23 July 2010 By Ramzy Baroud Each time Israel fails to keep its 'side of the
bargain', the Palestinian Authority responds with the
same redundant language. The cycle has become so
utterly predictable that one wonders why the
Palestinian Authority officials even bothers
protesting Israeli action. They must be well aware
that their cries, genuine or otherwise, will only fall
on deaf ears. They know that their complaints could
not possible contribute to a paradigm shift in
Israel’s behavior, or the US position on it. Let’s take a look at the context for the language
of the Palestinian Authority’s complaints. In a speech
made in early July, Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas referred to any direct talks with Israel as
‘futile.’ Thousands of newspapers and news sites
beamed this ‘headline’, highlighting the word ‘futile’
between inverted commas - as if it constituted some
kind of earth-shattering revelation. But anyone
following the Middle East, and the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict in particular already knows that such talks
will be ‘futile’. More, Israel has hardly made secret
its lack of desire for a peaceful and just settlement.
Mr. Abbas, however, has managed to insert his
relevance as a ‘player’ in the conflict, using one
cleverly coined word. This word has had as much of an
impact in Arabic as has in English. Of course, none of this means that Abbas has
actually adopted a serious shift in course. One need
not dig up old archives to remember that the PA
president felt the same way about the so-called
‘proximity talks’ with Israel last May. Before they
began, he also expressed his opinion that the talks
would be futile. He further insisted that no talks,
direct or otherwise, would resume without a complete
Israeli halt in settlement constructions in occupied
East Jerusalem. After this grand declaration, Abbas
went along with the proximity talks charade, while
Palestinian families continued to be uprooted from
their homes in their historic city. Only one barrier
was removed before embarking on the proximity talks:
Abbas and his men quit complaining. Nearly two months later, when it is evident to all
that the proximity talks were indeed ‘futile’ –
especially as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu has triumphed over US President Barack Obama
in his most recent visit to Washington – Mr. Abbas
finds himself in desperate need for another line of
defense. Thus, the new campaign attacking predictably
‘futile’ direct talks with Israel. Mr. Abbas is not the only actor in this drama.
Others have also been doing their job, as efficiently
and as true to form as ever. Yasser Abed Rabbo, who
has worn several hats in the past and is now one of
Mr. Abbas’s aides, stated that the PA “will not enter
new negotiations that could take more than 10 years.”
This promise - that the Palestinian leadership will
not be fooled into talks for the sake of talking and
with no timeframe – is not the first of its kind to
come from Abed Rabbo, and it’s unlikely to be the
last. Abbas’ aide will most likely continue sharing
the same tired insight over and over again, because
it’s the scripted part that any ‘moderate’ – as in
self-seeking – Palestinian official must reiterate to
remain relevant. How else could they give the
impression that the PA still serves the role of the
bulwark against Israeli illegal territorial
encroachment and military occupation? Ahmed Qurei, former Palestinian Authority Foreign
Minister and ex-Prime Minister, recently spoke at a
Hebrew University Conference, entitled: “The
Israeli-Palestinian Proximity Talks: Lessons from Past
Negotiations.” The conference was organized by Hebrew
University’s Harry S. Truman Institute for the
Advancement of Peace. The place and occasion of this
conference could not be more significant. First, much
of the Hebrew University was built on ‘ethnically
cleansed’ Palestinian land. Second, Qurei spoke at an
Israeli University in an occupied city, at a time when
activists and academics from all over the world,
including several from Israel, are leading a cultural
and academic boycott of Israeli universities to
protest the terrible role these institutions have
played in Israeli violence against Palestinians. Worse, immediately before his speech, Qurei had met
with former Israeli Foreign Minister and acting Prime
Minister, Tzipi Livni. Livni had ordered and
supervised the unprecedented killing and maiming of
thousands of Palestinians in Gaza between December
2008 and January 2009. The level of inhumanity she
displayed during those days was met with outrage
around the world, including from many in Israel
itself. But all the blood was brushed under the
carpet, as “Livni (and) Abu Ala exchange(d)
‘niceties’”, according to the Jerusalem Post. Just try to imagine the fury that all Palestinians
- and especially those besieged in destroyed Gaza –
must have felt as Qurei and Livni shook hands and
smiled for cameras. As for Qurei’s academic and
political contributions, the Post reported that, “at
the conference, Qurei said Netanyahu had not really
frozen West Bank settlement construction, and added
that Israel’s actions were preventing direct talks.”
Considering the numerous compromises that Qurei
afforded in his very attendance of the conference, and
his handshaking with Livni, one fails to understand
the point of such statements. These empty declarations will have no bearing on
the outcome of events, nor will they force Netanyahu
and his right-wing government to think twice as they
carry on demolishing homes and uprooting trees. But
they are more important than ever for the PA, as
voices are rising in Washington, in London and
elsewhere, demanding that the US and its partners
acknowledge, if not ‘engage’ Hamas. Such a prospect is
bad news for the West Bank Palestinian leadership,
which understands that its relevance to the ‘peace
process’ hinges on the constant dismissal of Hamas.
Therefore, the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah will
continue to adhere to its methodology: don’t criticize
Israel too harshly, so as not to lose favor; follow
the US dictates, so as to maintain a ‘moderate’ status
and many privileges; and always give an impression to
Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims that the PA is the one
and only defender of Jerusalem. One wonders how much longer the Palestinian
leadership can sustain this act, which is in fact the
real exercise of futility. - Ramzy Baroud (www.ramzybaroud.net)
is an internationally-syndicated columnist and the
editor of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is
My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold
Story (Pluto Press, London), now
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