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Henry Lowi says that the Israeli election results, and the insistence by Israel's allies that the Palestinian victims of Zionism must "recognize Israel as a Jewish state with a Jewish majority", mean that there is no one for the Palestinians to talk to, and nothing to talk about. He argues that Palestinians and Israeli peace activists must concentrate their efforts on achieving recognition of the right of return and the establishment of a democratic non-sectarian state. After the elections in Israel and the occupied territories, it should now be clear that there is no one to talk to and nothing to talk about. Israel and its allies refuse to recognize the newly-elected "Palestinian Legislative Council" in the occupied territories. Canada is the first Western power to declare that it will be withholding funding from the captive Palestinian National Authority (PNA) because of the political positions of its Hamas majority. Israel and its allies insist that the Palestinian victims of Zionism must "recognize Israel as a Jewish state with a Jewish majority". No one seems concerned about the fact that this ultimatum flies in the face of elementary democratic values: human equality and human rights. Israel's backers seek to legitimize a state that defines itself constitutionally as one in which Jewish people have privileges that are denied to non-Jews, a state that can constitutionally maintain a demographic majority of Jewish people, and a state that constitutionally denies the right of return of the indigenous Palestinian Arab inhabitants. Israel's backers seek to legitimize that which is illegitimate by any standard of democracy. Palestine Liberation Organization and PNA politicians who accede to this demand can do so only by denying the democratic rights of the Palestinian people. A Palestinian leadership that denies the rights of the Palestinian people will expose itself as a conduit and subcontractor for Zionism and imperialism. It is misleading to propose renewed diplomacy under these circumstances. The "political process" leading to "peace", "final status" and the like has nothing to discuss and nowhere to go. The elusive "independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital" has nowhere to be established. Palestinians who are loyal to the fundamental needs of their oppressed people must say: "We are in favour of negotiations with any party without any prior conditions. Our goal for the negotiations is to achieve recognition of our refugees' right of return." No more. And no less. This is not about borders. Israel demands a priori recognition of the irreversibility of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and the legitimacy of a racist regime. Palestinians demand recognition of the right of return and the establishment of a democratic non-sectarian regime. Never the twain shall meet. This fundamental conflict cannot be resolved diplomatically. It is time to recognize that fact. It is time to organize systematically to politically re-educate the people - in the occupied territories, in Israel and abroad. It is time to wage the worldwide political battle for hearts and minds, to recognize the rights of the Palestine refugees, and to let the refugees return home. Honest peace activists in Israel will continue their defensive activities (against the wall and house demolitions, for the release of political prisoners), but will also recognize that the slogans about "negotiations now" are unrealistic and politically misleading. Honest peace activists in Israel will discard the vague and false formulations that have guided their activity for decades, and will concentrate their efforts - and unify their efforts - to educate the population to recognize that there is a partner for peace, the Palestine refugees. All other political efforts are a distraction. There is no meeting ground between a "Jewish state with a Jewish majority" and the democratic rights of the Palestinian people. There is no one to talk to, and nothing to talk about. Except at the grassroots level. |