Tlaib & Omar aren’t really helping the Palestinian cause

In this Duran article, Seraphim Hanisch writes: […] many Palestinians may see a light of hope in rhetoric from Congresswomen Tlaib and Omar. And to be sure, sometimes what they say is very accurate. To give these two ladies credit, especially Ilhan Omar, never has the nature of what is going on in Israel with regard to Palestine been as baldly exposed as it has in her fiery comments. Nevertheless – and this is likely to be very aggravating for pro-Palestinian folks – these two women are probably the worst possible choices to idolize and support with regards to this situation. […]
The narratives and established opinions by great powers is set in place and it is too strong to beat in the way that has been attempted for over fifty years. Israel cries victim at the drop of a hat, and the most powerful nation in the world is in their pocket, so they will win every time they are attacked. That is not going to change as long as the image of the Palestinian people is that of a bunch of zealots and terrorists. Even with the liberal press often more supportive of Palestinian oppression, there is no effect on the image problem of suicide bombings and rocket attacks that appear largely unprovoked and pure manifestations of Palestinian rage. There has to be a different path. […] So far, the Palestinian response to various aspects of that [Kushner] plan have not done their cause any credit – the news is that they flatly refused to even look at it. This is not negotiating from a position of strength for the Palestinians because of their surrounding reputation for violence. This makes them look untrustworthy. […] fifty-plus years points to the fact that nothing has changed as it was done before, and history shows that nonviolent opposition to a tyrannical power defeats the tyrannical power. The man who developed this strategy, Moandas K. Gandhi said that it is a provocative fight, and one that will hurt.

My comment: First, I want to point out that the Palestinian side has every right to regard the Kushner plan with disdain. Many analysts, including Israeli commentators, have deemed it [based on the draft] as not serious and more like a bribe, than an actual peace deal. Second, I agree with Mr. Hanisch that the two women are definitely not real Muslims, given their ‘new age’ values. I also agree that Tlaib and Omar aren’t the best advocates for the Palestinian cause; but my reasons for believing that are based on the national view as opposed to the globalistway of doing business and on geopolitics, rather than religious animosities between Christians, Muslims, and Jews – which are secondary impediments in my opinion. You can’t campaign in the USA against borders and immigration rules, while at the same time supporting the creation of a Palestinian state, with its own borders and immigration laws.

Furthermore, Saudi Arabia is a major agent of influence in the whole equation. Mahmoud Abbas [after Turkey shared the recording of Khashoggi’s murder by the Crown Prince’s goons to Germany, France, Britain, and the United States] was quick to publicly express his enduring fealty to the house of Saud. And, as regular readers of the Duran know, Saudi Arabia and Israel have a good track record of cooperation, especially in recent times. Saudi Arabia doesn’t grant citizenship to Palestinian immigrants living on its territory – the only nationality to be discriminated against in this fashion under Saudi law. Hamas’ support to Daesh shouldn’t be neglected either. Ironically, later on, ISIS ended up accusing Hamas of being a tool of the Israelis – when the group didn’t retaliate militarily after Washington recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. I think it’s safe to say that they’re useful idiots. Talk about disunity among the Arab peoples… Let’s remember Israel’s role in creating the opposition it now loathes. It helped to spawn Hamas, in order to counter the secular PLO. The religious zealots in both Israel and the occupied territories feed off one another – and are unable to sell their agenda to the public otherwise, or if they are, with much greater difficulty.

Lastly, a two state solution isn’t economically-viable; it would render Palestine a de facto vassal of Israel in terms of access to real resources. The only solution that makes economic sense is a one state solution: a multi ethnic, multi racial, secular state called Israel-Palestine, with a strong written constitution to protect the public from the excesses of any political party or coalition that might come to power. As for taxes, there should be a site value tax to replace taxation on labor, buildings, sales and enterprise; and community land trusts should be established. By decommodifying land – treating it as the Natural Commons – giving everyone access to land and providing affordable housing, ethnic and religious tensions can be greatly mitigated. A Westphalian approach is required for this to work – forgiving and forgetting all the bad blood – and a national system of political economy needs to be implemented to ensure that this new [wiped] slate remains unsullied. Without a minimum degree of civic nationalism, no nation can survive. Without this basic, fundamental glue – a country fractures into tribes, and cults, and enclaves, and it fractures violently. I can’t help but feel Tlaib and Omar are making the US Israel First policy and Palestinian issue part of the usual political soccer game between Democrats and Republicans – a PR game that Trump and his camp are bound to win based on perception alone; while the Palestinian case sadly and unfairly ends up linked with the ‘loony left.’ And, of course, the left itself uses shaming tactics and virtue signalling against ideological opponents, like David Duke, whenever their views happen to coincide and they do on the situation of Palestinians living under Israeli-imposed Apartheid.