So Easy A Caveman Gets It
Even this guys is starting to get it
Palestinian self-described Chief Negotiator, Saeb Erakat, is among the latest to recognize the Two State No Solution fallacy. If this guy gets it, you have no excuse:
Palestinians may have to abandon the goal of an independent state if Israel continues to expand settlements and the United States does not stop it, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Wednesday.
Erekat said Clinton – who praised as unprecedented Netanyahu’s offer to temporarily limit construction in West Bank settlements to 3,000 additional housing units – was only opening the door to more settlements in the next two years.
The alternative left for Palestinians is to “refocus their attention on the one-state solution where Muslims, Christians and Jews can live as equals,” Erekat said. “It is very serious. This is the moment of truth for us.”
Palestinian political and business leadership has been the most fervent allies of the Zionist project over the past decade. They owe their rise and riches to the occupation-subcontracting series of agreements that are called the “peace process,” and as such have worked diligently to preserve the status quo by lies, promises, police state, bribes to mid-level leadership, and internal fighting and political divisiveness.
All of the above tactics, and the severe, long lasting harm they and the “peace process” caused where an affordable price for them to preserve their gain. Manipulation and prolonged their reign, divisiveness facilitated the rise of the other set of self-interested leadership, such as Hamas. Yet it appears that their luck is about to run out. Thanks in part for the Obama Administration, which took hardly anytime to prove that they are just a bunch of Bushies when it comes to Palestine-Israel.
The population at large has moved from naively optimistic and trusting to disgruntled, yet too disgusted to act. They have lost faith in any and all leaders regardless of party affiliation or ideology, that they had no motive to resist one with knowledge that it would strengthen the opposition, which is no less self interested and willing to abandon collective rights for individual or party gains. Over the past two years, especially after the Fatah-Hamas civil war (interrupted), this has been the mood.
Erakat’s admission of this reality (which still falls short as he is using it as a threat, not recognizing it as the only rightful option), is a recognition of the boiling waters in the Palestinian streets, and the rise of a new, politically-sophisticated, youthful leadership that is demanding out of the box thinking and refusing to blindly subscribe the hollow slogans historically parroted by political leaders from Fatah, Hamas, and all in between, as sound political strategy.
Hani Masri wrote an excellent article (in Arabic) published on Maan today. The column clearly reflects the growing sentiment of disillusion and rejection of the current leadership, the corrupted peace process, and throwing the Palestinians’ lot with the dishonest broker, The United States, which obviously is only an advocate of Israel’s position. Masri calls for the suspension of the peace process, rethinking the Palestinians position and demands, demanding negotiations supervised by honest multi-lateral broker, and leveraging the Palestinian position with the international BDS movement and questioning of Israel’s legitimacy, legitimate armed resistance, and block representation with other Arab delegations.
The more this position grows among Palestinians, the sooner we will see justice, peace, and equality.
[Tarboush tip: Layth]
