The United States is in a difficult situation now. We have been supportive of the people in their struggles for freedom in Arab Spring. And Yet.
And Yet we are supporting the very last occupied country in the world. We are supporting Apartheid, and keeping an entire nation of people in chains.
How can we, the nation that perfected Democracy, deny that freedom to others?
How can we pretend to be concerned with human rights all over the world and yet support the oppression and the colonialism of the Palastinians?
How can we be fighting three wars, all supposedly to support peace and freedom while supporting policies that are guaranteed to result in violence?
It is the US and Israel against the rest of the world.
President Mahmoud Abbas gave a pretty good speech at the UN asking the UN to recognize the Palestinian people as a Nation.
http://www.palestine-pmc.com/details.asp...Of course recognition by the UN is really meaningless. It will not give the Palestinian people the freedom they desire or the actual nation they are calling for. Only the occupying power can grant that freedom. Still it was the UN actions that created the nation of Israel in the first place.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opin...Nonetheless the Palestinian people were fired up and dancing in the streets, in scenes reminiscent of Tharir square. The speech gave them hope.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pale...To be fair Benjamin Netanyahu has some good points also. It is difficult to trust the democratic instincts of a country that elects Hamas, a terrorist organization, which continues to lob rockets into Israel. And Obama was correct in saying that the nation can only be brought about through negotiations.
In my opinion Israel and the US should apply the lessons of the Arab Spring to Palestine.
It is all about the people and their freedom. The Palestinian authority is deeply divided between the right wing Hamas movement and the more moderate Fatah movement. Fatah may be willing to admit the right of Israel to exist and may be willing to live in peace. They believe in democracy, they hope for peace, and the people obviously want the same.
http://warsclerotic.wordpress.com/2011/0...The lesson the world should have learned from Arab Spring is that the freedom of the people is inevitable. Peaceful protest can bring about change (as in Tunesia and Egypt) but if tyrants attempt to suppress the freedom of the people through violence and military power the people will fight back as in Lybia. It would be good if the people who now appear to be supportive of Abbas, were given some encouragement to turn away from the violence of Hamas.
The US and Israel both say that they want a two party solution. If they allow the motion for statehood to be adopted by the UN it would elevate the power of Abass, who until this speech was seen as weak and ineffectual. That would drive the people away from the right wing radicals, and the chances of a negotiated settlement would be increased.
On the other hand if Israel continues its intransigence, the Palestinian people, having their hopes crushed once again, would think that violence is the only answer, and the people would be driven to Hamas and the chances of peace would be diminished.
It shouldn't be about politics and it shouldn't be determined by AIPAC, The people of both Palestine and of Israel want peace. That should be the main consideration.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep...Israel has demonstrated that they are not interested in peace by announcing another 1100 housing units to be built in occupied territory.
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1060...