Learn More: http://endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=1826
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Time for Mahmoud Abbas to Turn in Keys and VIP Passes
The Israeli voters and beyond them the American Jewish community made it very clear, there is no peace with Palestinians, no peace with Arabs, no sharing of Jerusalem and no evacuations of settlements and no tearing down the Apartheid Wall, certainly no end to the siege and starving of Gaza, no end to the targeted assassinations, and nothing but contempt for their partners in Ramallah.
I do not know what other message did Mahmoud Abbas was waiting for to come from his “peace partners” in Tel-Aviv. The Israeli voters voted in a resounding voice, no peace, and no chance for peace and made it clear that the war crimes on Gaza, the spilled blood of tens of thousands, the destruction of the entire infrastructures of Gaza are not enough for the Israeli voters. They voted for parties they expect to take harsher and more ruthless measures with the Palestinian than Kadima/Labor government did.
For over 20 years the PLO and Fatah have engaged in “peace” process and negotiations that got the Palestinians no where. In fact the situation in Gaza and the West Bank is much more worse now than it was 20 years ago, before the late Yasser Arafat and his partners Mahmoud Abbas and Ahmed Qurai decided to undermine and abort the First Intifada in favor of getting and securing for the PLO and Fatah a very lucrative contract with the Jewish Occupation.
Jewish settlements are every where, in every hill top, around every town and village, wringing Jerusalem and Bethlehem and cutting off Jerusalem from the West Bank from all sides. Checkpoints are every where, around every village and every town subjecting people to daily humiliation, insults, misery every day with some waiting for 10 hours or more just to go few miles to the next village, some even die at these security checkpoints while waiting for 18 old Jewish soldiers to have their fun and entertain themselves.
Towns and villages are subject to arbitrary curfew and closers, with their farms uprooted and destroyed, their livestock killed and buried under armored bulldozers. Jewish Only Roads are chocking access and interactions between villages and towns, while criminal Jewish settlers roam free throughout the land. Palestinians are imprisoned at their homes, with more than 11,000 kidnapped and held hostages. More than 350,000 Palestinians had been through Israeli prisons at one time or another.
Oslo was a very good deal for Israel, and was even a better deal for the PLO and the leadership of Fatah. Oslo was never good for Palestine and for the Palestinians. Israel was able to pass all of the costs to the world community, with the Palestinians Authority doing the beginnings. Israel kept its military and Jewish settlers in place and in charge throughout the country. The Palestinian Authority was able to secure for itself a very lucrative financial and management contract, it could never even dream of, giving jobs to all those who failed to liberate Palestine, but came back with the permission of and approval of the Jewish Occupation.
Oslo was a very good deal for the PLO and Fatah leadership securing for its leadership thousand of VIP passes so that senior officials of Fatah and PA can zip through the hundreds of checkpoints while the rest of the miserable people have to endure hours and hours if not not days waiting at checkpoints, tired and humiliated
Oslo was able to perpetuate the failed leadership of the PLO and Fatah and give them a new lease on life after running out of money to support a decadent life style, with tens of billions stolen by the leadership. The same leadership that after 18 years of managing the people for and on behalf of the Jewish Occupation have nothing to show for, no viable, working and functioning institutions, no accountability or transparency, certainly no independent justice and judicial system. Nothing to show for but tens of billions stolen and thousands of million dollars villas for those who claimed to have liberated Palestine.
Time for Mahmoud Abbas to close his shop and turn in the keys to his employers in Tel-Aviv and time for him and all of the senior executives and leadership of the Palestinian Authority to turn in their VIP passes to their employers and sponsors in Tel-Aviv. Time to shut down the Palestinian Authority as a failed experiment and call it quit.
Time for all Palestinians to burn their Israeli issued IDs in mass protest of the Occupation and time for all Palestinians to start the first and real step toward ending the Occupation, not through negotiations but by forcing the world to intervene and force Israel to end its occupation that lasted 41 years. Time for a new smart, accountable and engaging leadership to take charge and put Fatah and Hamas out of business once and for all.
