I posted the following comment on my Facebook page and a discussion on what is terrorism ensued:
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Thinking Out Loud: A Conversation About What is Terrorism?
I posted the following comment on my Facebook page and a discussion on what is terrorism ensued:
Thursday, December 6, 2012
World Community Lesson Flies Over Netanyahu
The
last month in the Israel/Palestinian conflict has taught us a valuable lesson. The world community took two actions that
were fair and balanced, signaling to the parties, including the extremists,
that enough is enough; end the conflict by nudging the parties towards boundary
lines based on UN Resolution 242, i.e. a Two State Solution.
At
first the world community supported Israel for defending itself against rocket
attacks from the Hamas controlled Gaza. Then the world community overwhelmingly
supported an upgrade in Palestine’s status at the UN from an “entity” to a “state.” What is the world community of nations trying
to tell the Israelis and Palestinians?
I
hope that both the Palestinians and Israelis interpret the world community
actions in the spirit that I believe they were taken.
After
the cease-fire between between Gaza and Israel, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal quickly stated
that Hamas is willing to accept a TSS with 1967 borders. This is a major
accomplishment for the advancement of peace in the region. No similar statement was heard from any of
the major parties within Israel.
In fact, after the UN voted to upgrade the
status of Palestine to that of observer “State”, Israel responded by stating
that they will go forward with objectionable plans to build settlements in Area
E1 around Jerusalem, which effectively kills the TSS by dissecting a West Bank
home for a Palestinian State. This too is a major accomplishment but not for
the advancement of peace but for the prolongation of the status quo, i.e.
occupation. This is sad.
Britain, France Spain, the European Union,
Denmark, Sweden, Australia and Egypt have all summoned its Ambassadors to
Israel, a step short of “recalling” the Ambassador to protest the Israeli
settlemtn announcement. Germany’s
Chancellor Angela Merkel decided to meet formally with Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu to sternly tell him to drop plans to build 3,000 new settler
homes in a highly contentious strip of the occupied West Bank near Jerusalem.
Netanyahu
responded by not fully appreciating what the World community was trying say to
Israel and Palestine by telling the German press, "I appreciated the
support of Chancellor Merkel and the German government during the operation in
Gaza..At the same time, I would be disingenuous if I didn’t tell you that I was
disappointed, as were many people in Israel, by the German vote in the UN.
Netanyahu
also stated that the UN vote also would unite the West Bank Fatah Party with
the Gaza Hamas Party, as if that was taboo.
This just reinforces my argument that Israel is not looking for a TSS
but a Three State Solution (TSS). He
also referred to Hamas as terrorist, overlooking the fact that in his own
coalition includes the Shaas Party, whose whose spiritual leader Rabbi
Ovadia Yousef calls for the annihilation of the Palestinians.
Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abass has signaled, after the upgrade of the UN
status for Palestine and in response to the Israeli action on new illegal settlement
building, that he will seek International Criminal Court action “in the case of
Israeli aggression.” Netanyahu responded
by withholding $100 million of taxes that Israel collects on behalf of
Palestinians and must turnover to the Palestinian Authority.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Israel turns to the further Right
The turn to the further right by the Likud Party in Israel just reinforces the
argument that 1) there is no political will within Israel to make a
comprehensive peace with the Palestinians and 2) the Two State Solution
(TSS) is dead. If one reads between the lines and listens carefully to what
Israeli spokespersons are saying one will comprehend what Israel wants: a
Three State Solution (3SS) with 1) Israel with Area C and part of Area B; 2)
Palestinian Authority with Area A and part of Area B; and 3) Gaza. Israel is
already calling the checkpoints between Area's A and C as border crossings,
an obvious reference to two entities and its spokespersons state that Oslo
gave Area A and B to Palestinians and the Palestinians negotiated away
Area C. As to Gaza, they claim that in 2005 that they dismantled the
settlements and left Gaza giving them their "own State." Palestinians are
falling into the Israeli cunning trap yet again. Palestinians need to resist
by 1) seeking UN recognition--and use this platform to press for a One
State Solution (OSS) 2) strongly support the BDS movement 3) Support
the emergence of a new generation of Palestinians who will take up
their stone and restore the dignity of future generations and 4) most
importantly, unify the leadership in Gaza and the West Bank at all
costs.
