The
"Road Map" to Further Colonization
By Mazin Qumsiyeh Ph.D.
02 May 2003
I think it is rather telling
that the so called "road map" for a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict failed to include the words: "international law"
and "human rights." That these four simple words can be skipped
in a document of 2221 words suggests that this latest effort will not
produce peace.
The map also seems to ignore
the wall of apartheid being built and their is no mention of getting
input from people affected regarding their future.
Like the defunct Oslo accords
these latest trials were also based on an underlying assumption that
with the disparity of power, Israel can dictate agreements. Israeli
leaders wanted and got recognition of sovereignty on 78% of Palestine
(land they stole from native Palestinians). But they want more. They
want parts of the remaining 22%, they want acceptance of their demand
to forfeit the most elemental of human rights such as the right of refugees
to return to their homes and lands (all simply because they are not
Jewish). What this means is that the victims of Israeli colonialism
are expected to certify that it is OK for Israel to remain the only
country in the world that identifies its lands as belonging not to its
citizens but to "Jewish people everywhere". The Palestinians
must recognize that Israel can remain the only country in the world
that gives members of a particular religion (including converts) automatic
rights (citizenship, land, homes, subsidies) that supercede and mostly
replace those of "citizens" and native people who belong to
other religions. Israel grants automatic citizenship to any individual
who has one Jewish grandparent while denying citizenship to native Christians
and Muslims simply for being of the wrong religion.
Israel is the only country
in the world whose legitimacy does not flow from rights of self-determination
of natives but Zionist claim of biblical authority. Without consulting
the inhabitants (Jews, Christians, and Muslims), a UN general assembly
resolution in 1947 called for partition of a native land to give 55%
of the land to a colonial people who at the time represented 30% of
the population and owned 7% of the land. Yet, this same resolution,
while unfair and accomplished by much arm-twisting by the US, rejected
any population transfer and insisted on Internationalizing Jerusalem,
on an economic union, and on free movement of people (all these provisions
where and are still unacceptable to the Zionist leaders).
Armed and supported by the
British Empire and then the US (today's Empire?), the Zionist movement
grew to become a dominant political/military ideology.
In the process, this movement
succeeded in removing over 70% of the native inhabitants of the land
of Palestine and precipitate unrest and violence that is now engulfing
many other areas of the world. The majority of Palestinians were made
refugees or displaced persons and the remaining are losing their lands
daily.
The foreign policy of the
only remaining superpower was hijacked by Sharon's Zionist cronies in
DC (Wolfowitz, Perle, Feith, Wurmser and their cabal of "neoconservatives").
They are content to lead us into endless "preemptive" wars
for "securing the [Israeli] realm" (as Perle and company put
it in a 1996 document submitted to the Israeli government). CNN/MSNBC/Fox
and US politicians beholden to special interest money help perpetuate
this historic injustice and shield the public from the truth.
Israel violated over 70 UN
Security Council resolutions and was protected from 35 others by US
veto. Sharon and Bush speak of "eventually" having a Palestinian
"state" but this is analogous to South Africa speaking about
having states for blacks (what became known as Bantustans or large Ghettos).
But unless annihilated (a
difficult task in the 21st century), no native people have ever succumbed
to their oppressors, however ruthless.
If we want peace in the Holy
Land, all is needed is to implement the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights. If this is not good enough, why not apply relevant UN resolutions
on the issue (including UNGA 194 also calling for return of refugees).
Israel promised to comply with relevant UN resolutions when it was admitted
to the UN. If they continue to refuse, perhaps it is time to get Israel
out of the community of nations. The US Congress should also then cut
off the billions of our tax dollars we send to allow continued violations
of human rights and International law. Unless this is done, all the
maps in the world will not lead to peace.
*Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh is co-founder
and national treasurer of Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition.
(http://AlAwda.org) He can
be reached via e-mail at: [email protected]