INDEPENDENT PALESTINE NATION
Still Far Away
By P.K NIYAS
Palestinians, who have been dreaming of a nation void of invasion for the last six decades, are on the move to consult the UNO for this purpose. The Palestinian Authority heading the PLO and the Fateh group of Mahmoud Abbas have come to realise, even if it is very late, that the discussions with Israel are futile. The hidden agendas of Israel that continues with the settlement activities in the occupied West Bank during the discussions and the silence of the Obama administration against it have come to limelight.
One hundred six countries of the UNO have recognised independent Palestine by now. Nine of the biggest nations based on the population, except America, have recognised Palestine. It should be noted that only 72 nations have recognised Kosovo Republic as an independent nation. But the irony that America, the biggest nation based on population, has recognised Kosovo cannot be ignored.
Likewise, Germany and Japan that hesitate to recognise Palestine have in fact welcomed and recognised the liberation of Kosovo. America that has sought and demanded more nations to recognise Kosovo has put forward some conditions for the liberation of Palestine. The important factor in this condition is that the independence can only be on the basis of the agreement that churns out of the peace processes.
Recently some of the South American nations have come up with the strong demand of an independent Palestine. Brazil was the first one to come forward declaring its support for the pre-1967 Palestine. Argentina, Equador, Bolivia and Uruguay have followed suit. The European Union’s stand on the recognition which hasn’t come up yet will permit the PA to advance the demand of the declaration of an independent nation to the UNO. Britain and France have in fact informed or showed signs of accepting an independent state.
These nations informed earlier that the legal procedures were the blocks for the declaration of the nation. But very lately they have come to realise that this is a political topic. The unilateral declaration of Kosovo’s independence has resulted in many disputes and polemics. But the International Court of Justice declared last July that there is no international law that is against the declaration of independence of any region. It is a sigh of relief that PLO and its allies, which have been blindly putting their trust in America, and some super powers have come to realise their tricks and deceit. Hamas and other resistance movements highlighted this conspiracy much earlier.
The first declaration of an independent Palestine was made in the PNC (Palestine National Council) held in Algeria in 1988. PLO didn’t have the control over any of the occupied Palestine. The Oslo Agreements of 1993 gave the Palestine Authority of Jericho in West Bank and limited areas of Gaza. Today Gaza is completely under the control of Hamas administration. The influence of Israel in West Bank under Palestine Authority is not visible in Gaza. But the two regions are open to the Israel army to attack, invade and drop bombs through the land and sea at any point of time.
UNO recognised the Palestinians right to an independent nation in 1974. UN had also made it clear, through a resolution in December 2009, that the supreme authority of the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, rests in the hands of the Palestinians. The resolution was supported by 165 nations even though eight countries, including Israel, opposed it and seven countries abstained from the voting. Palestinians have an independent passport which is recognised by 30 countries including America and Britain. But America is not ready to give the consideration of an independent nation to the Palestinians.
Palestinians shouldn’t be allowed to create their own army if the idea of an independent nation is accepted – this is the stand of Israel. America doesn’t have the big heart to gift the Palestinians a nation by annoying Israel. Bush and Obama are much the same in this aspect. Washington has strongly opposed the South American’s recognition of Palestine.
A huge chunk of the Muslims kept the notion that Obama would do something for them when he had come to power and when he addressed the Muslim World at Cairo. But Obama has not been able to move an inch ahead in the ultimate aim of an independent Palestinian nation. PLO and its main faction Fateh are now the accused for working and acting in the interest of America for all these years. Fateh has the tradition of sabotaging the resistance activities of Palestine. Wikileaks documents reveal that two years back Fateh had conspired with Israel in a war against Hamas to destroy it once and for all.
There are groups and individuals inside PLO that do not want to see an independent Palestinian nation. The future neighbours of Palestine such as Egypt and Jordan fear the control of West Bank in the hands of Hamas. Israel Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yelon has highlighted these causes for the opposition of the unilateral declaration of America and Europe. OIC and Arab League have been active in accessing the UN for recognition of an independent Palestinian nation with the help of the recognition of more countries other than American and Zionist allies. If East Timur and Kosovo can be realised, the moves to partition Sudan can be accelerated, the concerned authorities can also show the guts to declare that they will rest only after creating an independent Palestine.
[Translation from Malayalam Weekly Prabodhanam, Vol: 67, No: 31 by Mahboob Thaha]
(Radiance viewsweeklyVol. XLVIII No.46, 2011-02-20)
