With the passage of every day, the goal of establishing a viable and credible Palestinian state in the West Bank becomes more elusive and more distant.

There are several outstanding reasons corroborating this perspective.

Israeli (Jewish) settlements have metastasized all over the West Bank, especially in East Jerusalem, leaving virtually no room for a credible and territorially contiguous Palestinian entity worthy of the name. Today, any traveler in the occupied territory would have to think- not just twice- but a hundred times, before giving polite audience to the empty rhetoric about Palestinian statehood, still coming from the dispirited headquarters of the PLO in Ramallah.

This rhetoric is simply unrealistic to say the least, in light of the facts on the ground.

Moreover, it is very unlikely that any Israeli government, current or prospective, would be able, even if willing, to dismantle settlements as part of a possible solution. The Israeli Jewish society continues to move toward right-wing fascism as evident from the latest elections. Hence, counting on the emergence of a peace government would be a form of day-dreaming.

There are some Arabs and Palestinians who still count on American pressure on Israel to end the occupation that began in 1967. But this is also an expression of wishful thinking since the US is actually part of the problem and can hardly be part of the solution.

The US, whose government is held by the throat by the powerful Jewish lobby, has had more than half a century to pressure Israel to walk in the path of peace. Instead, however, successive U.S. administrations chose to give Israel unlimited and unrestricted military and political support so much so that Israel has effectively become immune to pressure, even from its guardian-ally.

In fact, it would be true to say that Israel's ability to pressure (and bully) American administrations exceed by far any White House ability to pressure Israel. This fact has been amply evident in the shocking sycophancy toward Israel shamelessly displayed by American officials, congressmen, and presidential hopefuls and candidates, groveling at Israel's feet.

Hence, I sincerely advise Palestinian leaders, e.g., Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who apparently still count on American pressure on Israel, to wait a few hundred years or perhaps a millennium in the hope that a miracle of this sort might materialize.

The United Nations and Security Council cannot be the right address for getting Israel to end its decades-old occupation and give up stolen land. The UN is thoroughly controlled by the U.S. and other Western countries, including Britain, which committed the original sin of giving Palestine to Zionist Jews.

Moreover, Russia, which has prevented the UN from taking action against the Hitler of Damascus, Bashar el-Asad, is also no friend of the Palestinian people. Even China is tending to its own interests, which underscores the futility of counting on the UN to do justice for Palestine and the Palestinians.

As to the Arab world, it is probably going through its worst epoch since the Mongol Chieftain Holagu entered Baghdad in 1258. 

Indeed, counting on the Arabs to defeat or even deter Israel from carrying out its heinous crimes and pursuing the various lebensraum designs is devoid of reason as half of Arab regimes are busy conspiring against and persecuting the Palestinians while the other half are thoroughly preoccupied with murdering their own peoples and destroying their own countries, all in order to extend their family rule for a few more years.

Is it not an expression of mental retardation to wait for the likes of Bashar el-Assad and Abdul Fattah al-Sissi to liberate Palestine?

What should be done?

The Palestinian resistance against Israel is vital. However, we must not allow ourselves to be under the illusion that the resistance alone will be sufficient to force Israel to end the occupation. The resistance does create some deterrence vis-à-vis Israel and makes Zionist entity think twice before going too far. But it can't do more than this, especially under existing conditions whereby our people are besieged from foes and friends alike.

None the less, Palestinians must not allow themselves to be exhausted by and endlessly preoccupied with crises resulting from the enduring Israeli occupation. In the final analysis, these crises are mere symptoms, and as we all know, symptomatic treatment would only give us a temporary solace but won't cure the underlying malady.

This is why, we Palestinians must seek to reform our strategic thinking by adopting new strategies aimed at strengthening our steadfastness on our land.

I strongly believe that the most important strategic step we should take is to abandon the malarkey called the two-state solution and instead go for the establishment of unitary state in mandatory Palestine from the River Jordan and to the Mediterranean, in which all citizens live in peace and equality.

To be sure, such a strategy wouldn't be easy to espouse let alone to achieve. However, we must be able and ready to sacrifice the variable in order to maintain the constant. 

And what can be more paramount as a constant than ensuring the continuity of our people on our ancestral land. 

Khalid Amayreh is a veteran Palestinian journalist and current affairs commentator living in occupied Palestine 

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