Today, May 15th mark the 61st anniversary of the Nakba, or Exile of Palestinians from their homes, villages and farms driven out by the raging Jewish terrorists groups in their mission to establish the State of Israel. 45 years also passed since the establishment of the PLO as the Palestinian liberation organization dedicated to the liberation of Palestine from Zionists. Rather than liberation and the realization of the Right of Return, the PLO and its leaders of Arafat, Abbas and Qurai exchange the “Right of Return” to the “Right to Manage” the Jewish Occupation of what remained of historic Palestine, of course minus Jerusalem, minus all the land taken for Jewish Settlements and Jewish Roads and the Apartheid Wall and the more than 615 Israeli Security Check Points. 15 years passed since the signing of Oslo and the present Palestinian leadership continue to negotiate failing at every step, failing to even achieve minor relief for the millions of Palestinians, such as the removal of single checkpoints or allowing a dying mother pass through to go to a hospital. If the past is an indication of the future then the Diaspora Palestinians have a long time to wait. Perhaps the best thing they can do is to exchange the “Right of Return” for the “Right of Choice”.
Forty years of PLO leadership, tens of thousands dead, several hundred thousands faced forced exiles from Kuwait, tens of billions stolen and unaccounted for, civil wars in Jordan and Lebanon, and the best thing that could come out of this leadership is Oslo, where the PLO through the Palestinian Authority became contract manager for the Jewish Occupation, thus relieving Israel of the financial and legal obligation it has as an occupying power. Added to this catastrophic failure is more than 15 years of negotiations with Israel that saw drastic shrinking of what is remaining Palestinian land while Israel continues with its ever expanding military and settler occupation. If any one think that this leadership could succeed in achieving the return of some 5.5 millions to what is now Israel should think twice. This leadership and this Palestinian government sitting in Ramallah or Gaza could not and does not have the power or the authority to remove one single dirt Israel checkpoint and let alone help a dying mother get to a hospital on the other side of this security checkpoint or allow a ton of fuel for besieged Gaza.
To the millions of Palestinians in exile who had to endure horrific difficulties for the last 61 years, living in refugee camps with open sewers, exposed to the cold, heat and rain, denied basic rights of residency if not citizenship, with no jobs, no futures and in the case of Lebanon denied basic human rights to some 40 professions and jobs even denied building materials similar to those living in Israel’s besiege Gaza. The dream of going home to Jaffa, Haifa, Safad, Ramleh and Lod, will always be there, simply no compromise on the Right of Return. Under Oslo, the brilliant Palestinian Trio of Arafat, Abbas, Qurai and the PLO gave up the “Right of Return” for the “Right to Manage” the Jewish Occupation for and on behalf of Israel.
Without financial support from Arab Gulf Countries and with dried up financial support from Palestinians who were forced out of the Gulf as a result of Arafat and the PLO support of Saddam and his invasion of Kuwait, and having recklessly and criminally wasted tens of billions of the people’s money either in fraudulent investment or tens of billions stashed away in French and Swiss banks by the leadership for their own use, Arafat and the PLO were desperate to conclude a deal with Israel at any costs and under any conditions, undermining the smart, intelligent and diligent efforts of the late Dr. Haider Abdul-Shafi, who was leading the negotiations under the Madrid Conference. the Palestinian Trio of Arafat, Abbas, and Qurai afraid of losing control to an upstart leadership from inside of Palestine decided to open their own back channel and negotiate a separate deal with Israel that preserved their leadership, self serving interests while deferring key and important issues to Palestinians such as Jerusalem, Palestinian Refugees, and Jewish Settlements and borders to a later dates. Of course Israel was desperate to have someone like Arafat put an end to the “Intifada” and to have some one like Arafat take over the financial obligations of the occupations and the civil administration of the West Bank and Gaza, freeing it to keeping control over the land, the Jewish settlements and all security matters. The Palestinian Trio of Arafat, Abbas and Qurai were that willing administrative and financial partners.
