This is part of Marc H. Ellis’s “Exile and the Prophetic” feature for Mondoweiss. To read the entire series visit the archive page.
The ceasefire negotiations continue on. Or will stop and begin again. Does it really matter?
Deadlines with Israel should be redefined as bully-lines. Do this, right now, as we say – or continue to die.
Our Jewish arrival after the Holocaust is permanently redefined. Not security. Expansion. Not normalcy and reconciliation. Aggression without limit.
Take that Palestinians. Take that world. No one hold’s Israel – or Jews – to account.
That’s the talk in Cairo: Disarm Gaza like the West Bank has been disarmed. Reading between the lines this means arm Gaza the way the West Bank has been armed.
The issue isn’t whether there will be weapons in Gaza. There will be more weapons after the agreement is reached. Instead of Hamas, the weapons will be in the hands of a submissive limited autonomy Palestinian Authority with Israel, Egypt, the United States and a host of other rogue states with their fingers on the triggers.
Contrary to popular understanding, Gaza under Hamas was somewhat diverse, with competing centers of power. After Cairo, Gaza might become a national security state – without nationality.
In Cairo, all roads lead through Mahmoud Abbas it seems. Comeback it is. To what end?
Even the vaunted sea route to Cyprus is autonomy water talk. Guarded and vetted, guarded and vetted again, then more, the Palestinians lucky enough to get through this Israeli/European security net might be stripped of any identity they had by the time their boat arrives. Or their identity will be so visible they will be like Jews once were – almost invisible and highly visible at the same time.
Looks like the Jewish condition of the 20th century has become the Palestinian condition of the 21st century.
In Cyprus, perhaps Palestinians will choose to become Europeans. But, then, Europe has cordoned off its shores to those fleeing other parts of the colonized world.
Cyprus won’t be a picnic for Palestinians. They will be suspects in their freedom almost much as they are suspects in their own homeland.
Unless Palestinians can form a beachhead in Europe. As in Lebanon?
Perhaps the Cyprus route is another version of population transfer under yet another name. After the Gaza war one thing is for sure – the Palestinian Diaspora will grow larger.
Cairo is a place where Palestinian freedom will once again be delayed. Denied?
Abbas the israeli puppet reject to be a member of the ICC
http://presstv.com/detail/2014/08/13/375191/palestine-can-sue-israel-at-icc/
“In Cairo, all roads lead through Mahmoud Abbas it seems. Comeback it is. To what end?”
It’s been what the whole thing has been about starting with the murder of the 3 teens that culminated in an all out assault on Gaza to put Abbas at the head of Gaza too. The West Bankers have already been turned into Finns, as Israelis would say, now the intent is to do likewise with Gaza. But Hamas is not playing along.
On a side note, the 2010 photo above was the one that also included King Abdullah II and Mubarak that was shamelessly doctored by Mubarak to show him leading the pack with the others following behind him to bolster his image with the Egyptian public. It was published in the pro-Mubarak “Al-Ahram”:
http://cironline.org/blog/post/when-publicity-backfires-10-worst-world-leader-gaffes-4813
So what happens when the mayor of Ramallah – er, I mean, His Excellency the President of the State of Palestine Dr. Mahmoud Abbas, Grand Master of the Order of the Star of Jerusalem – kicks the bucket? Do the Israelis and Americans plan to just continue manipulating his corpse?
Hamas will NEVER disarm or allow puppets in there. They asked Lebanon to have Hezbollah disarm many times, did they succeed? No, they tried with Hamas many times, and they know it is not going to happen. Hamas just gets stronger each time. They need to give up the fantasy of thinking Palestinians will submit.