During his deliberately offensive speech on September 23, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the General Assembly as “the theater of the absurd.” Israel’s few friends at the United Nations – led by the US delegation - listened gleefully and applauded as Netanyahu heralded a steady stream of insults.
Netanyahu then returned to Israel with vengeance, enraged by the passionate international reception of Palestinian Authority’s statehood bid.
Despite every Israeli effort, the world community has long been united in its support of Palestinian rights.
For decades, Israel labored to legitimize itself, denying the very existence of Palestinians. Following its occupation of the rest of historic Palestine in 1967, it tried to validate its colonial project while concurrently targeting any political platform that represented the Palestinian people. This endeavor was unsuccessful, thanks in part to the resistance of the Palestinians themselves, but also largely due to the enduring international support.
The Palestinian people owe a great deal to the many countries that have refused to adhere to such notions as ‘might makes right.’ Over 100 nations embraced the PLO’s declaration of Palestine in 1988, and now, many more have been added to the list.
While Netanyahu is a rightwing zealot without a shred of respect for international law, he is also a pragmatic leader. He understands that international support for Palestinians and the growing isolation and the ‘delegitimization’ of Israel (a mainstream topic of discussion in Israel today) are still not enough to alter facts on the ground. They will not impede the construction of the illegal ‘Separation Wall’ or slow down Israel’s colonial ambitions. The reason for this is US support. The illegal colonies dotting the Palestinian landscape, in violation of many UN resolutions, are funded by US money. The Wall is also largely an American investment. Yes, in fact, the entire Israeli colonial project would have been unfeasible without US funding, political backing and the silencing of any country that tried to challenge this iniquitous paradigm.
Despite all the difficulties facing Netanyahu at home - social upheaval and mass protests - and abroad, Netanyahu remains well-composed, speaking in the tone of an emperor. His secret is not the prowess of his army – whose recent victories include the killing and wounding of thousands of Palestinian civilians in Gaza - nor the moral ascendancy of his logic (it doesn’t exist). Netanyahu is elevated by the full knowledge that there are many men and women in Washington D.C. who remain dedicated to the interests of Israel, even during this time of American economic, political, military, and even moral crises. Yes, in the minds of these individuals and organizations, Israel’s interests sadly trump US interests.
Keeping all this in mind, it seemed entirely incongruous that while Abbas was trotting the globe to harness support for his statehood bid, Israel did little on that front. Instead, it announced grand plans to finally isolate occupied East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, to further expand existing settlements, to dig more trenches and erect more walls - not only in and around the West Bank and Jerusalem, but also around its border alongside Egypt.
Shortly after announcing plans to construct over 1000 units in the illegal Gilo colony (also referred to as ‘neighborhood’ by US and Israeli media), another ‘neighborhood’ of Givat HaMatos will be built. According to the Israeli anti-settlements organization, Peace Now, the latest announcement is particularly grave and is a “game changer that significantly changes the possible border between Israel and Palestine.”
“Unlike recent plans that caused controversy in Gilo and Pisgat Ze’ev which expanded the footprint of existing neighborhoods, the new plan creates an entirely new footprint of a new Israeli neighborhood in East Jerusalem, for the first time since the establishment of Har Homa in 1997 by the first Netanyahu Government.” (Peacenow.org., October 13)
With all fairness to Netanyahu’s government, the new construction, Plan no. 14295, is an expanded version of Plan no. 5834A, which was made public during the term of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in 2008. It is a fact that all Israeli governments since ’67 have carried out illegal settlement construction in Palestine, in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and many clearly-worded UN resolutions.
The newest Israeli violation of international law is part of a decided Israeli action to speed up its projection of the endgame in Palestine. Shortly before the public announcement concerning Givat HaMatos, Netanyahu announced, on October 11, “the establishment of a new committee charged with finding ways to legalize settlement outposts built on private Palestinian land” (Al Jazeera, October 13). This means that every act of theft and colonial vigilante that took place since 1967 by individual or groups of Jewish settlers might soon be recognized as legal ownership.
