ABSENCE OF REAL POLITICAL HORIZON

Abdullah M. Abu Shawesh argues the need to stop Israel from behaving as if it is above the law

The ongoing international discourse about the latest developments in the Palestinian tragedy has been intense for almost two months. There have been numerous heated discussions between supporters of both sides, leading to intense polarization. These dialogues have been widely shown and broadcasted.

It turns out that the absence of a well-known historical background is the main dominant factor, as evidenced by the main question: why did this happen?  The short and concise answer is the absence of a real peace process. This answer is like someone who is thirsty and drinks saltwater, will only become thirstier. The masses need to know more. This raises another question; who is to be blamed? From the point of view of any rational and impartial political commentator, Israel should be blamed for several reasons, some of which are as follows.

With the signing of the Oslo Accords, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), led by the late Chairman Yasser Arafat, began a real peace process aimed at embodying the Palestinian State on the occupied Palestinian territories based on the 1967 borders, which constitute only 22% of the historical land of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and a fair solution to Palestine refuges based on the UNGA resolution 194 adapted on 11 December 1948.

We did not invent the wheel; the two-state solution is enshrined in UN General Assembly Resolution 181, which is the official birth certificate for Siamese twins’ states. One of them has already been embodied, which is the State of Israel, and the other has been waiting for 75 years and has not yet been born, which is the State of Palestine. Resolution 181 or the two-state birth certificate is not a new invention at all, but rather the absence of international will made it an incomplete birth process.

Since the first day of its life, the new- born state of Israeli did not stop putting obstacles to the two-state solution by refusing the implementation of the UNGA 181 and 194 resolutions. To add insult to the injury they occupied the remaining part of the historical land of Palestine June 1967. Among many other challenges, expansion of existing and construction of new settlements is one of  top significant obstacles of the peace process. Settlement and state of Palestine can’t mix at all. Two-state solution means by default, dismantling and evacuating the Israeli settlements that is a grave violation to the international law. Even the blindly unshakable and unequivocally western countries who are supporting Israeli align themselves with the international law on the settlements issue.

According to the UN the settlement project began in the first week of occupation of East Jerusalem 1967 when Israel demolished 160 homes in the Al-Maghariba neighborhood located opposite the western wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards, confiscating 600 other buildings and displacing approximately 5,500 indigenous residents

According to the Israel NGO Peace Now, at the time of signing Oslo Accord 1993, there are approximately 250000 settlers in the Occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem located in 140 settlements. Today there are nearly 700000 settlers located in 300 settlements. This means 280% increase. 

By taking a deep look at the above figures alone, we can restfully say that none of the Israeli government since that time has intended to put an end to the occupation. The only thing that we are sure is that, it has succeeded in creating an irreversible one apartheid state reality that has left the Palestinians with a zero-sum game at the Negotiation table.

 Settlements are not the last obstacle to a two-state solution. Since the first day of taking office, the current Israeli prime minister has set another precondition on the negotiating table: recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the Jewish people. The suspicious and strange part of the story is that when Yitzhak Rabin the assassinated Israeli prime minister signed the Oslo Accords, he signed it on behalf of Israel not the Jewish state. The peace agreement with Egypt and Jordan was also signed by the Israeli government not on behalf of the Jewish state. It’s official name in the United Nations is also Israel. When they recently signed normalization agreements with several Arab countries, they signed it on the name of Israel, not the Jewish state.

They are insisting and demanding that the Palestinians change their old recognition of Israel to be a recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. They know that this cannot happen for many logical reasons that we may discuss in another article. This is another thick stick in the wheel.

If we all agree to blame Israeli and only Israeli for absence of peace on the Holy Land, this should trigger another question, what can we all do?

You all as international community, social media influencers, cleric leaders, political leaders, media correspondents, intergovernmental and other prominent bodies even as individuals have a collective responsibility, everyone can be a game changer. Let us remember the solidarity that we all show and the many tools we used to dismantle and put an end to the White Supremacy and the South African apartheid regime, we all were united and succeeded to make a real change.

In these tragic days, we should utilize the unfortunate slaughtering to stop the Israeli occupation and force them back to the negotiation table. And to do so it is very clear too that Israeli will not back down voluntarily to the negotiation table.

It is the right time to put pressure on the governments of Western countries to stop protecting Israel with the Iron Dome against any kind of accountability. It’s time to end the hypocrisy, lip service, and double standards. It is time to stop accepting Israel as the only country above international law.

It is time to pave the way for a political horizon, and this can be achieved by stopping treating Israel as a grumpy and spoiled teenager.

H.E. Shawesh is Ambassador of Palestine to Nigeria