It no longer should be any surprise that the Middle East peace process has no hope in being materialised given Israel's policies. Repeatedly, Israel has made it very clear where it stands on the matter as it has supported segregation and deepened conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
As the Palestinians announced and followed through their bid to submit an application to join the United Nations, Israel has reminded the global community of its complete disregard for the peace process. The government has approved the building of 1,100 new Jewish colonies in occupied east Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out that there will be any freeze towards such colony construction.
Reacting to the news, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that this Israeli move was counter productive to efforts towards the revival of the peace talks. She further stated that both Israel and the Palestinians should avoid provocative actions as international mediators should focus on encouraging both sides towards direct negotiations.
Yet is this really what is needed to be done? After all, it is Israel that has been adopting a policy of hostility and aggression and not the Palestinians. As a matter of fact, the Palestinians resorted to seeking full UN membership out of their desperation as their rights as a people have been neglected for too long.
Now that the Palestinians have followed through their plans to enter the UN, it is critical for the global community to support this initiative. The future involvement of the Middle East Quartet and the US would be determined by how they react and handle the Palestinians' recent move. It is therefore high time that the US takes on the role of an objectivemediator rather than continue showing blind support for Israel.
