BECAUSE much of the Western world seems opposed to the Palestinians — or at least to their democratically elected government — two recently issued UN reports siding with them have come at a most opportune time. The comparison drawn by a UN human rights envoy between the occupation of the Palestinian territories and elements of apartheid in South Africa is as correct as the occupation is immoral. At the same time a UN study showing how difficult it has become for Palestinian families even to put food on the table is basically a scandal.
The UN’s special rapporteur, John Dugard, does not mince words when he describes Israeli rule as being designed to dominate and systematically oppress the occupied population. A South African himself, Dugard is well-placed to make the comparison with apartheid, pointing to what he describes as “unashamed discrimination” against Palestinians in favor of Israeli settlers.
Israel’s policy of “controlled strangulation” that is helping to give rise to a failed state on its doorstep was the theme of the other UN study carried out by the World Food Program. It is no less damning: It tells of a marked decline in Palestinian living standards and points out that the poorest are now depending totally on outside help and assistance.
Right now, however, the aid being administered is insufficient. The WFP failed to mention that over the past year, the US and other Western countries have sided with Israel in suspending all contacts with the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Authority, including freezing foreign assistance to the Palestinian people. The result has been a deteriorating economic situation that has worsened the living conditions of the Palestinian civilian population and made the possibility of any political solution more distant than ever.
The bipartisan Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group was acknowledging a reality when it asserted that the US would not be able to achieve its goals in the Middle East unless it dealt directly with the Arab-Israeli conflict. That would mean dealing with a national unity government which includes Hamas. Hamas and its leadership are key players in the success of any future settlement between Israel and the Palestinian people.
While the two reports might not have said anything we did not already know, coming as they do at this most dispiriting of Palestinian times, they are helpful. President Mahmoud Abbas’ trip to Europe yielded not a hint that EU sanctions against the Palestinians will be lifted any time soon. And after her meeting with Palestinian and Israeli leaders, Condoleezza Rice was forced to invoke the oldest euphemism of all: It was a victory just to talk. Considering how long it had been since the two opposing leaders had talked at all — and since a high-ranking US official was involved — maybe it was a victory. But it’s hard to see where the conversation goes from here. The UN reports do not offer advice as to what to do in the future. They do, nonetheless, speak of a very dire present that portends a very uncertain tomorrow.
