Dimi Reider writes:
I just finished watching a live transmission of the Knesset vote on the referendum law. The law, which passed at a majority of 65 to 33, conditions any Israeli withdrawal from any of its territory – into which Israel, alone in the world, includes the Golan Heights East Jerusalem – on passing a nation-wide referendum. To revoke the law, the Knesset would need a privileged majority of 80 out of 120 parliamentarians. Considering current and foreseeable trends in the public mood, overwhelming support for withdrawing from East Jerusalem – including the Old City, Gilo, Ramot Eshkol, and others – is highly unlikely.
This means that even if we ever get to an agreement on the key issue of a Palestinian capital in Jerusalem and the status of the city’s Palestinian residents, the referendum will kill it. The only alternative are if the government makes a new legislation and kills referendum law first, which seems highly improbable. The future Palestinian state, if it ever comes to pass, will be without its main symbol and historic capital.
The two state solution was in dire straits ever since it was born; the huge settlement expansion under Israel’s most leftist governments, especially the Rabin-Peres one, made it all but impossible to achieve on the ground. Whatever was left of its political future was further cast into question by the Olmert and Netanyahu documents, demanding the new Palestinian state has no control of airspace or non-Israeli borders, and other attributes of a sovereign state. The referendum bill put nail-before-last in the two-state process. The last nail will come when the Palestinian Authority implodes, whether for lack of credibility, or for a conscious change of tactic in favour of demanding vote and collective rights within the overarching Israeli government.
It is time the the United States of America pulls the plug on Israel. There is no sense in continuing this game. The People of the U.S. get nothing out of any deals struck, except to pay for the continued blackmail the Israeli Government passes off as being a friend of Democracy, when in reality, they have descended into the hell hole that the Nazi’s & South Africa were in the past. The U.S. is guilty of association of the facts, so, if the Government of “O” and the Congress want to participate, so be it, but as for the other 350 million + citizens, the answer is not just no, but “hell no”. Just because those mad men can’t see their way clear to do the right thing, there is no reason that we should have to bear their load too.
This no more decapitates 2SS than anything else. There was never going to be a 2SS until USA and UNSC applied real force, real sanctions (and not the mere talk of the last 43 years), to Israel. You know, end the occupation within 1 year according to a stated schedule, back to the Green Line and all settlers removed and the wall and all settlements dismantled (demolished and the rubble removed) , or else the nations will cut off commercial air traffic, cut off all trade except food and oil, etc., until you do. that sort of thing.
Well, “that sort of thing” would convince 81 Knesset members, I feel sure, to get the job done.
Short of “that sort of thing”, there’ll be no progress whatever. So, there is no change, it’s all show.
Pabel, I agree that might get the job done, but unfortunately, I think you are dreaming here. There is no chance that the US changes its tone anytime soon. And, more likely, by the time it does, the 2SS will be long gone.
This is the context of the illegal wars the perpetrated by the US.
It is from today’s DemocracyNow and it is comical!!! I had to laugh out loud!!!
From DemocracyNow:
“Report: Taliban Leader in Secret Talks Was An Impostor
In news from Afghanistan, secret talks between U.S. officials and the Taliban have collapsed after the United States concluded a key member of the talks was a Pakistani shopkeeper posing as a senior commander of the Taliban.For three months officials have held meetings with a man who identified himself as Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour, the second-in-command at the Taliban. The New York Times reports the fake Taliban leader even met with President Hamid Karzai, having been flown to Kabul on a NATO aircraft and ushered into the presidential palace. The imposter was also given a sizable sum of money to take part in the talks.”
This is similar to that bombing of a CIA(Ivaders) out post where they were celebrating the informant’s birthday and he blew up the CIA as well as Blackwater dogs.
It just illustrates how “Great” thing are going for the invaders and occupiers… hahaha!