The recent voting by several European parliaments to recognize Palestine is undoubtedly a notable diplomatic achievement for the enduring Palestinian cause. It represents a laudable moral awakening on the part of many European nations. The voting has clearly embarrassed and upset Israel as it reminded the world community that the Zionist occupation of Palestine is inherently illegal and illegitimate and must come to an end sooner rather than later.
In light I must salute the European peoples for this positive measure which we all hope won’t be thwarted by international political haggling led by the United States Israel’s guardian ally.
None the less we Palestinians must guard against excessive optimism and euphoria. In the final analysis European recognition alone won’t end the Israeli occupation or make Israel revert to its senses. Israel is too arrogant and too insolent to think prudently thanks to unlimited and unrestricted support from the US. Israeli leaders rightly or wrongly are convinced that Zionist Jews dominate American governments by controlling Congress. This week Israel’s Economy Minister Naftali Bennet threatened to “bring America to a standstill” in case the Obama administration exerted pressure on Israel to end the decades-old occupation.
Predictably the Obama administration resorted to silence in the face of this brazen insolence. Indeed it is hard to think that any other world leader or political figure would have been able to indulge in this diplomatic vulgarity and get away unscathed.
Utilizing the diplomatic success
The U.S. is now furiously trying to bully or cajole the weak Palestinian Authority (PA) leadership to reconsider a nascent diplomatic campaign at the UN aimed at securing further recognition of Palestinian rights. Needless to say Palestinian cowardice in the face of American “carrots –or- sticks- tactics” would really seriously undermine Palestinian national interests and dissuade many nations around the world from giving further support for Palestinian statehood and independence.
The peoples of the world would like to see a Palestinian leadership that is brave not cowardly resistant not submissive independent not subservient to the White House which itself at Israel’s beck and call.
Above all our leadership must be patriotic and only answerable to the Palestinian people from whom it receives its legitimacy and dignity.
No one is demanding that the PA launch an all-out war against Israel. However the PA must leave no stone unturned in order to besiege Israel on the international arena. We must urge nations around the world in the strongest terms to boycott Israel and terminate any relations commercial or otherwise with the Zionist entity especially the settlements as long as Israel continues to torment our people steal our land and narrow our horizons.
We must also be aware of Israel’s insidious designs. Israel is now in a race against time to change the map of Palestine. It will annex large parts of areas in the West Bank classified as “C”. This is the unilateral Israeli solution of the Palestinian question a euphemism for the liquidation of the Palestinian cause.
According to this plan announced recently by Bennet Israel would retain its control over the bulk of the West Bank including East Jerusalem. And the Palestinians would have to forget about the right of return for millions of Palestinian refugees uprooted from their homes and villages when Israel was created in 1948. In any case we must be vigilant and watch for Israeli exploits and maneuvers.
Palestinian assets
Despite its pugnacity aggressiveness and arrogance of power Israel is facing a real dilemma. Today there are more Arabs than Jews within mandatory Palestine (the area between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean) a reality the Zionist leadership considers a calamitous nightmare.
These people are going nowhere and they are here to stay. Israelis are making all sorts of supplications for a miracle that would make this growing Arab majority disappear. They are imploring Yahweh to smite the Arabs with all strength so that they would either perish or leave.
But wishful thinking is wishful thinking and Zionism which arrogantly killed whatever chances there were for the creation of a viable Palestinian state has only itself to blame.
Hence Palestinians must not deal with this matter lightly. This is why our leaders irrespective of their political and ideological orientations must make every possible effort to consolidate our steadfastness on our ancestral land.
Beware of Arab betrayal
We must also guard against Arab betrayal. We do know that whenever the U.S. fails to get the Palestinians to do Israel’s bidding e.g. compromising Palestinian national constants especially those pertaining to Jerusalem and the paramount right of return for the refugees Washington will dispatch high-ranking envoys to certain Arab capitals to urge Arab tyrants to bully the Palestinians financially or otherwise to give in and succumb to Israeli dictates.
We must reject even with utmost contempt any Arab pressure on us. We all know that Arab tyrants have no legitimacy or national dignity that would qualify them to pressure the Palestinian people.
These leaders are almost totally bankrupt. What else can be said of tyrants who systematically murder and torment their own people in order to please and appease Israel and the United States and stay in power.
We all know for sure that most- if not all- Arab tyrants from Bahrain to Marrakesh would unhesitatingly sacrifice Palestine in order to obtain a certificate of good conduct from Washington.
With all due respects to our Arab brethren we Palestinians are different as to the way we relate to our leaders.
We are greater than our leaders. And if our leaders say or do something we don’t like we simply chase them out of office.
Hence any Palestinian leader who might be bullied or cajoled by Arab tyrants to pressure us to compromise on our fundamental rights will not live to regret his fatal miscalculation.
Khalid Amayreh is a Palestinian journalist and political commentator living in Occupied Palestine.
