Israel’s continued expansionist policies are about to torpedo all intentions, international or local, to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians and other Arab states. As long as Israeli occupation of Palestine, now in its 50th year, continues, peace will remain a far-fetched possibility — thanks to the failure of western powers, especially the United States, to twist Israel’s arms. A crucial step that Washington needs to take is cutting its financial and military support that has disappointingly increased lately.
This time around, Israel’s expansionist objectives are loud and clear, such as earlier this month, when Palestine announced its negotiations with the Egyptian government over the Israeli-besieged Gaza Strip, which has a 40km coastline.
The Palestinian status was upgraded in November 2012 by the United Nations General Assembly, awarding the Israeli-occupied region, where 1.8 Palestinians live, the status of a non-member observer state. Accordingly, the Palestinian Ambassador at the United Nations, Riyad H. Mansour, explained that they are now entitled to declare an undersea “exclusive economic zone” in the Mediterranean. In other words, the Palestinians will be negotiating with the Egyptians, who control the southern border of the Gaza Strip, about developing this portion of Palestine. Their plans include the building of an airport and a seaport among other much-needed projects to improve life in the region.
But a few days later, Israel’s Intelligence Minister, Israel Katz, revealed that he, too, was pushing for the construction of an “artificial island” off the besieged coast of Gaza, saying it will give the Palestinians there one and only seaport — and maybe a hotel and an international airport.
The Palestinians, have greeted the Israeli plan with scepticism, voicing concern that Israel’s real aim is to further cut off Gaza from the Palestinian West Bank. Katz said his plan calls for an eight square kilometre island linked to Gaza by a 5km bridge. The cost of these projected Israeli developments will be about $5 billion (Dh18.36 billion).
Adding fuel to the fire, Israel is reportedly now constructing a deep underground wall around the Gaza Strip, in an attempt to, according to the Washington Post, counter the threat of assault from tunnels built by Hamas, which now rules this strategic coastal enclave. The wall will extend the length of the Palestinian territory’s roughly 40-mile border with Israel and cost an estimated $570 million.
“The only move that will make Israelis feel more secure,” the Washington Post quoted an Israeli colonist, “is to reach a point of interaction and normalisation between Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza, the way it was once.”
Obviously this is not the view of the ultra-rightist Israeli government led by Priem Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His government has now allocated about $20 million in additional financing for Jewish colonies in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, a step that the New York Times has interpreted as “underlining its strengthened right-wing orientation and raising the ire of political opponents and the Palestinians”.
“Most countries,” the paper’s Jerusalem-based correspondent, Isabel Kershner, underlined, “view [colony] construction as a violation of international law and an impediment to a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; the [Barack] Obama administration has described the [colonies] as ‘illegitimate’”. But, she added, “Israel considers the West Bank territory that it conquered from Jordan in the Arab-Israeli war of 1967 to be disputed, not occupied, and says the fate of the [colonies] should be determined in negotiations.”
Saeb Erekat, a top Palestinian official, highlighted the Palestinians’ position, saying “It is time for the international community to assume its responsibilities towards this extremist government that openly supports apartheid and stands against the two-state solution.”
But whether the United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, will take this position when he is scheduled to meet with Netanyahu this week is uncertain, despite growing international pressure for the resumption of peace talks. Netanyahu is on record as opposing the French initiative in this respect — in contrast to the fact that the Palestinians had welcomed the French move.
Coincidentally, the European Council announced last week that it was ready to provide Israel and Palestine with massive economic and security support as part of any peace agreement. A statement to this effect was issued by the European Council President, Donald Tusk, soon after his meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in Brussels. He stressed that “a lasting peace in the region remains a top priority for the European Union”.
The EU foreign ministers said in a statement last Monday, after their meeting in Brussels, that they hoped to hold an international conference before the end of the year to focus on Middle East peace.
Much as these gestures are welcome, nothing may actually happen until Israel’s arm is twisted and the continued financial and military support to the Zionist regime is curtailed by Washington.
George S. Hishmeh is a Washington-based columnist. He can be contacted at ghishmeh@gulfnews.com