Taking advantage of Oslo and the reckless stupidity of the Palestinian negotiators, Israel made good and effective use of “facts on the grounds” and the deferment of key issues such as Settlements, Jerusalem and borders as it went about creating more facts on the ground. Ever expanding settlements, expanding “security zone” to protect these settlements, taken over more and more land for the “security” of the settlements, taken more additional land for the protections of settlers through the creation of “Jewish Only Road” roads the use of which is limited exclusively to Jews. Israel expanded its activities and control in the West Bank, whiles the Palestinian Authority; “self governs” authority became a willing party to administer ever shrinking Palestinian territories continuing to negotiate managing the occupation for 15 years.
Most likely scenario is for the PLO and the Palestinian Authority to succeed in allowing the “Right of Return” to several thousand Palestinians who left during and after the 67 War and allow them to return to whatever remaining of the West Bank in the “autonomous Palestinian areas” within Eretz Israel, while concluding a partial financial deal with Israel for and on behalf of the Palestinians exiled in 47 and 48. This financial compensation will go to the treasury of the PLO and the Palestinian Authority, to the pockets and bank accounts of the leadership, leaving the people out in the cold. The other part of the financial package will go to the Arab countries of Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Egypt as compensation to create and establish permanent settlements for those refugees living in these countries. Some countries like Europe, the US, Canada, Australia and some countries in Latin America may offer to accept several thousand refugees giving them permanent home away from Palestine as a favor to Israel.
Knowing Israel and how its leaders think and based on the recent establishment of several Jewish and Israeli organizations with the purpose and mission to seek compensation for those Jews who left the “Arab world” similar to compensation paid to Jews who lost their properties in Europe, Israel will be the winner. Most likely the Arab countries will be asked to foot the bill for the compensation of Palestinian refugees, perhaps with Israel paying a small and nominal share if any. Israel on the other hand will make sure it gets substantial share of the money set aside for the Palestinians and will use this money to compensate Jews who lost properties in the Arab world. In the final settlements, Israel will get the lion shares of compensation, perhaps in an amounts exceeding $150 billions for its Jews while the Palestinians will end up getting the crumbs, what ever left over after the PLO, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab countries agreeing to “resettle” the Palestinians such as Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt gets their cut and share. For sure Israel will make like a bandit, getting hundreds of billions in compensation for its Jews while refusing to allow the Right of Return or pay compensation for those it exiled in 1947-1948. The Arab countries of the Gulf will end up paying compensations to Jews who left their homes and properties in the Arab countries as part of the settlement with Israel paying almost nothing but getting most.
That is why there is an urgent need for the Palestinians of the Diaspora to organize in more than just websites, annual conferences and sharing of email messages. They need to organize into a legal entity or entities that will have the right of “legal” representation of those Diaspora and exiled Palestinians supported by the best and brightest legal minds in the world making sure they have the right to sit at the table, the right to self representation, independent of the PLO or the Palestinian Authority or the Arab League. Time is short and is not on the side of those exiled and they need to put their act together before it is too late and before they are sold out in a regional bazaar.
The Palestinians should have individual rights and choices of either choosing to go back and live in Israel as citizens of the state; return and live in the “autonomous areas” set aside for Palestinians (Palestinian Authority) within Eretz Israel, or get a direct financial package with the right to chose where they want to finally settle. The United Nation should offer the people their choice to go wherever they choose in the world. America and Europe should open its doors to these new immigrants. Yes, Diaspora Palestinians should and must have the individual Rights of Return or the individual Rights of Choice. The Palestinians should also learn the lessons of the Holocaust, where the Holocaust became a business, a bonanza for Israel and the lawyers leaving the victims with hardly any thing. We must make sure that the Nakba and the Jewish Occupation does not continue to be a financial bonanza for the Palestinian leadership while the victims continue to live in misery and constant humiliations and insecurity. On the other hand, Israel must not be rewarded for its crimes and must pay dearly to the victims, the exiled Palestinians. Financial rewards or compensations will never be enough for 61 years of suffering, exiles, humiliations and murder.
Share This
Loading ...
Loading ...
