Jonathan S. Tobin, Senior Online Editor Commentary Magazine
In one of the most amusingly delusional wishful thinking hasbara articles I have ever read Jonathan Tobin tries and fails to convince us nobody is really worried or even thinking about Palestinians anymore, and they are irrelevant. I kid you not. This is a must read in terms of setting a new tone of fanatical discourse. It’s almost unbelievable, but then again, it is what we’ve come to expect from Commentary Magazine.
In the very same paragraph Tobin references the Hamas Fatah unity deal as “what can only be termed a momentous turn of events” the confirmation Palestinians are ‘irrelevant’ is supposedly due to the “lack of alarm or even much worry about the impact of Hamas on the peace process”.
Someone should clue in Tobin the ‘lack of alarm’ doesn’t signal the irrelevance of Palestinians, it rather confirms the general public is not freaking out by the prospect of dealing with Hamas and would rather see the show on the road. All that pro team fear mongering just isn’t working. What it signifies (and everyone already knows) is there simply is no ‘peace process’ where Israel is concerned and hasn’t been for long long time, if ever. It’s been a delay hoax for long enough and nobody is chomping anymore, least of all Palestinians. Literally nobody, no one I can think of anyway.
Tobin claims “the world is gradually moving on”. Uh huh/not. In fact there were, according to Google, over a 1507 related articles covering the recent signing, including Fox News, the Financial Times, the SF Chronicle and everyone in between. That doesn’t sound like moving on to me, it sounds like ‘in the news’. The most recent (7 minutes ago as I’m typing this) is from the editorial staff at Haaretz, Netanyahu is punishing Israel :
Netanyahu’s ultimatum looks like a pretext for torpedoing talks on a final-status agreement based on the Quartet’s outline and U.S. President Barack Obama’s speech last May. But these negotiations were on the rocks even before Abbas signed the agreement with the head of Hamas’ political bureau, Khaled Meshal, due to Israel’s refusal to freeze construction in the settlements and present substantive positions on a permanent border.
The ongoing crisis in the diplomatic process is playing a key role in tilting the political balance in the territories toward the opponents of a compromise. These opponents already laud the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza as a victory for “the resistance,” and burying the diplomatic process would open a path for them to take over leadership of both the PA and the PLO in the upcoming competition for the Palestinian electorate’s backing.
Netanyahu must end his obsessive search for flaws in the internal Palestinian agreement and focus instead on an initiative for ending the conflict. For he has the ability to do so.
No one in the reality based community is pretending this is over or that Palestinians are ‘irrelevant’. Things are just heating up. Palestinians did the polite thing. Once again they bent over backwards, delayed their UN bid and carried out the wishes of the Quartet (wishes Israel flipped the bird at and twisted around with all the best hasbara their think tanks could come up with). We’re moving on from Commentary’s overwraught bloviations (“Peace will have to wait until a sea change in Palestinian political culture that will make it possible for the PA to sign a deal that recognizes the legitimacy of a Jewish state no matter where its borders are drawn.”). People are accepting Hamas is here to stay and serious people should prepare to play ball. Maybe you should grow up and start reading the news. Here’s Bloomberg : Making a Fatah and Hamas Partnership Work for U.S., Israel:
The news that the mainstream Palestinian group Fatah has agreed to form a unity government with the militantly Islamist Hamas may move some to dismay. Although there are ample reasons for that reaction, this development may also present an opportunity.
There is evidence, however, that the movement is re- evaluating its friends and options and that at least some of the leaders in this fractious organization are experimenting with a more pragmatic tone. Hamas’s agreement to share power with secular rival Fatah is itself something of a concession.
All of this leaves policy makers in the U.S. and Israel with two broad options: They can seize on these developments as a moment of weakness for Hamas and seek to reinforce its isolation, thereby preserving the status quo; or they can work with governments that have open communications with Hamas, such as Turkey, Qatar and Jordan, as well as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, to encourage Hamas onto a more moderate path. At this particular moment, the latter seems a policy worth exploring.
Isolation has succeeded in keeping Hamas militarily weak, but on other counts the policy has failed. Notably, it ensured that Hamas remained in the willing arms of Iran, and an economic blockade failed to stir revolt inside Gaza. Hamas is unlikely to fold up and disappear any time soon.
Who’s irrelevant? Commentary Magazine, that’s who.
The implication here is that since both major Palestinian factions have elected to eschew militant tactics in favor of civil or diplomatic ones, therefore “Palestinians are irrelevant” — which paradoxically seems to acknowledge that the militant dimensions of the Palestinian struggle are what have made Palestinians “relevant”.
Nonetheless, this is clearly delusional talk. The majority of the Security Council and the General Assembly of the UN wish to recognize Palestine and UNESCO has given Palestine national recognition — so tell us, o Commentary, again, how are Palestinians irrelevant?
The Angry Arab says:
“Israeli government said that the agreement between Hamas and Fath indicates that Fath has moved away from the “peace process”. No, it means that Hamas has moved away from resistance to occupation.”
There’s no reason for those who support Palestinian rights to become cheerleaders for this agreement. They are both corrupt organizations. Resistance lies elsewhere.
“Peace will have to wait until a sea change in Palestinian political culture that will make it possible for the PA to sign a deal that recognizes the legitimacy of a Jewish state no matter where its borders are drawn.”
This statement by Commentary is grotesque. Absolutely vile.
“In Washington, the reaction from the Obama administration was equally predictable as the State Department spokesperson withheld judgment.”
“equally predictable” Don’t think so. “withheld judgment” this response was not at all predicatable.
Annie your post is great. Jonathon Tobin ‘s piece demonstrating more desperation. ” the rest of the world is gradually moving on.” The rest of the world is learning more about the facts on the ground in the conflict….especially Americans.
This ludicrous line of Tobins really demonstrates his insane views
“Peace will have to wait until a sea change in Palestinian political culture that will make it possible for the PA to sign a deal that recognizes the legitimacy of a Jewish state no matter where its borders are drawn.”
“no matter where its borders are drawn” The majority of people around the world and internationally recognized organizations recognize Israel based on the 67 border. Period. All settlements illegal