Colonization of Palestine Precludes Peace

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

by Jimmy Carter

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0309-32.htm

<snip>

With Israel’s approval, The Carter Center has monitored all three Palestinian elections. Supervised by a blue-ribbon commission of college presidents and distinguished jurists, they have all been honest, fair and peaceful, with the results accepted by winners and losers.

Hamas will control the cabinet and prime minister’s office, but Mahmoud Abbas retains all authority and power exercised by Yasir Arafat. He still heads the PLO, the only Palestinian entity recognized by Israel, and could deal with Israeli leaders under this umbrella, independent of Hamas control. He has unequivocally endorsed the Quartet’s Road Map. Post-election polls show that 80 percent of Palestinians still want a peace agreement with Israel and nearly 70 percent support Abbas as president.

Israel has announced a policy of isolating and destabilizing the new government (perhaps joined by the United States). The elected officials will be denied travel permits, workers from isolated Gaza barred from entering Israel and every effort is being made to block funds to Palestinians. The Quartet’s special envoy, James Wolfensohn, has proposed that donors assist the Palestinian people without violating anti-terrorism laws that prohibit funds from being sent directly to Hamas.
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[shance]

1. Does Israel control everything the Palestinians do?

Is Israel being held hostage by fundamentalist extremists like our country is?

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

2. Palestinians have very...

...limited freedoms under Israeli occupation, and yes, I think many if not most Israeli citizens have been duped into thinking an oppressive occupation is necessary for their security.

[shance]

3. Sounds pretty similar to what is happening here.

n/t

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

4. Yes it does. Here's a well written piece...

...by Neve Gordon that appeared in the Baltimore Sun about a year ago which speaks to your observation---it's a worthy read:

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0411-22.htm

<snip>

Israel is the key to understanding President Bush's strategy in Iraq. Not because it had any influence over the decision-making process leading to the Iraq war, but because the Bush administration has adopted the democratic occupation model that Israel introduced in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

After the eruption of the first Palestinian intifada in December 1987, Israel had to deploy a relatively large number of troops aided by tanks and armored vehicles to sustain the occupation - exactly as the United States is now doing in Iraq.

This transformed the Israeli occupation from an economically profitable enterprise into a financial liability, leading Israel to come up with the ingenious idea of outsourcing the responsibility for the population while continuing to control the natural resources - in this case, land and water.

After a series of negotiations, the Palestinian Authority was established - an entity that willingly took on the role of managing the daily lives of the inhabitants in the occupied territories while Israel maintained control of more than 80 percent of the land.