Theatre of the Absurd

Written by Tayyab Siddiqui • February 2011

The Middle East crisis involving vacation of Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory and the creation of a Palestinian state on the occupied lands has been the staple of number of initiatives and agreements, both regional and international and yet history has recorded only failure and frustration. Major being Madrid conference in October 1993 and Oslo Accord between Yasser Arafat and Israel Prime Minister Rabin also failed to make Israel withdraw from the occupied lands.

A "Declaration of Principles" was agreed to, with U.S. as guarantor that recognized the mutual legitimate and political rights and thus began a negotiation process based on the creation of a Palestinian interim Self-government Authority in the West Bank and Gaza within five years, leading to permanent agreement in accordance with the UNSC Resolution 242. The core of the issue that has blocked the progress is the Jewish settlements that continue to defy the efforts for a negotiated settlement. As President Carter observed "for nearly two decades, there have been peace processes but no peace".

President Obama put the Middle East crisis as the priority item on his foreign policy agenda. In his famous speech delivered in Cairo on June 4, 2008, he delineated the parameters of the U.S. policy on the subject "It is undeniable that the Palestinian people – Muslims and Christians – have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. For more than 60 years they've endured the pain of dislocation. Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza and neighboring lands for a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead. They endure the daily humiliations – large and small – that come with occupation. So let there be no doubt. The only resolution is for the aspirations of both sides to be met through two states, where Israelis and Palestinians each live in peace and security. That is in Israeli's interest, Palestine's interest, America's interest, and the world's interest". He pledged that "I intend to personally pursue this outcome with all the patient and dedication that the task required.

Just eight months later president Obama began in right earnest and invited the protagonists involved in the Palestinian imbroglio – King Hussein II of Jordan, President Hosni Mubarak, Palestinian Authority president Mahmood Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel. The peace process stalled in November 2007 was put back on the rails on September 1, 2009 but ran a ground after 26 days when Netanyahu rejected Obama's plea to extend the freeze on Jewish settlement. The Palestinians walked out of the negotiations until the settlements were stopped. The peace process therefore, is all but dead, "for all practical purposes and for the foreseeable future. Discussions could well carry on. But they will have lost all life, energy or sense of purpose", as noted by Robert Malley of International Crisis Group.

The Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory are universally recognized as illegal and in total violation of international law and UN charter. The husband - wife team Thomas and Selly Mallison of George Washington University in a brilliant analysis of the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories have conclusively established the illegality of settlements, citing laws dating back to Brussels Declaration of 1874, providing protection both for lives and properties of indigenous population of occupied territory; the Hague convention of 1907 and Geneva convention of 1949. The UN Charter also explicitly declared "the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force"; non-use and threat of force. The right of self determination as basic right of people under the Charter fully establishes the illegal characters of settlements under any circumstances; Mallisons argue.

It is not only juridical and political aspects of the settlement policy that render it abhorrent and unacceptable, but also the human aspect is making the tragedy even more poignant. Today there are 500000 Jewish immigrants in the 120 settlements in Jerusalem and West Bank on the Palestinians expropriated land.

In a recent report by New York based Human Rights Watch (HRW) released on December 19 last year, the group has castigated Israel on the inhuman and illegal practices in pursuance of settlement policy in its 166 page report. The report, inter alia, mentions "Palestinians face systematic discrimination merely because of their race, ethnicity, and national origin, depriving them of electricity, water, schools, and access to roads. While Israeli settlements flourish, Palestinians under Israeli control live in a time warp – not just separate, not just unequal, but sometimes even pushed off their lands and out of their homes.
There's only one conclusion that Israeli policies are so harsh in their discrimination against Palestinians that in a number of cases Palestinians have been forced to leave, because they have no access to water, they have no access to electricity." HRW has called on the U.S. to penalize Israel by withholding from its massive annual aid a sum equal to the amount the Jewish state gives in subsidies to West Bank settlements.

The Israeli policy of settlements has invited strong international rebuke. The EU quartet in a statement condemned the Israeli "unilateral construction plan" and called on Israel to freeze all settlement activity "including natural growth", to dismantle outposts erected since March 2001, and to "refrain from demolitions and evictions in East Jerusalem". It also appealed for the international community to back the Palestinians' commitment to build an independent state by offering immediate and concrete support.

Former U.S. President Carter and Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu have joined UN Secretary General urging Israel to stop settlements activity throughout the occupied territory including East Jerusalem demanding that "the occupation must end and the focus of negotiations should be the boundaries of future Palestinian states based on 1967 border with its capital in East Jerusalem" warning that "if there is no real progress more violence is likely outcome." Israel has remained impervious to these appeals and alarms.

Frustrated and disillusioned with collapse of peace process and with no prospect of any revival or compromise by Israel on settlements issue, the Palestinians are exploring alternate viable options such as seeking international recognition for a Palestinian state. It has already attracted support from countries including Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia. Media reports indicate that Arab League will shortly move a draft resolution before the United Nations Security Council calling on Israel to halt Jewish settlements and also urge members states to recognize Palestinian statehood on the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967.

The purported resolution, in my assessment, is not likely to be tabled as announced by the Arab League. If ever, it will be so watered down as to lose any meaning. U.S. is implacably committed to support Israel, has in the past vetoed even innocuous resolutions mildly critical of Israel. Lame-duck President Obama could not do differently.

Gwynne Dyer is right on the mark – "there is in fact no prospect of an Israeli Palestinian peace settlement in this generation. That is the reality; the rest is the theatre of the absurd." Lieberman the Israeli Foreign Minister confirmed this assessment in his address to the conference of Israeli diplomats – "It is not only that it is impossible to reach overall agreement, it is simply forbidden".