The U.S. brokers “normalization” agreements between Israel and two Arab states, and corporate media gushes. But this is no time to get starry-eyed.
In the West Bank, annexation continues: Palestinian lands and water are still confiscated. Workers are still herded like sheep through Israeli checkpoints. Families are still forced to demolish their own homes. Children are still spirited away in midnight military raids. And in Gaza, Palestinians are enduring the 14th year of a land, sea and air blockade with shortages of water, medicines and electricity that make life intolerable. As we reported recently, suicide rates are at alarming levels.
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I ask you: Can we accept this new normal?
Yes, some Arab leaders turn a blind eye to Israel’s abuses. And – no surprise – Thomas Friedman of The New York Times declares in broad-brush style: “In the Middle East, you get big change when the big players do the right things for the wrong reasons. And this is the right thing. ”
We disagree: This is power politics in support of Israeli apartheid. Here’s the insight you’ll find in Mondoweiss:
Every “peace deal” that Israel can accept with anyone, is always about sidelining Palestinian statehood – Jonathan Ofir
“The fact is, we don’t have to be in the Middle East, other than we want to protect Israel. We’ve been very good to Israel. Other than that, we don’t have to be in the Middle East.” – quoting Donald Trump in a Sept. 8 speech
You blame the Palestinians for missing all opportunities to make peace with the State of Israel and you call the unholy rush of some rich Arab leaders to normalize relations with Israel as a move towards peace. … The truth is, there has not been one genuine opportunity for a just peace that Palestinians missed. – Dr. Alex Awad
Bahrain practically lives under the Saudi umbrella and hides behind Saudi muscles. It’s almost a Saudi protectorate. So it’s highly unlikely that the Bahraini ruler decided to go ahead with the normalization without at least an implicit Saudi approval. – Emad Mousa
When others are content to publish one-dimensional platitudes and panaceas, Mondoweiss rounds out the story. We publish Palestinian voices and opinions silenced by corporate media.
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“Palestinian lands and water are still confiscated.” – we tend to forget the water situation. The last chapter of “The Joshua Generation” deals with this – the author is also a water expert (http://www.freshwaterlab.org/project/dr-rachel-havrelock ). From page 219 – 220:
The world hears little about the collapse of the Coastal Aquifer or what it means when a source of drinking water becomes nonviable….Israeli targeting of sewage and drinking water infrastructure during military operations has imperiled any natural replenishment of the aquifer as it meets the needs of two million people….Diversion of sewage and runoff from the aquifer is hobbled by an absence of functioning infrastructure and an insufficient energy supply-recurrently cut as a punitive measure by Israel-to run existing plants.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200925-algeria-establishing-jerusalem-as-capital-of-palestine-is-an-inalienable-right/
Middle East Monitor, Sept. 25/20,
“Algeria: Establishing Jerusalem as capital of Palestine is an ‘inalienable’ right”
EXCERPT:
“The right of the Palestinian people to have a state with Jerusalem as its capital cannot be traded away, the Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, announced yesterday.
“His remarks came during the United Nations 75th virtual General Assembly, which was held online.
“’Once again, we [Algeria] express our firm support for the Palestinian people and their inalienable and non-negotiable right to establish their independent, sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital,’ Tebboune said, stressing that the Palestinian cause remained a ‘sacred cause for Algeria and its people’.
“On Sunday, Tebboune told local media that there was a ‘scramble towards normalisation with Israel’, stressing that Algiers would not take part in it.