"Obama
is an American politician anointed by the establishment, and he must take
account of the balance of power within the U.S. There is nothing particularly
unusual in that. But what was curious was the almost saintly aura attributed to
him by his Arab fans, who presumed (because of his color?) that he was more
inclined than past presidents to shake things up. That was utterly absurd. Obama’s
own party is largely under the influence of the Israel lobby."
So there you have it: for two
years, an American president has pretended to further the Middle East peace
process, hoodwinking Mahmoud
Abbas and vassal states considered moderate along the way, before reverting
to his true character - an uncritical defender of Israeli occupation.
During these two years, the
settlements expanded and there hasn't been an iota of progress in the peace
process. The president of the United States ventured to call for a freeze in the
settlements before backing down in line with expectations. And he did so as if
he had never said a thing. Only in his third year now, Barack Obama now recalls that
there is a Jewish electorate to be buttered up with talk of unwavering support for
Israel. His much-vaunted Cairo speech directed at the Muslim world was hollow,
but it fooled many.
In the Arab world, Obama’s "fans"
and "believers" hit out at the kill-joys who, according to them, hadn’t
grasped the historic change he embodied. But it didn’t take long for
disillusionment to set in, starting with Mahmoud Abbas and his eternal
negotiators who couldn’t very well pretend not to have known that "hero"
Obama had spoken of a cessation of Israeli settlements, before later falling into
line with orders from the Israel lobby in Washington. Obama didn’t just fall
from the sky to become president of the United States. He is an American
politician anointed by the establishment, and he must take account of the
balance of power within the U.S. There is nothing particularly unusual in that.
But what was curious was the almost saintly aura attributed to him by his fans
in the Arab world, which presumed (because of his color?) that he was more
inclined than any other president to shake up the current order. That notion
was utterly absurd. Obama’s own party is largely under the influence of
the Israel lobby.
The most distressing thing
about this blind faith is that Obama’s mandate will have, once again, served to
lead up the garden path a Palestinian authority lacking political acumen. It is
clear that Mahmoud Abbas has finally understood. Should he cease demanding a
halt to settlements as a prerequisite, he would be totally discredited. But
that is what was being demanded of him. These days, Mr. Obama has elections
to worry about and he sees Mahmoud Abbas as a personal problem - a nuisance.
A few days ago, a special
election in a New York congressional district saw Jewish voters register their suspicion
- and suddenly Washington's tone with Abbas became more pressing, even
threatening. It was made clear to him that if he persisted in calling for
Palestine to be recognized as a state, that his means of subsistence would be
cut off and he’d be at odds with the Palestinian civil servants who form the
basis of Fatah’s rank and file.
And so the status quo is
restored. From the White House to Capitol Hill, Washington
sees the Palestinian as the villain. There are no qualms about announcing a
veto. Like all who seek power in the United States, Mr. Obama has to become
more pro-Israel than his potential adversaries.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
But the impact of Mahmoud
Abbas’ move should not be overstated. Even with recognition of a Palestinian
state, the reality on the ground won’t change. However, Palestinians can take
inspiration from what’s happening around them. They could - although this
wouldn’t be easy - resurrect and revitalize their revolution. And like neighboring
peoples, they could consider taking to the streets with a simple slogan: down
with the regime! In Palestine, the regime isn’t the Palestinian authority but
the colonial occupation. Many things seemed unthinkable in Egypt. For the
Palestinians, nothing will be impossible - under the condition that they don’t
give up ...
