Dubai: Washington’s inability to support an independent Palestinian state is taking the Palestinians towards a “mini Arab Spring” against Israeli occupation, analysts and politicians said.
Addressing the parliamentary assembly of the 47-nation Council of Europe, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday called on Europe to back the “Palestinian Spring” by supporting his government’s bid to win a place at the United Nations.
“Today we are at the heart of the Arab Spring: we say that the hour of the Palestinian Spring has struck,” he said in a speech.
“You supported the Arab spring which was seeking democracy and freedom,” he said.
“Now the Palestinian Spring has arrived, asking for freedom and an end to the [Israeli] occupation. We deserve your support.”
“Though there were many attempts at provocation by the Israeli side, we will not let them drive us to extremism, we will not go that way,” Abbas said.
Polarisation
“The PA is against an uprising, and the authority is not a light-weight party in the equation. Also, the divisions among the Palestinian people [at present] is excluding the possibility of an all out uprising, because divisions create polarisation,” Hani Al Masri, a prominent west-bank-based analyst told Gulf News.
“I am not one of those who say the third uprising is at the door, but [I say] it is coming, though not soon,” he said. He described the current Palestinian protests against Israelis and Americans as a Palestinian “mini Arab Spring”.
Al Masri said he boycotted a reception hosted by US diplomats in the West Bank to honour Palestinian NGOs last week in protest of the US opposition to the Palestinian UN bid for an independent state.
About 30 people accosted a US diplomatic convoy in the West Bank town of Ramallah, chanting “shame on you” and hurling shoes outside the US-hosted reception at a local restaurant, according to press reports. Many invited guests did not show up because they said they feared a backlash from their community.
Threat
Washington has threatened that it will go ahead with a veto in the UN Security Council once the Palestinian bid is studied. The Security Council is still reviewing the Palestinian application and it’s not clear whether the Palestinians can muster the needed majority of nine of 15 members which would trigger an American veto.
“The Palestinians now are asking isn’t now the time for their own spring?” said Ahmad Al Teibi, an Arab Lawmaker in the Israeli Knesset.
“It is possible that the accumulation [of anger] will lead to a peaceful popular uprising, and a popular resistance that would form a Palestinian spring against the occupation,” he told Gulf News in a telephone interview after taking part in a protest against Israeli measures in Negev.
Al Teibi shared the opinion that the PA was not interested allowing Palestinian anger to mount and result in armed confrontation with Israel.
The PA is trying to improve the conditions for peace talks, Al Masri explained.
While no resumption of talks on the horizon, analysts said, the main issue is not related to the current right-wing-led Israeli government.
“The problem is worse. It is related to the Israeli society itself,” said Al Masri. He quoted a recent Israeli poll which concluded that 66 per cent of Israelis believe there is no way to reach a Palestinian-Israeli agreement ever. “Israel is not serious [about] peace,” Al Masri said.
— With inputs from agencies