See Jerusalem Post article: http://www.jpost.com/
argument that 1) there is no political will within Israel to make a
comprehensive peace with the Palestinians and 2) the Two State Solution
(TSS) is dead. If one reads between the lines and listens carefully to what
Israeli spokespersons are saying one will comprehend what Israel wants: a
Three State Solution (3SS) with 1) Israel with Area C and part of Area B; 2)
Palestinian Authority with Area A and part of Area B; and 3) Gaza. Israel is
already calling the checkpoints between Area's A and C as border crossings,
an obvious reference to two entities and its spokespersons state that Oslo
gave Area A and B to Palestinians and the Palestinians negotiated away
Area C. As to Gaza, they claim that in 2005 that they dismantled the
settlements and left Gaza giving them their "own State." Palestinians are
falling into the Israeli cunning trap yet again. Palestinians need to resist
by 1) seeking UN recognition--and use this platform to press for a One
State Solution (OSS) 2) strongly support the BDS movement 3) Support
the emergence of a new generation of Palestinians who will take up
their stone and restore the dignity of future generations and 4) most
importantly, unify the leadership in Gaza and the West Bank at all
costs.
See Jerusalem Post article: http://www.jpost.com/
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
MODERATE PALESTINIANS SORELY DISAPPOINTED
I have always been an optimist. I have always advocated peace. I
was one of the first Palestinians to call for the recognition of Israel. I did
so in 1980 on the University of Illinois - Chicago campus (although I attended
Loyola University) and was ostracized by Fatah, Jabha and other Palestinian
student groups. I held my ground and was one of the few Palestinians in
the Chicago area that could go to any group’s events.
I welcomed the Oslo Accords and attended the White House signing
ceremony on September 13, 1993. I witnessed the famous handshake between
Arafat and Rabin and felt a sense of relief that the long hard nightmare for my
people might soon be over.
Since Oslo, however, I and many moderate Palestinians have been
sorely disappointed.
- We have seen the settlement expansion in the West Bank more than quadruple.
- We have seen thousands of Palestinian agriculture acres (olive groves) destroyed.
- We have seen a separation wall built around our towns and villages leaving isolated enclaves that basically imprison Palestinians especially men between the ages of 18 and 40.
- We have seen a voluminous number of humiliating military check points that disgrace and dehumanize Palestinians.
- We have seen democratic Palestinian elections whose results were not accepted by Israel and an American President who told us that one of the results of the Iraqi invasion of 2003 was a democratization of the Middle East.
- We have also seen since Oslo, (unfortunately) the introduction of the Palestinian suicide bomber and the assassination of an Israeli Prime Minister (by an Israeli terrorist) which, in essence, killed the peace process.
- We have also seen the right wing religious fanatic groups who have increased their power and because they have been and are part of the past and current coalition governments in Israel, in my opinion, hold the entire Middle East hostage.
- We also see the continued marginalization of the Palestinians
- because of inter-fighting;
- because the world cannot accept that the Palestinian people have elected one party over another party that is repeat with corruption and that has not produced the liberation it has said it will deliver; and
- because the power of the purse is used to blackmail the Palestinian West Bank leadership to accept what the people will not allow them to accept.
- We have also witnessed in 2008-2009 and now again the barbarity of the Israeli devastating and disproportionate onslaught against our brothers and sisters and our children in Gaza as the continued Israeli blockade causes severe economic conditions of food, water and medical shortages for which, we are told, the Palestinians cannot repel and for which the world flotilla aid campaign cannot break.
Because we have seen all these demoralizing aspects of the conflict,
I, as well as many moderate (if not all) Palestinians, have abandoned the two
state solution.
- It is inconceivable that the 600,000 settlers in the West Bank will get up and leave. This is not the Gaza Strip where 21 settlements illegally inhabited by 21,000 extreme Zionist settlers can be disbanded and the settlers removed.
