By Daoud Kuttab
Monday, October 18, 2010
A Palestinian state is coming – it is just not clear whether it will result from the latest round of peace talks.
It is easy to be pessimistic, or even apathetic, about the current peace talks. History is a witness to the lack of Palestinian accomplishments in incremental negotiations. All successful efforts to date have stemmed from secret talks made public only once a package agreement was reached.
Nevertheless, a breakthrough is possible this time – thanks to the unshakable Palestinian peace strategy.
Whereas the PLO long pursued a dual strategy of military resistance and politics, today’s Palestinian leaders have clearly opposed any form of violence. Most recently this determined non-violent effort can be seen and felt in every city, village or refugee camp in Palestine. With tactics including the boycott of Israeli settlement products and an international divestment campaign, it has captured the imagination of local groups, international activists and Israeli peace supporters.
Palestinian security apparatuses are working tirelessly to defend the peace strategy. These efforts have created an opening, but the situation remains plagued by attempts at obstruction from both sides.
When President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Washington last week, it marked the first time a Palestinian leader entered peace talks enduring deep opposition within his own party in addition to opposition from PLO factions and outside groups. Hamas has not stopped at verbal expressions of disagreement; it was behind the August 31 fatal shooting of four Jewish settlers near Hebron and an attack near Ramallah that injured two settlers the following day. The attacks were clearly timed to disrupt the talks and weaken the position of the Palestinian delegation.
Palestinians have good reason to be skeptical about Israel’s sincerity when it comes to peace. Chief among them: Israel’s heavy-handedness in Gaza and its continued violations of international law by building Jewish-only buildings in occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank. When the spiritual leader of Shas, a major coalition partner in the Israeli government, publicly expressed hope for a plague to kill all Palestinians, many understandably doubted Israel’s willingness to live in peace with its Palestinian neighbors. Even after the talks began, Israel’s foreign minister dampened any hopes for progress by saying nothing will happen this year.
So why should Palestinians hold onto hope?
Rather than cursing the Israeli occupation, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, a former World Bank executive, has shifted the focus to building up the Palestinian state. Fayyad’s government has improved security – as Israeli army generals have acknowledged – and the rule of law while also introducing far-reaching reforms in education, health and the economy. In its annual report on assistance to the Palestinian people, the UN Conference on Trade and Development estimated that gross domestic product in the occupied territories rose 6.8 percent in 2009. The recently unveiled second-year phase of this plan was titled “Home stretch to freedom.”...READ MORE
No comments:
Post a Comment