Palestine: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Palestine: Between a Rock and a Hard Place
by Stephen Lendman
Imagine a people struggling on their own to survive. Under longstanding brutalizing occupation. Ruthless by any standard.
Denied representation by their democratically elected government. Besieged in Gaza. Attacked at Israel’s discretion. By land, sea and air.
Ruled by longstanding Israeli collaborators. Enforcers for special benefits they derive.
Having their land systematically stolen. Increasingly isolated in ghettoized conclaves. 
Terrorized for not being Jews. Denied virtually all rights everyone deserves. Guaranteed under international law. 
Including self-determination. Declared in November 1988. Short of universal recognition. 
Within June 1967 borders. With East Jerusalem its exclusive capital. Its diaspora population able to return. 
Control over its resources, borders, air space and offshore waters. Full UN membership. 
With rights and privileges afforded all other member states. Why not like the 193 recognized ones? Why left out? Why are its nearly 12 million people worldwide excluded. Treated like nonpersons.
PA and Jordanian officials drafted a tepid statehood resolution. For submission to Security Council members. An embarrassment and then some. 
Ignoring international law. Denying millions of long-suffering Palestinians their legitimate rights. All of them. Sacrificing none.
Ones everyone deserves. Pressing for a SC vote before yearend. If guaranteed nine of 15 Council votes. 
Despite Washington’s certain veto. Or blocking a resolution vote. John Kerry threatened sanctions. Economic and political. 
One-sidedly supporting Israel. Wanting fundamental Palestinian rights denied. They don’t matter. Israeli ones alone are supported.
An unnamed Western diplomat said “Kerry (was) very very clear that for the United States it was not an option to discuss whatever text (is prepared) before the end of” Israel’s March election.
Longstanding delay and deny US strategy. Last week, PA Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said Palestinians would not push off the vote. Despite Kerry’s demand.
“We are completely at odds with Kerry on this matter,” he said. 
“Kerry believes the Security Council vote will negatively impact the Israeli elections and the identity of (its) winner…We said, however, that the bid now will have a positive effect.”
Last Monday, chief Palestinian negotiator/longtime Israeli collaborator Saeb Erekat denied Kerry mentioning Israel’s election as a reason for postponing a SC vote.
Saying he “heard from Secretary Kerry that they need time to work a formula. They are against the UN Security Council.”
“They (are) preparing for a plan to have the two-state solution. We need to prep them. We need to counsel them. But I didn’t hear anything from Secretary Kerry.”
Jordan’s UN ambassador/Security Council representative said his government seeks consensus SC agreement. By all Council members.
Impossible with US opposition. Its high-pressure tactics against other SC members. 
As things now stand, odds against Palestine getting nine Council yes votes are extremely high. America’s certain veto looms. If the resolution even comes to a vote.
Palestinian sources say ICC and other international agencies’ memberships will be sought if its bid fails.
Why they weren’t gotten long ago wasn’t explained. Irrespective of its statehood bid.
Abbas is like Obama. Saying one thing. Doing another. On Saturday, he addressed Fatah party members. 
Saying efforts toward advancing a statehood resolution remain ongoing. Without mentioning a deadline.
Some PA members prefer waiting until January. When new Council members replace old ones. Including Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain and Venezuela.
Replacing Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, Rwanda and South Korea. Whether changed membership helps remains to be seen. 
US pressure is formidable. Washington backs virtually everything Israel wants. Congress is Israeli occupied territory.
Whether Abbas follows through on submitting a resolution is far from certain. Alienating America entails grave risks.
At the same time, Palestinian anger is visceral. Fed up with occupation harshness. Decades of Israeli repression. 
Relentless land-grabbing. Dead-on-arrival peace talks. Apartheid worse than South Africa’s. Wars at Israel’s discretion.
Dissolution with Washington as an honest broker. Controlled by Zionist lobby power. One-sidedly supporting Israel. 
Mindless of Palestinian rights. Official UN recognition of Palestinian statehood has pluses and minuses. 
Occupation harshness won’t end. At least not soon. Land Israel stole won’t be returned. 
Nor will it stop plundering Palestinian resources. Or agree to borders conflicting with its own. 
Or relinquish its self-declared right to Jerusalem. What it calls its eternal capital. Or end control over Palestinian air space and coastal waters.
John Kerry explained what alienating America means. For starters, US aid entirely ended. Followed by economic and political sanctions.
Punishing Palestinians for exercising their inalienable rights. Israel might respond aggressively. Annexing Palestinian land it controls.
Including over 60% of the West Bank. East Jerusalem in its entirety.  Dispossessing its Arab population. Much faster than already.
Scrapping any pretense of Israeli/Palestinian cooperation. Reacting more aggressively than ever to Palestinians asserting their rights.
Perhaps false flag instigated war on Palestine. The West Bank and Gaza combined. Inflicting horrific casualties. Mass destruction.
Making Protective Edge look mild by comparison. Fascists running Israel and America stop at nothing. Whatever the cost in human life.
Or horrific misery caused. Rogue states operate this way. None match US/Israeli ruthlessness. 
None their obsession for unchallenged raw power. None more barbaric in seeking it. 
Palestinians have only their will to live free. A mismatch and then some against America and Israel. All take. No give. 
Ruthlessly exploitive. Determined to keep Palestinians permanently subjugated. A hugely tough obstacle to overcome.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at 
Visit his blog site at 


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