- It is inconceivable that the right wing ultra-conservative/orthodox parties within Israel will agree to give up Areas C especially since their power is increasing and especially since the recent poll in Israel tells us that the majority of Israelis have no problem living in an Apartheid like state.
- It is inconceivable that Israel will abandon its policy to allow a Palestinian limited state within Area A and parts of Area B, on the one hand and another Palestinian entity in Gaza, as the Liberman Plan has so stated for Gaza.
Inconceivability is only in the political realm. In realty
however, the numbers (population growth of the Palestinians visa via the
Israelis) will force Israel to rethink its position. My doubts are in
succeeding Israel requests to endlessly talk to no end. The Israeli policy is
"let us agree to agree in the future" but the future never comes
because Israel always finds ways to interpret agreements by defining terms as
it defines them. My pessimism is in endless talks that attempt to fill the
glass with water but the glass is always half empty.
For Palestinians, the concept of a two state solution is
illusionary. Since Oslo, succeeding Israeli governments have allowed the
ever expanding settlements on illegally confiscated Palestinian land, thus
creating “facts on the ground.” Israel has played its hand too long. Israeli leaders thought
they could exhaust us into submission; that as long as they continued to build
illegal settlements and continued to appease the Palestinian Authority in the
West Bank while driving a wedge between West Bank and Gaza leaders, they could
frustrate the Palestinians into accepting two Palestinian entities, one in the
West Bank with Area A and part of Area B; and the other in Gaza. Thus in essence, Israel has been trying for a
three state solution. Palestinians
cannot and will not accept this.
By playing its hand too long, Israel has lost the moderate
Palestinians.
Moderate Palestinians are seeking other means to assert
Palestinian fundamental rights. Moderate Palestinians wholeheartedly support
the Palestinian request to join the United Nations General Assembly with
pre-1967 borders but understand that this is only a prelude to a one state
solution to the conflict. We also support the boycott, divestment and sanctions
movement against the Israeli occupation. We welcome the emergency of a new
generation of Palestinians who will pick up their stone and fight for the
dignity and well-being of future Palestinian generations. We also call upon the Palestinian factions to
reconcile their differences and believe that the Palestinian house needs to be
united immediately.
(© Copyright 2012, Fadi Zanayed. Publication or distribution of this material is allowed provided its content is not altered and the source and its author are cited.)
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Why Can't the Palestinians Do As the Israelis?
Several observations in response to the Jerusalem Post
article concerning the Palestinian Authority building in Area C:
#1. "illegal land grabs" The Israeli press has the audacity to call
this an illegal land grab when they know darn well that Israel has been doing
it for decades. In America, we have a
saying: "What is good for the goose is good for the gander." If
Israel can illegally land grab so can we.
#2. " Allocation of final sovereignty in Area C was to
be determined in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority
under the Oslo Accords and the Bush Roadmap of 2002." Israel has determined that this means that
Israel can build in Area C and not Palestinians. They stall final "determinations"
so that they can continue to build and build while not allowing us to build.
#3. "state lands" I have written that Israel
already considers Area C to be Israeli state land. They have no intention to give
this up. Although the Jerusalem Post article readily admits that "final
sovereignty in Area C was to be determined in negotiations between Israel and
the Palestinian Authority" it is Israel that has the exclusive right to
build on this land. Hogwash! Read my
article at http://fadizanayed.blogspot.com/2012/02/apartheid-israel-policy-to-retain-area.html
#4. If anyone does not think that Israeli bulldozers
purchased with American aid dollars from Caterpillar Corporation will not
demolish these buildings then the Israeli propaganda campaign creating the
world gullibility conscience has succeeded.
Long live Rachel Corrie!
Saturday, August 25, 2012
No Talking Endlessly
A Facebook member contacted me with the following message: hello---can
you say something about achieving peace both for Israel/Palestinians and over
all area -- or are you just anti-Israel? I see you are educated…. so you should
be working for a solution
My reply:
I am not anti-Israel. I was one of the first Palestinians to call for the recognition of Israel. In1980 I championed the recognition of Israel at college campuses and within the Palestinian community in Chicago. I attended the White House Rose Garden peace signing ceremony on September 13, 1993 and witnessed the famous handshake between Rabin and Arafat.