Time for the Palestinians to engage in a sustained civil disobedience, no guns, no stupid Qassam rockers, no suicide bombings, but sustained civil disobedience that will wear Israel and its supporters down and engage the people of the world for a challenge they never expected to face, putting an end to the Zionists enterprise and putting an end to the Jewish Occupation and save Israel from its own people.
I do not know what other message did Mahmoud Abbas was waiting for to come from his “peace partners” in Tel-Aviv. The Israeli voters voted in a resounding voice, no peace, and no chance for peace and made it clear that the war crimes on Gaza, the spilled blood of tens of thousands, the destruction of the entire infrastructures of Gaza are not enough for the Israeli voters. They voted for parties they expect to take harsher and more ruthless measures with the Palestinian than Kadima/Labor government did.
For over 20 years the PLO and Fatah have engaged in “peace” process and negotiations that got the Palestinians no where. In fact the situation in Gaza and the West Bank is much more worse now than it was 20 years ago, before the late Yasser Arafat and his partners Mahmoud Abbas and Ahmed Qurai decided to undermine and abort the First Intifada in favor of getting and securing for the PLO and Fatah a very lucrative contract with the Jewish Occupation.
Jewish settlements are every where, in every hill top, around every town and village, wringing Jerusalem and Bethlehem and cutting off Jerusalem from the West Bank from all sides. Checkpoints are every where, around every village and every town subjecting people to daily humiliation, insults, misery every day with some waiting for 10 hours or more just to go few miles to the next village, some even die at these security checkpoints while waiting for 18 old Jewish soldiers to have their fun and entertain themselves.
Towns and villages are subject to arbitrary curfew and closers, with their farms uprooted and destroyed, their livestock killed and buried under armored bulldozers. Jewish Only Roads are chocking access and interactions between villages and towns, while criminal Jewish settlers roam free throughout the land. Palestinians are imprisoned at their homes, with more than 11,000 kidnapped and held hostages. More than 350,000 Palestinians had been through Israeli prisons at one time or another.
Oslo was a very good deal for Israel, and was even a better deal for the PLO and the leadership of Fatah. Oslo was never good for Palestine and for the Palestinians. Israel was able to pass all of the costs to the world community, with the Palestinians Authority doing the beginnings. Israel kept its military and Jewish settlers in place and in charge throughout the country. The Palestinian Authority was able to secure for itself a very lucrative financial and management contract, it could never even dream of, giving jobs to all those who failed to liberate Palestine, but came back with the permission of and approval of the Jewish Occupation.
Oslo was a very good deal for the PLO and Fatah leadership securing for its leadership thousand of VIP passes so that senior officials of Fatah and PA can zip through the hundreds of checkpoints while the rest of the miserable people have to endure hours and hours if not not days waiting at checkpoints, tired and humiliated
Oslo was able to perpetuate the failed leadership of the PLO and Fatah and give them a new lease on life after running out of money to support a decadent life style, with tens of billions stolen by the leadership. The same leadership that after 18 years of managing the people for and on behalf of the Jewish Occupation have nothing to show for, no viable, working and functioning institutions, no accountability or transparency, certainly no independent justice and judicial system. Nothing to show for but tens of billions stolen and thousands of million dollars villas for those who claimed to have liberated Palestine.
Time for Mahmoud Abbas to close his shop and turn in the keys to his employers in Tel-Aviv and time for him and all of the senior executives and leadership of the Palestinian Authority to turn in their VIP passes to their employers and sponsors in Tel-Aviv. Time to shut down the Palestinian Authority as a failed experiment and call it quit.
Time for all Palestinians to burn their Israeli issued IDs in mass protest of the Occupation and time for all Palestinians to start the first and real step toward ending the Occupation, not through negotiations but by forcing the world to intervene and force Israel to end its occupation that lasted 41 years. Time for a new smart, accountable and engaging leadership to take charge and put Fatah and Hamas out of business once and for all.