It is the height of injustice, not only from a Palestinian point of view, but also from standards set by international law. For example, UN Resolution 252 of May 21, 1968 considers “that all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel …which tend to change the legal status of Jerusalem are invalid and cannot change its status.” There are numerous laws and legal proclamations that render null and void all of Israel’s illegal action in the rest of the occupied territories.
The world’s only superpower, the veto-wielding US, has done much to ensure that Israel’s violations of international law go unpunished. Worse, it largely funded these violations, and shielded Israel from any accountability.
As for the real ‘theater of the absurd’, US lawmakers from both parties are launching a “new push to cut off American aid to the Palestinians as punishment for their efforts to become a separate state, with a House of Representatives committee pressing ahead with a bill withholding funding from any UN agency that recognizes Palestine,” according to the Financial Times (October 10).
Meanwhile, presidential candidates are once again groveling before the Israeli lobby. The latest is Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who claims that President Barack Obama has not done enough by way of aiding and abetting the Israeli occupation. He promised to “bolster and repair alliance” with Israel, and escalate US action against Iran (Ynet News, October 9).
“Our friends should never fear that we will not stand by them in an hour of need,” he said.
“The Theater of the Absurd,” indeed.
Ramzy Baroud (www.ramzybaroud.net) is an internationally-syndicated columnist and the editor of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story (Pluto Press, London), available on Amazon.com.
“Netanyahu is elevated by the full knowledge that there are many men and women in Washington D.C. who remain dedicated to the interests of Israel, even during this time of American economic, political, military, and even moral crises. Yes, in the minds of these individuals and organizations, Israel’s interests sadly trump US interests.”
“An nescis, mi fili, quantilla prudentia mundus regatur”
“Do you know, my son, how little is needed to rule the world”.
Just a good network of connections ,and a full loyalty to those, who fill the pockets.
A great American Prez said those who control the money, are more powerful than a standing army. A great early Rothschild said not too long later, that those who control the money, have control of the government. Seems both historical figures were right. Meh.
CITIZEN- Back when Jefferson and Rothschild made their remarks, the market economy was much less pervasive than nowadays. There was at least some measure of personal autonomy outside the market. That is no longer true in First World countries. Now, our large and highly complex society is effectively controlled by directing the flow of money, by those who direct the flow of money. This doesn’t seem to be well understood by those marinated in Marxian ideology, endlessly engaged in ritual incantations about ownership of the means of production, a 19th century delusion. Until the financial system is controlled by we the people, all other reforms are band aids doomed to eventually fail. A privately controlled debt based monetary system is crushing us down.
Keith:
You may want to have a look at what the master says.
Karl Marx: On the Jewish Question, 1844 (warning: this has long been labelled an anti-semitic text by a self-hating Jew)
link to marxists.org
Keith, I agree with what you say 100%. OWS, so far, does not seem to realize this sufficiently, it also seems that only the early Ron Paul supporters realized it when the Tea Party started up; since then, the Tea Party blending with the GOP has given up this insight, to whatever extent it had it in its early days. Ron Paul was on Meet the Press today and he laid it all out very clearly in what I think was the first time he’s been given any real MSM show time.
Antidote, in the most key ways, Atzmon’s new book mirrors Marx. And he too is being labeled as anti-semitic & a self-hating Jew.
Agreed, Citizen, I thought the same thing.
Lets not despair, the US government also vigilantly backed Apartheid South Africa right until…..they couldn’t any longer.
And besides, two states was always a shitty deal.
RE: “the US government also vigilantly backed Apartheid South Africa…” ~ Crowther
MY REPLY: Vive la “constructive engagement”!
Constructive engagement – link to en.wikipedia.org
Do you think they can put Dennis Ross in the same prison cell as Jack Abramoff? That would be poetic.
Yeah, put both of them in there with Pollard. Madoff can run the cell.