I have always been and continue to be an advocate for peace. Yet, I like many peace-loving Palestinians have become disillusioned by Israel's constant talking but not really talking. They want to talk but never conclude the "talks" and all the while they want to illegally confiscate more Palestinian land and build more illegal settlements and transfer more hard core machine gun taunting settlers into these settlements. Their justification for this is that the Palestinians have given up Area C in the Oslo Agreement. This is hogwash.
They cut down our olive groves and then Israeli supporters justify this by saying that "terrorists" hide in the trees. This is hogwash.
When I ask Israeli's to explain the discrepancy between laws that differently effect Palestinians and Israelis and how they cannot call Israel an apartheid state, they have no explanations. They have no explanation for Jewish only roads; no explanation for colored license plates for Palestinians; no explanation for a wall that divides farmers from their farm land; no explanation for surrounding towns with barred wires and checkpoints out of those towns that allow residence ingress and egress at only certain times of the day. In one such town, an elementary school is outside the wall and the guards at the 3pm crossing when children are released from their school purposefully choose to not open the gates leaving the children alone to wait until the evening crossing before they can return to their families and homes. This is a direct policy that builds frustration and hatred and ultimately aims to continue the status quo--occupation.
No one can explain to me that why Israel always asks the Palestinians to return to the "negotiating table" when Israeli soldiers carry out a direct and humiliating policy to destroy the human will of the Palestinians. No one asks the Israelis why their leaders continue to frustrate and subjugate Palestinians into complacency. No one asks Israel to stop its policy to dehumanize Palestinians and establish a policy to build an atmosphere of confidence in the future.
The future is in numbers. Peace will be established when Israel realizes that the will of the Palestinians people cannot be destroyed; that they cannot continue their apartheid practices especially when in 2016 it is expected that the population in Palestine and Israel will be such that Israelis are the minority.
The problem with a lack of peace is that the Israeli political system gives too much power to its minority parties. In all the 64 year history of Israel, there has been only one Israeli government that had a majority in its Knesset. All the other Israeli governments have been run by coalition governments that are beholden to right wing minority parties that do not want peace because these parties wield the ongoing threat to switch their allegiance in the Knesset in a no confidence vote thus bringing down the ruling party. (See my article Soul Searching Leads to Peace
The only way for peace to be achieved is through a One State Solution. It is not an impossibility. South Africa has proven that. Despite the decades of White Rule in South Africa the Black population, through the heroic efforts of Nelson Mandela, reconciliation between the people of South Africa, thought to be unattainable, was achieved successfully. Recompilation can be achieved in the Holy Land.
My reply:
I am not anti-Israel. I was one of the first Palestinians to call for the recognition of Israel. In1980 I championed the recognition of Israel at college campuses and within the Palestinian community in Chicago. I attended the White House Rose Garden peace signing ceremony on September 13, 1993 and witnessed the famous handshake between Rabin and Arafat.
I have always been and continue to be an advocate for peace. Yet, I like many peace-loving Palestinians have become disillusioned by Israel's constant talking but not really talking. They want to talk but never conclude the "talks" and all the while they want to illegally confiscate more Palestinian land and build more illegal settlements and transfer more hard core machine gun taunting settlers into these settlements. Their justification for this is that the Palestinians have given up Area C in the Oslo Agreement. This is hogwash.
They cut down our olive groves and then Israeli supporters justify this by saying that "terrorists" hide in the trees. This is hogwash.
When I ask Israeli's to explain the discrepancy between laws that differently effect Palestinians and Israelis and how they cannot call Israel an apartheid state, they have no explanations. They have no explanation for Jewish only roads; no explanation for colored license plates for Palestinians; no explanation for a wall that divides farmers from their farm land; no explanation for surrounding towns with barred wires and checkpoints out of those towns that allow residence ingress and egress at only certain times of the day. In one such town, an elementary school is outside the wall and the guards at the 3pm crossing when children are released from their school purposefully choose to not open the gates leaving the children alone to wait until the evening crossing before they can return to their families and homes. This is a direct policy that builds frustration and hatred and ultimately aims to continue the status quo--occupation.
