For Palestinians,
Obama is No Better Than the Rest ...
"Democrat or Republican, Black,
White or mixed race, man or woman, U.S. officials are implementers of a Middle
East policy that constitutes the basis of their international relations. That
policy, which is based on the dispossession of the Palestinians, is that of the
military-industrial complex - at the heart of which the Zionist lobby plays a
major role."
Senator Obama attends a ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, July 23. For Palestinians - his visit was short on encouraging words - or symbolism.
Barack Obama
spent three-quarters if an hour in Ramallah at the headquarters of what is
politely called the Palestinian “Authority.” Politely, because indeed, one
wonders what this specialized administrative structure has even the slightest
bit of authority over. Nevertheless, as we have often repeated, in that region
of the world so steeped in history, symbols have more power than they do in
other places. This symbolic authority is what Westerners - who have
self-designated themselves with the pithy title “international community”- consider
to be the representative of the Palestinian people.
Anxious to forge an
international image, the mixed-race candidate - courageously we were told -
decided to visit the President of the Authority. And it was even expected that
after their discussion, a luncheon was to be offered by President Abbas. The Authority had in mind "putting small dishes
into the larger ones" (A French expression meaning preparing a grand meal),
no doubt anxious, for once, to dine on something other than illusions and receive
the potential future president of the United States with dignity. Alas, Barack
Obama cancelled the culinary portion of the meeting and rushed back to the King
David Hotel in Jerusalem where, doubtless, the electoral kitchen is more
nutritious.
Anxious not to
offend the pro-Zionist American electorate, the Illinois senator didn't want to
appear too close to the Palestinians. He also avoided saluting the memory of
Yasser Arafat, whose tomb is situated just inside the Authority. Thus, the
visit lasted only forty five minutes, to the dismay of officials and with
complete indifference to Palestinian citizens.
On the other hand,
Israel constituted the longest stop of his international tour. Like all Western
dignitaries, the visiting candidate conformed to the local customs: wearing a
very visible and immaculate kippa [aka yamaka], he meditated opposite the Wailing Wall and
even inserted a personal prayer note in the ritual manner in the crevices of
the wall. It's not difficult to imagine the object of his prayer. The symbolic
significance is eloquent and the identification complete. On the political
level, the candidate took advantage of his passage through Jerusalem to
reaffirm his love for Israel and his wish to see Jerusalem obtain the status of
eternal capital of a just-as-eternal state.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
BARACK OBAMA TOURS WESTERN WALL IN JERUSALEM, JULY 23
The Palestinians had
no need to experience the very tactful senator-candidate, nor this debauchery
of symbolism, to measure the precise nature of the U.S.-Zionist complex. Democrat
or Republican, Black, White or mixed race, man or woman, U.S. officials are implementers
of a Middle East policy that constitutes the basis of their international
relations. That policy, which is based on the dispossession of the Palestinians,
is that of the military-industrial complex - at the heart of which the Zionist
lobby plays a major role. In this context, the gesticulations of the media and strategies
of communication have little electoral weight.
Clearly,
Palestinian opinion gave little significance to Barack Obama's visit - nor to his
symbols. The Palestinians know that freedom isn't something to be granted by
the United States - that grand patron of the last colonial state [Israel], and that the only
realistic course of action is that of resistance.
