Donald Trump, Visionary of the (Single)
State
Now that he’s ripped the mask off the farce
of a two-state solution, perhaps the U.S.
president can help establish the first
genuine democracy in the Middle East
By Gideon Levy
December 11, 2017 "Information
Clearing House"
-Theodor Trump, the visionary of the single
state. Without Herzl’s beard or Basel, the
site of the First Zionist Congress, Donald
Trump may become the founder of democracy in
Israel-Palestine. Just as his vulgarity and
sexism boosted the #MeToo movement, his
blatant bias toward Zionism and the
occupation might create a backlash that
could effect the only remaining conceivable
solution. Sometimes you need a defiant bully
to shake things up. Trump’s the guy. We
should thank this dangerous man: He tore off
the disguise and put an end to the
masquerade.
Trump told the world the truth: The United
States is not an honest broker, it never was
and never will be. It is the greatest
collaborator with the Israeli occupation,
supporting, arming and funding it. It wants
the occupation to continue. It never
recoiled from it and of course did nothing
to end it. Before Trump, it also mocked the
world: the an endless “peace process” that
never led (and was not intended to lead) to
anything but the perpetuation of the
occupation; countless purportedly balanced
“peace plans” that America never tried to
implement; countless purportedly neutral
brokers, a majority of them Zionist Jews;
and after all that, the appearance of an
impartial peacemaker.
Trump came and put a stop to it. In deciding
to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of
Israel, and only of Israel, he left no room
for doubt: America is with the occupation,
with Israel and only with Israel. Of course
that’s its right, and the right of its
president — most Israelis are surely happy
about it — but it won’t bring about peace or
relative justice.
Trump also conducted the sad funeral of the
two-state solution, after its long decline
into death. Now the heir must be found. In
his horrifically one-sided announcement,
Trump declared that there aren’t two nations
with equal rights in this land of two
nations. There is one nation with one
capital and all the rights, and another,
inferior nation with no rights. That other
nation is not deserving of a state if it is
not deserving of a capital in Jerusalem.
That other nation must now recognize its
situation and adjust its goals to the
reality declared by Trump.
|
Never Miss Another Story |
The
first to do so was Saeb Erekat, the veteran
Palestinian negotiator. He said, fine, one
state. The Palestinian Authority will have
to go with it. It will no longer be able to
talk about a two-state solution. It needs to
start fighting for the obvious: equal rights
for all. One person, one vote. One
democratic state for two peoples. That’s the
only remaining option other than apartheid.
More than 700,000 Jewish settlers, including
in East Jerusalem, were already there, and
now America is officially behind them. The
occupier received another prize, while the
occupied received another blow.
The European Union will also have to adjust
to reality and understand that winter is
coming. Up to now, the EU has been in
America’s shadow, its faithful servant when
it comes to Middle East policy. Other than a
few insignificant symbolic steps, it hasn’t
pursued a policy in keeping with public
sentiment in Western Europe, most of which
is opposed to the occupation.
Perhaps Trump’s extremism will shake the EU
out of its complacency and spur it to more
courageous and, most important, more
independent positions. And maybe Europe will
also stop invoking the two-state mantra now
that a few of its heads of state have
recognized that it’s no longer viable.
Perhaps Europe will take the lead in a new
dialogue about equal rights for all.
And whom do we have to thank? The president
of the United States. When the only genuine
democracy in the Middle East is finally
established, one day in the distant future,
he should be invited. This American
ultranationalist, who would have nothing to
do with morality or justice or international
law or human rights or minorities or
Palestinians, should be made an honorary
citizen of the new, just state.
This article was originally published by Haaretz -
====
Join the Discussion
It is not necessary for ICH readers to register before placing a comment. This website encourages readers to use the "Report" link found at the base of each comment. When a predetermined number of ICH readers click on the "Report" link, the comment will be automatically sent to "moderation". This would appear to be the most logical way to allow open comments, where you the reader/supporter, can determine what is acceptable speech. Please don't use the report feature simply because you disagree with the author point of view. Treat others with respect, remembering that "A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still."- Benjamin Franklin. Please read our Comment Policy before posting -
|
|
