Norman Finkelstein on the current Israel-Palestine talks: "we are approaching a potentially historic moment. Why? Because Palestinians are now the weakest they have ever been. This is due to four main factors: • Regionally, the Arab world is completely shattered and ready to do whatever the U.S. demands. Kerry says to the Arab League “have a meeting, endorse my guidelines”, so it meets and endorses his guidelines. Kerry says “change the Arab Peace Initiative to include a reference to land swaps”, so it amends the Peace Initiative. It won’t put up any resistance. • Hamas, which was the principal obstacle to the Palestinian Authority (PA) imposing its will, has been reduced to zero. Hamas severed its ties with Syria and Iran, choosing to put all its eggs in the basket of the Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt. With that gone, Hamas is in its most desperate state since its founding in the 1980s. • The Palestinian people have never been more despondent and despairing. For all the chatter on Facebook, Twitter and blogs by the Ramallah NGOs about a third intifada, there is no sign of one. This could change, but right now, Palestinians are in a defeatist state of mind. • The Palestinian Authority is not more corrupt than it’s ever been, because it reached rock bottom a long time ago, but it’s more dependent on the U.S. than ever. The U.S. holds the purse strings, and the PA has to follow orders. It seems Obama will throw in a few extra dollars that will enrich a thin stratum of the Oslo nouveau riche. When you add up all these factors, it’s possible that the U.S. can impose a historic defeat on the Palestinians, by forcing through a settlement on terms that preclude a viable Palestinian state."
Posted on: Sat, 27 Jul 2013 18:31:11 +0000
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