No one can explain to me that why Israel always asks the Palestinians to return to the "negotiating table" when Israeli soldiers carry out a direct and humiliating policy to destroy the human will of the Palestinians. No one asks the Israelis why their leaders continue to frustrate and subjugate Palestinians into complacency. No one asks Israel to stop its policy to dehumanize Palestinians and establish a policy to build an atmosphere of confidence in the future.
The future is in numbers. Peace will be established when Israel realizes that the will of the Palestinians people cannot be destroyed; that they cannot continue their apartheid practices especially when in 2016 it is expected that the population in Palestine and Israel will be such that Israelis are the minority.
The problem with a lack of peace is that the Israeli political system gives too much power to its minority parties. In all the 64 year history of Israel, there has been only one Israeli government that had a majority in its Knesset. All the other Israeli governments have been run by coalition governments that are beholden to right wing minority parties that do not want peace because these parties wield the ongoing threat to switch their allegiance in the Knesset in a no confidence vote thus bringing down the ruling party. (See my article Soul Searching Leads to Peace
The only way for peace to be achieved is through a One State Solution. It is not an impossibility. South Africa has proven that. Despite the decades of White Rule in South Africa the Black population, through the heroic efforts of Nelson Mandela, reconciliation between the people of South Africa, thought to be unattainable, was achieved successfully. Recompilation can be achieved in the Holy Land.
I still have hope for peace. I will always have
hope for peace. I want to live with
Jews, Muslims and Christians in prosperity in the Holy Land. I want to work for a solution but I cannot
and will not talk for the sake of talk if it will lead to a never ending talks.
A One State Solution is the only thing to "talk" about.
A One State Solution is the only thing to "talk" about.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Why Can't We Live Together
I have not written about Middle
East affairs for several months. I have
been tending to the needs of my brother Munther who has since succumbed to the
cancer that invaded his body. His death
certificate came in today and the place of birth that was inscribed therein
stated “Israel.” I was offended as I am
sure my brother would also have been.
Even in death, the Palestinian identity is being eliminated. I'm having the death certificate changed.
When asked by the Funeral Director
where my brother was born, I informed her that Munther, known as Mike, was born
in Jerusalem. That information was
translated to being Israel. Jerusalem is
not part of Israel under international law and is subject to final status
negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis.
Negotiations have been unfruitful and the circumstances indicates that
one day soon, all of the land now known as Israel and Palestinian Territories
will be one state encompassing all Palestinians and Israelis. Perception however has been painted in
public opinion that Jerusalem is Israeli.
Nothing can be further from the truth. Palestinians have not and will not give up its
claim to Jerusalem.
Israelis are doing everything they
can to ethnically cleanse Jerusalem by not only excluding Palestinians from
returning to the place of their birth but also by making it difficult for
Palestinian residence in ethe Holy City to remain. This
brings me back to my brother Mike and his perceptive insight on this matter.
My brother Mike did not discuss
politics much. In fact he had a convoluted
logic and unreasonable thinking when it came to the Middle East. Mike was a jokester and when he offered a
solution to the Middle East conflict which was unreasonable and contained convoluted
logic, it at first made me laugh. However, when I thought about it while
preparing his eulogy, I realized his point.
First let me tell explain his solution.
He stated, several months before
his passing, that an Arab man and woman and a Jewish man and woman should be selected
and placed on an island. Then he said,
America should “nuke” the entire Middle East.
After the nuclear dust settles, he stated, “ Take the Arab man and Jewish
woman and have them mate; likewise for the Jewish man and the Arab woman. And
then start all over!”
Unreasonable? Yes.
Convoluted logic? Yes. But if you
really think about it, I think my brother Mike was trying to tell us that we
should all just live together.
(© Copyright 2012, Fadi Zanayed. Publication or distribution of this material is allowed provided its content is not altered and the source and its author are cited.)
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