Time for the Palestinians to engage in a sustained civil disobedience, no guns, no stupid Qassam rockers, no suicide bombings, but sustained civil disobedience that will wear Israel and its supporters down and engage the people of the world for a challenge they never expected to face, putting an end to the Zionists enterprise and putting an end to the Jewish Occupation and save Israel from its own people.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The Forbidden Debate
In the US and the West, we are able and free to debate God and HIS/HER existence, debate Jesus, Moses, Mohamed, debate America, its failures and its successes, debate our constitution and its interpretations. We are free to debate George Bush his stupidity, his crimes against America and the world, and his many failures. We are free to debate anything and every thing except Zionism, Israel and Judaism. In Palestine and the Arab world, we are allowed to discuss few things but one thing no one dares to discuss is the PLO, its illegitimacy and its failures.
Israel committed war crimes for over 20 days in Gaza killing and murdering in cold blood women and children, destroying homes, schools, social centers, UN facilities, mosques and hospitals yet, no one in the US and the West dare to say any thing let alone criticize Israel, its racist and criminal practices, as we have seen in the BBC refusal to air calls for aids to Gaza and in the attack on Paul Simon and CBC for its airing of the recent special of why a two state solution is not possible any more.
Mahmoud Abbas, whose presidential term finished and expired couple of weeks ago and who lost any and all legitimacy as president of Palestine and the Palestinian Authority stood up yesterday in Cairo and declared that under no circumstances there will be any dialogue with those who (Hamas) questions the legitimacy of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
I am sure all Palestinians and the Arab world, with the exception of the very few Palestinians who are on the payroll of the PLO know well that the PLO lost any and all of whatever legitimacy it had to begin with 20 years ago. What remains now of the PLO is nothing more than perhaps couple of dozen “parasites” around Mahmoud Abbas, direct beneficiaries of his financial generosity. I am sure if the payroll stops they will drop the PLO as hot potatoes.
To begin with, the PLO was never elected, voted or chosen by the Palestinian people, rather the PLO was chosen by the Arab League, which itself is of questionable legitimacy with many Arab leaders coming to power by tanks but not by the ballots and have no legitimacy whatsoever. As at no time did the Palestinian people in an open debate, forums, votes or ballots ever voted for and selected the PLO as “the sole and only representative of the Palestinians people”. An organization like the Arab League with questionable legitimacy cannot vote on or select an organization for and on behalf of the Palestinians people. The Arab League never had a mandate to represent the people of Palestine let alone select its representative, never.
Even in its heydays, the PLO was never legitimate since its officers and members were not elected by the people, but through a process similar in so many ways to the old Communist Party of the old Soviet Union, were the party on its won without ever going back to the people chose its general members and this general membership elected a slate of candidate that the leadership put forward. The same is true of the PLO. Arafat as a party leader funded and organized unions such as teachers, artist, social scientists, engineers, students etc to be part of the “party” and put forward slate of leadership to head and represent these “unions” and in turn these selected leaders voted the same (Arafat) leadership that voted them in. Thus the Palestine National Council which is the “elected” people’s congress was never elected through open election rather its members where selected by Arafat and his gangs and where voted in. Faulty process to the core.
Thus the Palestine National Congress never truly represented the people and Arafat and his gangs were never voted in by the Palestinian people inside and outside Palestine. That is why there was never ever an open and serious debate on issues of concern to the people such as the occupation, liberation, building institutions, representing the people of the Diaspora, let alone the many fatal and criminal decisions taken by Arafat and the PLO leadership. There was never a debate on what happened in Jordan in 1970, never a debate on what happened in Lebanon, never a debate on what happened in Tel-Zaater and Sabra and Shatilla, never a debate on what happened to cause of the forced exiles of 350,000 from Kuwait, never a debate let alone filing criminal and civil charges against all those who committed war crimes against the Palestinian people. Equally troublesome is the lack of debate or call for accountability of the tens of billions of the people money that simply disappeared during the tenures of Arafat, Qurai and Abbas. Tens of billions of the people money stolen by the very same leadership that supposed to be the people trustees of their money and future. As such the Palestine National Council was nothing more than a ‘yes” congress for the leadership so similar to the party congress of the Soviet Union, a bunch of “yes” people who serve the wills of their masters, the leadership.
