Issues

Palestine

Palestinian Political Crisis: Reaping What We've Sown

Posted on Tuesday June 19, 2007

AAI Statement on Outbreak of Violence in Middle East

Events this week in Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine, leave no doubt that the Middle East is in crisis. The bombing of the Shiite holy shrine of Askariya in Samarra; the assassination of yet another Lebanese Member of Parliament and continued political paralysis in that country; and the military takeover of Gaza by Hamas and dissolution of the Palestinian government create even further challenges to the region’s future and U.S. credibility. “What we’re seeing is an unraveling of U.S. policy in the Middle East,” said AAI President James Zogby. “There is a crisis in every region where we’ve declared victory because we thought ideology would trump reality—and it didn’t.”

While extremists and their international backers clearly are at fault, neither Israel nor the United States escapes their share of on earth, particularly in the Gaza Strip.

While it is too early to speak with confidence on what shape a future Palestinian government will take, the United States will be faced with a choice. Palestinian leaders like Abbas, Salam Fayyad, and Ziad Abu Amr have proven their commitment to a democratic, independent state of Palestine living in peace with Israel and deserve unequivocal U.S. support in pursuit of that goal. If, in the future, Fateh and Hamas agree on a power-sharing system, the United States should not actively obstruct Palestinian internal negotiations nor should it withhold support to President Abbas if it does not like the outcome of those negotiations. Internal Palestinian violence will not bring about an end to the occupation, create an independent State of Palestine, or deliver security for Israel. In addition, the U.S. can not continue to place unrealistic demands on Abbas while refusing to place any pressure on Israel.

In moving forward, we would serve ourselves well to consider the advice of outgoing UN Middle East Envoy Alvaro de Soto. In a sobering classified report which was recently leaked, de Soto examines the disastrous consequences of Quartet (comprised of the United States, European Union, United Nations, and Russia) policies on the viability of the two-state solution and the ability of the United Nations to play a positive role in resolving the conflict. Excerpts of the report are included below. The full report is available here.

On the impact of Quartet policy on the Palestinians and on prospects for a two State solution:

“The underpinnings for a future Palestinian state have been seriously undermined, and the capacity of the Palestinian security apparatus to establish and maintain law and order, to say nothing of putting an end to attacks against Israel, has diminished tremendously—hardly surprising, given that the security forces who would have to risk their lives to achieve these goals haven’t been being paid regular salaries. Thus the steps taken by the international community with the presumed purpose of bringing about a Palestinian entity that will live in peace with its neighbour Israel have had precisely the opposite effect.”

On U.S. policy towards the national unity government:

“The U.S. clearly pushed for a confrontation between Fateh and Hamas—so much so that, a week before [the] Mecca [Agreement], the U.S. envoy declared twice in an envoys meeting in Washington how much ‘I like this violence’, referring to the near-civil war that was erupting in Gaza in which civilians were being regularly killed and injured, because ‘it means that other Palestinians are resisting Hamas.’ Please remember this next time someone argues that the Mecca agreement, to the extent that it showed progress, proved that a year of pressure ‘worked,’ and we should keep the isolation going.”

On the continued Israeli siege and occupation of Gaza:

“The Palestinians consider that Gaza remains an open-air prison controlled directly by Israel on all borders…Passage through [the] Rafah [border with Egypt] is sporadic, chaotic and, by many Palestinian accounts, a humiliating experience…Since, as I recall, the test of occupation in international law is effective control of the population, few international lawyers contest the assessment that Gaza remains occupied, with its connections to the outside world by land, sea and air remaining in the hands of Israel.”

On Israel’s disregard for the Road Map and Quarter principles:

It was one thing for Israel to expect acceptance of previous agreements (the third Quartet principle)—though one might query whether Israel itself is compliant…It is something else altogether for Israel to demand an end to violence when it carries out military operations non-stop in the West Bank, and while it remains non-compliant with its parallel obligation, under the Road Map, to dismantle unauthorized settler outposts and freeze settlement activity and continues to create almost irreversible facts on the ground, including by building the security barrier on Palestinian land, while withholding Palestinian money and maintaining a stranglehold on Palestinian development through the closure system.”

On continued UN disengagement from Palestinian parties:

“At almost every juncture a premium is put on good relations with the US and improving the UN’s relationship with Israel. I have no problem with either goal but I do have a problem with self-delusion…Forgetting our ability to influence the Palestinian scene in the hope that it keeps open doors to Israel is to trade our Ace for a Joker.”