U.S. media breaks silence on Israel - Palestine

The surprising breakthrough happened last night on CBS' 60 Minutes.  In a candid report from Israel on the prospects for peace and a two state solution, correspondent Bob Simon got the mayor of a West Bank Jewish settlement, Daniella Weiss, to admit the truth:

"I think that settlements prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state in the land of Israel. This is the goal. And this is the reality."

Despite the reassurances of Israeli Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, that all the existing West Bank settlements will be removed, by force if necessary, Weiss says that the settlers will remain:

"She says that she and the settlers are immovable. 'We will stay here forever.' "

According to Simon, the reality is this:

"Moderate Israelis who deplore the occupation used to believe passionately in a two-state solution. That is no longer the case.  Meron Benvenisti used to be deputy mayor of Jerusalem. He told Simon the prospects of the two-state solution becoming a reality are 'nil.' "

" 'The geopolitical condition that’s been created in '67 is irreversible. Cannot be changed. You cannot unscramble that egg,' he explained.

"Asked if this means the settlers have won, Benvenisti told Simon, 'Yes.' "

Simon also brought up the word that caused Jimmy Carter so much grief in his recent book on Palestine --apartheid.   It came up in the context of the options available to Israel, absent a Palestinian state, to deal with the growing Arab population, none of them "good" --ethnic cleansing, giving Palestinians the vote, which would effectively end the dream of a 'Jewish' state,  or ...apartheid.

For West Bank Palestinians, apartheid is already a reality on the ground, what with the security fence, highways reserved for the exclusive use of Jewish settlers, the uneven distribution of water, and check points galore. 

Jimmy Carter was right.  It's gratifying to see his views corroborated, at long last, by the American mainstream media. 

Comments

[Craig]

Yes, the 60 Minutes program was excellent. Although the sources quoted about the "goal" of the West Bank settlements and the prospects for a 2-state solution are hardly among Israel's leaders, the truth is that a 2-state solution will be very difficult, especially if Netanyahu is elected Israel's president this year.

Still, very difficult does not mean impossible. The raw materials needed to forge a lasting peace are well known.

Israel must give de facto -- not just de jure -- political power to its Arab citizens. It must give up or at least scale back in a major way its West Bank settlements. It must tear down the wall it has erected. It must share with Palestine effective sovereignty of Jerusalem.

In return, the other side must recognize Israel, stop its missile attacks, and -- yes, the hardest concession of all -- give up the right of return.

As with any other settlement where neither side is victorious, these concessions constitute bitter pills to swallow on both sides. All will be hard to accept and equally hard to negotiate. But perhaps Obama's Arab-American special envoy -- yes, I mean George Mitchell -- can pull it off.

[marcia]

apartheid. yes, we need to keep saying it. over and over and over.

[Harry Kershner]

This tells it all:

The Shrinking Map of Palestine

Analysis from a great and courageous intellectual:

Norman Finkelstein

Finkelstein suggests that the Israel-Palestine conflict is among the least controversial in the contemporary world. He argues that a consensus exists among historians on the past, among human rights organizations on the present and among the legal-diplomatic community on the future and how to resolve the conflict.

[Terry]

The hope for a peace agreement is faint at best. As long as Israel demands a "Jewish" state on land that was given to them and them alone, Palestinians will continue to suffer abuse at the hands of the far mightier and American armed Israeli state.

What kind of "democracy" demands ethnic purity?

Mitchell may be an accomplished negotiator, but he's no miracle worker.

I'm well aware of Finkelstein, Harry, but most Americans aren't. That's why I was gratified to see the 60 Minutes report. To date it has garnered nearly 2000 comments, the overwhelming majority positive. That convinces me that most Americans would like to see a fairer and more even-handed policy vis-a-vis Israel/Palestine.

[Harry Kershner]

I agree with you, Terry, even if I missed the 60 Minutes report (60 Minutes having devolved into irrelevance for me in recent years).

In fact, it's been my assumption for many years that Americans want even-handed policy, but that they have been misled by the loud voices from the right into believing that present policy is already even-handed. Continuing public support for unqualified endorsement of Israeli crimes depends on the right's ability to get away with their lies and obfuscations. And when people realize that they have been suckered, they will seek vengeance against those who have suckered them.