Encouraging Rhetoric
Samia Nasir Khoury
November 19, 2009
A few days ago the papers and the internet were filled with a variety of voices in reaction to the Israeli decision to build 900 housing units in the Gilo settlement. Gilo was established on land that belonged to the town of Beit Jala in the Bethlehem area, and was illegally confiscated and annexed to Jerusalem.
Despite the fact that Mr. Obama had demanded last month that Israel stop all settlement activity, the Israeli Prime Minister did not heed his request and unfortunately Mr. Obama bowed. When a spoilt child can get away with anything for more than four decades, this should not come as a surprise to its godparents. However the President commented yesterday that additional settlement building does not contribute to Israel’s security. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs and the State Department spokesman, Ian Kelly voiced their criticism of the decision, and so did the French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner during his recent visit to Israel. Sweden, which holds the presidency of the European Union not only criticized the decision but also considered the eviction and demolishing of homes as illegal according to international law. Of course it was not a surprise to hear the World Council of Churches condemning the decision as it has always been vocal where injustice prevails.
It was refreshing to hear the voice of the UN general secretary also on this issue deploring the Israeli move. You have the mandate and the tools Mr. Ban Ki Moon, so why is it taking you so long to use those tools to bring about a just and peaceful end to this conflict.
Thanks to all those voices regretting, reprimanding, deploring and being dismayed by these actions. Hearing all this encouraging rhetoric one would think that this was Israel’s first violation after 42 years of military occupation. The peace process which had given hope to the people of the region continued to be a mirage and a process of futile negotiations for 18 years, during which Israel was creating new realities on the ground. Even the architect of the Oslo agreement, Mr. Abbas and the chief negotiator, Saeb Uraikat themselves have given up on these negotiations. Ironically a large sector of the Palestinian population realized the futility of the process sooner than the negotiators, but despite their opposition the negotiators proceeded with the negotiations and kept their commitments to the various agreements to find out at last that it was all in vain.
After living under Israeli occupation for 42 years we realize by now how Israel always manages to side track issues when it is under pressure. So it comes up with this new “Peres-Barack” initiative which is even humiliating to consider. I hope Mr. Barack does not think he is proposing another “generous offer”. It could very well be as a reaction to the Palestinian plan to seek recognition of a Palestinian State on the 1967 borders. Rightly so, it is high time the United Nations attended to that matter rather than pay attention to this arrogant initiative of “ temporary borders with an equal size of the West Bank occupied in 1967.” The Palestinians might be desperate and helpless, but they are no fools although they were certainly taken for a long ride with these negotiations.
Actually one cannot help but wonder whether Israel is genuinely interested in peace. Maybe it is the mélange of the Israeli population that makes it impossible to make peace with their neighbors, as they might always need a common enemy to hold the nation together. All under the myth of “security”
Enough is enough, and what needs to be said or written has been said and written. Sometimes I even feel I am repeating myself, and not offering my readers anything new. However I felt that with all this rhetoric so clearly expressed, it was time to challenge those voices to translate that rhetoric into action. Not one time since 1967did the word sanctions come up regarding Israel. Not one time did the USA administration say that it will stop aid to Israel, or even make it conditional. On the contrary every time Israel acts with impunity it seems to be rewarded as if there is a separate set of laws that applies to Israel alone, while the whole world are subject to another set of laws. The Goldstone affair is a glaring example of how the international community runs matters. Once again today we heard that the possibility of sanctions against Iran is there, despite the fact that Iran is showing all cooperation.
Dare we hope for the sake of justice, peace and security for the whole region that the USA administration and the European community with its newly elected president will support the United Nations in rising up to its responsibility to bring about a just solution to this conflict. A solution that is long over due, even if it had to consider sanctions against Israel unless it conforms with international law and abides by UN resolutions.
“Lawlessness must have painful consequences for the lawless, not their victims” Stuart Littlewood
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Samia Nasir Khoury was born in Jaffa, Palestine on November 24, 1933. She graduated from Birzeit College in 1950, and was awarded a BBA degree from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, in 1954. Samia then returned to Birzeit, and worked from 1954-1960 at her former school as executive secretary, registrar and director of women students’ activities. Samia retired in 2003 after serving for 17 years as president of Rawdat El-Zuhur, a coeducational elementary school for the lower income community in East Jerusalem. She continues to serve as treasurer of the board of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in East Jerusalem and on the board of trustees of Birzeit University in Birzeit, Palestine.





























All Western-nation “civilized” societies should read this spirited cri de coeur by a great Palestinian Christian lady. As Ms. Khoury and I agreed in an E-mail exchange today, Zionist Israel has in fact “graduated” — from spoilt child to teenage sadistic bully on the block to adulthood full murderous psychosis…a collective serial killer non pareil. I condemn my America for enabling the psychotic, and I mourn my own taxpaying complicity and general lack of will and way to make a difference. Viva Palestine!
Comment by Robert H. Stiver | November 22, 2009