GOO D GUYS?
of Alexander the Great’s sword cutting the Gordian knot. The Palestinians have no institutions. The two good people, “President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayad…are striving to build the institutions of a modern democracy.” This means: “security services…ministries that deliver services without corruption…steps that unleash the natural enterprise of the Palestinian people…the rule of law…” All this under occupation, behind roadblocks, walls and fences, while the main roads are barred to Palestinians, while the West Bank is chopped into pieces and cut off from the rest of the world. By the way, in this matter Bush has another patent medicine: all Palestinian exports will in future go through Jordan and Egypt, not Israel.
Sent his poodle In order to realize the vision of “building Palestinian institutions”, Bush is sending along his poodle. According to Bush, the sole task of Tony Blair is indeed this: “to coordinate international efforts to help the Palestinians establish the institutions of a strong and lasting free society.” (Like which example? Egypt? Saudi Arabia? Jordan? Pakistan? Morocco? Or perhaps even Iraq? Let’s hope no one is rude enough to mention the fact that the Palestinians held democratic elections for their Parliament, not so long ago, under the strict supervision of ex-President Jimmy Carter. As far as Bush is concerned, that just did not happen, since the majority of the people voted for Hamas. Therefore, Bush mentions only the elections held before that, when Mahmoud Ab-
bas was elected president, practically without opposition. Everything else has been wiped off the slate. So this is the up-to-date vision: “democratic Palestinian institutions” will be in place, free of corruption (as in the US and Israel), and “capable security forces” will be functioning, and Hamas will be eliminated, and the armed factions will be dismantled, and all attacks on Israel will be stopped, and the security of Israel ensured, and the incitement against Israel ended, and everybody will recognize Israel’s right to exist as “a Jewish state and a homeland for the Jewish people”, and all the agreements that were signed in the past will be accepted – then “we can soon begin serious negotiations towards the creation of a Palestinian state.” Wow! What a wonderful sentence! “Soon” – without a timetable. “Serious negotiations” – without fixing a date for their conclusion. “A Palestinian state” (again, without the definite article, which Bush seems to detest) – without specific borders. But a hint is given: “mutually agreed borders reflecting previous lines and current realities, and mutually agreed adjustments.” Meaning: the settlement blocs and much else will be annexed by Israel. It seems as if the speech writers, after finishing the product, noticed that it was pitifully devoid of content. Nothing new, nothing that could cause a self-respecting newspaper to give it a headline. I imagine the media advisor saying: “Mister President, we must add something that will look new.” Thus the “international meeting” was born.
According to Bush, the sole task of Tony Blair is indeed this: “to coordinate international efforts to help the Palestinians establish the institutions of a strong and lasting free society”
August 2007 | TheREADER 15