When news of the possible ceasefire with Lebanon came out, Netanyahu’s settler-ministers called him, verbally attacking him and threatening that upon his return from New York, there wouldn’t be a government waiting for him, but gallows. That’s how Netanyahu backed down in no time. His settler-ministers want blood and the promised land, while Netanyahu wants to stay free and go down in history as one of the founding fathers of Zionism, not its undertaker.
Meanwhile, the first wave of bombings on Lebanon has merely added more innocent victims to Israel’s already vast list of war crimes. Hezbollah resumed striking Galilee as if nothing had happened, even extending its range of action and using for the first time a ground-to-air missile intercepted over Tel Aviv. While Israel is bombing indiscriminately and targeting enemy leaders, Hezbollah has not yet taken the bait of escalation, limiting itself to sending signals of resistance. Their goal is a ceasefire in Gaza, while Netanyahu’s goal is to draw the United States into a war against Iran, allowing him to forcefully claim a hegemonic role in the region and realize Zionist dreams.
In the meantime, new drones are arriving from Iraq and missiles from Yemen, while the powerful gather at the UN. Amid mountains of trite and poorly delivered phrases, the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative echoed once again, proposing normalization between the Arab world and Israel: peace in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank, Gaza, and the Golan Heights, and the creation of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Palestinians were very much on board, but another father of Zionism, Ariel Sharon, followed by his worthy successor Netanyahu, threw it all away. They weren’t even willing to return to the 1967 borders.
Among those reminding us of this, in these New York days, was the King of Jordan, who seems rather jittery, fearing he might meet the same fate as other crowned heads in those dunes, partly due to his ambiguities and his flawless English accent.
The Middle East is boiling, but there’s little new. Israel wants annexation without any compromise and is offering Palestinians the same three options as always: either leave, submit, or meet a grim fate. This has been the story for the past seventy-five years.
The only ones who could force Israel to reconsider the Arab Peace Initiative are the Americans, by cutting off the flow of money and weapons. But as long as the Jewish lobby runs Washington, that’s a tall order. Then there’s the risk of civil war—settlers are so fanatical and wound-up that even if the Americans forced them to leave the illegal settlements, they’d lose it and go on a rampage.
That’s also why the creation of a single secular federal state seems the most feasible, with Palestinians compensated with other lands. A historical turning point could occur when Israel is forced to choose between compromise or its own demise. A possible scenario. If the United States withdraws its support, Israel would have to give in, or else risk a return to the free Palestine of 1948, as chanted in demonstrations around the world.
At the UN, that old blowhard Abu Mazen also spoke. The Palestinian president made a couple of strong points despite his advanced age and a feebleness bordering on complicity. “We’re not going anywhere, Palestine is our land, and at most, those who occupy it will leave,” he said, panting. He also accused Israel of genocide and lamented that the United States had vetoed the ceasefire resolution three times. The elderly president reiterated that he does not want war, but justice and freedom for his people.
Proof that certain monsters are within us, more than anything else. It’s one thing to tell ourselves stories; reality is another. But while people in Gaza and Lebanon die for no reason, Netanyahu is expected to speak at the UN, showing the audacity to address an institution he has always humiliated by committing war crimes, devastating the Middle East, and making the world a less secure place.
Another point echoed within the glass palace: the United Nations is a noble attempt by humanity to prevent atrocities and guarantee peace and human rights for all. And when someone dares to humiliate this noble attempt, the whole world suffers the consequences.