It was the late Arafat and his partners Abbas and Qurai who once they signed the Oslo agreement recognizing Israel and its occupations, and becoming its agents and administrators simply discarded the PLO as no entity. The Palestinian Trio of Arafat, Abbas and Qurai, turned the PLO into a “shell” organization putting a number of loyal cadres on the payroll just to keep the PLO under “oxygen”. The Palestinians Authority became the legal and financial partner of the Jewish Occupation. Arafat and Abbas simply put the PLO in a cold freezer, to use only when needed and to serve the purpose of the Jewish Occupation.
Under Oslo, Israel recognized the PLO as “the representative of the Palestinian people” and the only one authorized to sign and execute a “peace agreement” with Israel. Thus Mahmoud Abbas insistence on the PLO and its role in the “peace process”. Without Abbas’s PLO, Israel could not consolidate its occupation, could not settle the issue of the refugees, could not keep the Jewish settlements and could not have a financial and security partner. Abbas insistence on the legitimacy of the PLO has nothing to do with ending the Jewish Occupation, has nothing to do with the Apartheid Wall, has nothing to do with ending the Jewish settlements, has nothing to do with return of refugees, has nothing to do with Jerusalem, has nothing to do with Jewish war crimes, has nothing to do with the 11,000 hostages held by Israel, certainly it has nothing to do with the siege of Gaza, with the war on Gaza and the Jewish war crimes committed in Gaza. It has every thing to do with his the PLO legal obligations under Oslo to deliver Palestine and the Palestinians people under occupation and in the Diaspora to Israel. Without the PLO Israel could not reach a “peace agreement” that makes Israel a controlling partner of all Occupied Palestine of 67 including Jerusalem.
As for Israel and the lack of debate, we all know what happened to any one and every one who dares to say or speak out. They end up on the side streets of Washington, Berlin, Paris and London, politically finished and ruined. A deadly bullet waits all those who dare to speak out. The same is true in Palestine and the Arab world.
Israel committed war crimes for over 20 days in Gaza killing and murdering in cold blood women and children, destroying homes, schools, social centers, UN facilities, mosques and hospitals yet, no one in the US and the West dare to say any thing let alone criticize Israel, its racist and criminal practices, as we have seen in the BBC refusal to air calls for aids to Gaza and in the attack on Paul Simon and CBC for its airing of the recent special of why a two state solution is not possible any more.
Mahmoud Abbas, whose presidential term finished and expired couple of weeks ago and who lost any and all legitimacy as president of Palestine and the Palestinian Authority stood up yesterday in Cairo and declared that under no circumstances there will be any dialogue with those who (Hamas) questions the legitimacy of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
I am sure all Palestinians and the Arab world, with the exception of the very few Palestinians who are on the payroll of the PLO know well that the PLO lost any and all of whatever legitimacy it had to begin with 20 years ago. What remains now of the PLO is nothing more than perhaps couple of dozen “parasites” around Mahmoud Abbas, direct beneficiaries of his financial generosity. I am sure if the payroll stops they will drop the PLO as hot potatoes.
To begin with, the PLO was never elected, voted or chosen by the Palestinian people, rather the PLO was chosen by the Arab League, which itself is of questionable legitimacy with many Arab leaders coming to power by tanks but not by the ballots and have no legitimacy whatsoever. As at no time did the Palestinian people in an open debate, forums, votes or ballots ever voted for and selected the PLO as “the sole and only representative of the Palestinians people”. An organization like the Arab League with questionable legitimacy cannot vote on or select an organization for and on behalf of the Palestinians people. The Arab League never had a mandate to represent the people of Palestine let alone select its representative, never.
