has lifted, it is possible to re-examine the Israeli-PLO agreement with the required common sense.”
“What emerges from such scrutiny is a deal that is more flawed and, for most of the Palestinian people, more unfavorably weighted than many had first supposed.”
“The fashion-show vulgarities of the White House ceremony, the degrading spectacle of Yasser Arafat thanking everyone for the suspension of most of his people’s rights, and the fatuous solemnity of Bill Clinton’s performance, like a 20th-century Roman emperor shepherding two vassal kings through rituals of reconciliation and obeisance: all these only temporarily obscure the truly astonishing proportions of the Palestinian capitulation.”
Said died 10 years later in September 2003 from chronic lymphocytic leukemia. An uncompromising Palestinian human rights champion, his voice is sadly missed.
AIPAC gloated over Trump’s pronouncement, calling his action “historic…a long-overdue step…Jerusalem…to be Israel’s capital as part of any conceivable final status agreement.”
House and Senate Republicans, along with undemocratic Dem. leaders praised Trump’s move – House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi calling Jerusalem “the eternal capital of the Jewish homeland,” others making similar comments.
US UN envoy Nikki Haley absurdly claimed “(o)ur actions are intended to help advance the cause of peace.” Trump expressed similar Big Lies.
His move flies in the face of conflict resolution, putting it further out of reach than already, assuring Palestinian rage, ongoing for three days – likely to continue, not end.
Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was a contemptible provocation, exposing the peace process charade – what only existed in name only, pointless exercises each time initiated.
Palestinians’ liberating struggle continues, on their own like always.
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