Jefferson Corner

In few days, Israel and the world Jewish community will celebrate 59 years of the establishment of the State of Israel and 40 years of the military and settler’s occupation of what remains of Palestine of 1948.
Not so sure what the Palestinians will celebrate. One thing for sure, we are much worst off today that we were in1947-1948. Not only we lost, perhaps forever that part of historic Palestine that is Israel now and we are fast moving toward losing what remains through “the Peace Process”.
One has to recognize the earlier Jewish settlers from Europe where on a mission not only to create a state, but to make sure that this state will be a Jewish state, under the false pretence “Land without people for people without land”. The Zionist movement was able to mobilize the Jewish community at large behind such a mission with ample supplies of manpower, money and arms. Meanwhile the Palestinian leadership of the past as is the case today did not know what was happening, relying on an incompetent and corrupt leadership.
Frankly speaking not much of change took place from 100 years ago until today. Like in the past during the leadership of Hajj Amin Hussaini, the leadership was without a defined mission much less of a vision, certainly without a plan and counter plan to fighting the invading Zionists. There was hardly any proper leadership council to address the imminent danger facing our people in the cities and country side. There was hardly any intelligent deliberation of the issues and formulating action plans. The same is true today.
Under the incompetent and corrupt leadership of the PLO, we have lost more than we gained. And we lost more since Arafat decided to lead the negotiations resulting in Oslo and the establishment of the Palestinian Authority as a subcontractor for the Israeli military and settler’s occupation.
Like the times of Hajj Amine, hardly any one within the leadership past and present were aware of the ideology and strategies followed by the Zionist, let alone devise counter strategies, short terms and long terms. In both cases leadership was self indulging with its own selfish interest perpetuating its leadership role at the expense of the national interest.
Not withstanding the powerful support early Zionist settlers and the State of Israel got from powerful Zionist and Jewish community around the world and the support from key sponsors and partners such as the United States, England, France and Germany, our present situation is nothing but an indictment of the failed leadership we have and also of the failure of our people to take responsibility for such failed leadership.
It is difficult to believe that as leadership and people we have been reactive to actions and strategies by Israel and never o the forefront of pro-active. No doubt the leadership of the late Yaser Arafat will proved to have done, after the Israeli Occupation, the most damage to the Palestinian cause. Forget about the calls of the arguments advanced by Arafat apologist giving him the sole responsibility for brining the issue of Palestine to the world stage. Compared to the damage he was responsible for, any success, if any are minors to his failures and the failures of the more than 1000 Palestinians who formed at one time or another, the Palestine National Congress and the Executive Committee of the PLO.
As I see it there is absolutely no hope for peace and or for ending the occupation under the present leadership of the Palestinian, both Hamas and Fatah. There is also no hope for ending the Occupation even of the PLO was to re-organize and become more representative of the Palestinian people. There is also simply no hope for the present leadership to truly and competently represent the interests of the more than 5 millions of the Diaspora Palestinians.
The only hope is for Mahmoud Abbas and his government to have the courage to disband the Palestinian Authority and to seek for the UN to take over and administer the territories under and interim trusteeship plans.
Of course this can happen only when the leadership decides to put the interest of the people ahead of its own interest and this can happens only when the people take charge of their own destiny and force the PA to disband.
At one time or another, we the Palestinian people have to take responsibility for our own shortcoming and failures and for not having the courage to stand up to both Israel and the long entrenched and incompetent Palestinian leadership. 100 years of failure is more than enough and 40 years under the most cruel and systematic Jewish Occupation is more than any one could stand for and tolerate.

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