Even in its heydays, the PLO was never legitimate since its officers and members were not elected by the people, but through a process similar in so many ways to the old Communist Party of the old Soviet Union, were the party on its won without ever going back to the people chose its general members and this general membership elected a slate of candidate that the leadership put forward. The same is true of the PLO. Arafat as a party leader funded and organized unions such as teachers, artist, social scientists, engineers, students etc to be part of the “party” and put forward slate of leadership to head and represent these “unions” and in turn these selected leaders voted the same (Arafat) leadership that voted them in. Thus the Palestine National Council which is the “elected” people’s congress was never elected through open election rather its members where selected by Arafat and his gangs and where voted in. Faulty process to the core.
Thus the Palestine National Congress never truly represented the people and Arafat and his gangs were never voted in by the Palestinian people inside and outside Palestine. That is why there was never ever an open and serious debate on issues of concern to the people such as the occupation, liberation, building institutions, representing the people of the Diaspora, let alone the many fatal and criminal decisions taken by Arafat and the PLO leadership. There was never a debate on what happened in Jordan in 1970, never a debate on what happened in Lebanon, never a debate on what happened in Tel-Zaater and Sabra and Shatilla, never a debate on what happened to cause of the forced exiles of 350,000 from Kuwait, never a debate let alone filing criminal and civil charges against all those who committed war crimes against the Palestinian people. Equally troublesome is the lack of debate or call for accountability of the tens of billions of the people money that simply disappeared during the tenures of Arafat, Qurai and Abbas. Tens of billions of the people money stolen by the very same leadership that supposed to be the people trustees of their money and future. As such the Palestine National Council was nothing more than a ‘yes” congress for the leadership so similar to the party congress of the Soviet Union, a bunch of “yes” people who serve the wills of their masters, the leadership.
It was the late Arafat and his partners Abbas and Qurai who once they signed the Oslo agreement recognizing Israel and its occupations, and becoming its agents and administrators simply discarded the PLO as no entity. The Palestinian Trio of Arafat, Abbas and Qurai, turned the PLO into a “shell” organization putting a number of loyal cadres on the payroll just to keep the PLO under “oxygen”. The Palestinians Authority became the legal and financial partner of the Jewish Occupation. Arafat and Abbas simply put the PLO in a cold freezer, to use only when needed and to serve the purpose of the Jewish Occupation.
Under Oslo, Israel recognized the PLO as “the representative of the Palestinian people” and the only one authorized to sign and execute a “peace agreement” with Israel. Thus Mahmoud Abbas insistence on the PLO and its role in the “peace process”. Without Abbas’s PLO, Israel could not consolidate its occupation, could not settle the issue of the refugees, could not keep the Jewish settlements and could not have a financial and security partner. Abbas insistence on the legitimacy of the PLO has nothing to do with ending the Jewish Occupation, has nothing to do with the Apartheid Wall, has nothing to do with ending the Jewish settlements, has nothing to do with return of refugees, has nothing to do with Jerusalem, has nothing to do with Jewish war crimes, has nothing to do with the 11,000 hostages held by Israel, certainly it has nothing to do with the siege of Gaza, with the war on Gaza and the Jewish war crimes committed in Gaza. It has every thing to do with his the PLO legal obligations under Oslo to deliver Palestine and the Palestinians people under occupation and in the Diaspora to Israel. Without the PLO Israel could not reach a “peace agreement” that makes Israel a controlling partner of all Occupied Palestine of 67 including Jerusalem.
As for Israel and the lack of debate, we all know what happened to any one and every one who dares to say or speak out. They end up on the side streets of Washington, Berlin, Paris and London, politically finished and ruined. A deadly bullet waits all those who dare to speak out. The same is true in Palestine and the Arab world.
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