generalspeaking

Palestinian Rift Healed...?

Palestinians from both Territories now have cause for great celebration. Their two representative governing groups have finally decided - once again - to let unfortunate bygones be bygones. Reconciliation is the order of the day. The 'moderates' and the fanatics have reconciled; they will no longer order their armed militias to battle one another to the death. Their struggle with one another on sectarian, adversarial grounds to be shelved indefinitely.

For the greater good of unity in the face of the occupier. One faction was prepared to recognize the legitimacy of the neighbouring State in the interests of forging a peace that would ultimately result in their own sovereign state coming to fruition. While the other celebrated an open agenda for the destruction of that neighbouring State with the intention of absorbing all of its geography into a greater sovereign state for Palestinians.

In fact, echoing in intention what the moderate faction had been planning all the while it presented another face to the world at large, as an accommodating, peace-loving entity deserving of its own state as its inalienable right. The two factions, then are not all that distant from one another in intention as regards their neighbour, the State of Israel.

Where the distance is seen is in their relative ideologies and their adherence to religion; one fully imbued with religious fervor, the other comfortable with its more secular approach. Yet reconciliation at this juncture is the order of the day, encouraged mightily by their Arab neighbouring states, and finally agreed to by the leaders of the two Palestinian factions.

"We announce to Palestinians that we turn forever the black page of division. We are certain of success as long as we're united." And success, how is that characterized? Why, that is a matter of internal communication between the now-joined factions. It does not reflect what the international community might have anticipated and which it has funded for over 60 years.

But the Fatah forces with its now-efficient police force so well trained by Britain and the U.S., accustomed to co-operation with Israeli troops, will have no success whatever in absorbing the Hamas militants, armed, trained and subsidized by Syria and Iran into a sole military to represent the newly-unified Palestinians. Hamas will retain its armed guerrilla wing.

It will continue to forge its alliance with Fatah, while continuing to harass and threaten Israel. Until such time as it has succeeded in overturning Fatah's ascendancy and taken it to themselves. When its agenda to confront and war with Israel, state to state, will be accomplished and its mortal enemy driven to the sea, presumably.

The Palestinian economy in the West Bank will be sacrificed to the inept administration of Hamas, draining it of its surging potential, and making of it the same incompetent drain of human endeavours and aspirations as is seen in Gaza. The international community will have to confront the inconvenience of determining whether it must continue paying out treasury to a clearly dysfunctional administration threatening its neighbour.

And in the final analysis, the malaise of the Israeli-Palestinian situation will have arrived right back at square one, with nothing of value accomplished. The blame for the collapse of the West Bank economy and the newly-engaged adversarial position between Fatah and Hamas will be placed on Israel. Israel: odd man out.

Israel's continued presence in the Middle East; its very presence as a Jewish state, will continue to represent as a provocative essence in the geography and in the world at large. Its survival will continue to depend on the urgency of the Jewish people to defend their right to exist, despite all the odds favouring its obliteration.

Labels: Israel, Middle East, Political Realities

posted by Pieface @ Thursday, May 05, 2011