Part of the reason behind the prisoner exchange with Hamas was Israel’s strategy of pitting Hamas against Fatah.
When Fatah went to the UN, Israel saw that as a violation of a certain ‘understanding’. To punish Fatah, Israel went and made nice (relatively speaking) with Hamas.
So now Fatah is concerned that it is becoming irrelevant and marginalized. And that is why Fayaad came out with his comment this week in favor of — again — the two state solution.
Some good may come of this, though. Israel’s strategy could backfire and end up bringing Hamas out from the proverbial cold. It could end up strengthening Palestinian unity.
link to salon.com
Abunimah:
Israel did not negotiate with Hamas because Hamas is “moderate,” any more than the U.S. has negotiated with the Taliban in Afghanistan because it is “moderate,” or the U.K. negotiated with representatives of the Irish Republican Army because they were “moderate.”
In all those cases, enemies who had previously been declared off limits (“we don’t negotiate with terrorists”) were brought into the fold because they were in a position of strength.
RE: “US lawmakers from both parties are launching a “new push to cut off American aid to the Palestinians…” ~ Ramzy Baroud
MY COMMENT: Yes, and no matter the collateral damage!
SEE: House Foreign Affairs Committee Votes To Defund UNICEF, By Ali Gharib, Think Progress, 10/14/11
ENTIRE ARTICLE – link to thinkprogress.org
P.S. Anyone who says that there is something wrong with Ros-Lehtinen’s being a stooge for AIPAC is either an anti-Semite or a self-hating Jew!
P.S. The Palestine Chronicle (edited by Ramzey Baroud) is in the midst of a fundraising drive. I made a modest contribution several weeks ago via PayPal.
If Hilariiiii “smiles”, then we know something is very, very bad.
She “smiles” at things that usually don’t make an average, normal person happy or smiling. So , let’s worry.
Her “smile” makes makes me very suspicious.
Btw.. this photo could be placed on “the most wanted…witch” announcement. I strongly dislike this woman.
I’m not going to say, hate , because I’m trying not to overuse this negative word.
“FOR A REALLY GOOD TIME”, CHECK OUT THIS POLITICAL CARTOON – link to niqnaq.files.wordpress.com
RE: “She [Hillary] ‘smiles’ at things that usually don’t make an average, normal person happy or smiling.” ~ dumvitaestspesest
MY COMMENT: Much like “some people” eat things that an average, normal person does not eat!
MATT REES, 10/22/11: “…I continued to write about [Ariel] Sharon during the intifada.. On the way, I happened across still more food lore about him. He had a penchant for barbecued turkey testicles…”
SOURCE – link to salon.com
RE: “US lawmakers from both parties are launching a “new push to cut off American aid to the Palestinians…” ~ Ramzy Baroud
ALSO SEE: Will U.S. Destroy UNESCO to Stop Palestinian State? ~ By Richard Silverstein, Tikun Olam, 10/23/11
LINK – link to richardsilverstein.com
There is an interesting article at Salon which describes the inner workings of the Zionist regime during the Sharon period. It would to be interesting to see a similar article about what is going on inside the Netanyahu regime, but I guess that has to wait for history.
The Salon article, “Ariel Sharon’s fascinating appetite.
In my years reporting on the Middle East, I witnessed his bizarre relationship with food — and the story behind it” is at:
link to salon.com
how to turn israel-firstness into a major campaign issue?
by way of the occupy america movement?
but will the said movement be willing to take up the national security and other risks of israel-firstness?
if not it’ll go the way of israel’s j-14 movement, the one that tanked the moment pm netanyahu called the plo’s application for u. n. membership a threat to israel’s security
why would the occupy movement want to take on the israel-firsters?
in part the desire for peace on earth can be looked upon as an expression of pain avoidance, what with even the thought of war being such a downer
without justice for palestine there can be no peace
and without peace wither all us living beings?
which at the gut level almost everyone senses
once occupy america taps that sentiment?
will it not be invincible?