News From the Israeli and Palestinian Front: July 4th
July 4th, 2008
By JEB KOOGLER
A regular feature of news and opinion pieces from the Israeli and Palestinian press.
1.) A new poll has affirmed the centrality of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the worldview of most Middle Easterners. “According to the study, 88 percent of Egyptians rank it among the top three most important issues [facing the region], while 100 percent of Jordanians do the same. In addition, 99 percent of Lebanese rank this issue as one of the top three.” (Haaretz) Strikingly, the poll also asked respondents to choose from a list of possible American policies that would most improve their opinion of the United States; Fifty percent said that brokering an Israeli-Arab peace accord was the “the single most important step to improving their views of the United States.” This issue was even considered of greater importance than an American withdrawal from Iraq, a removal of US forces from Saudi soil, and the provision of additional economic aid to the region.
2.) In a positive sign, Israel and Syria are reportedly preparing for direct, high-level peace talks to be held in the coming weeks. Turkey had previously acted as the third-party facilitator for preliminary discussions. Yet despite such indications of progress, major hurdles remain. Syria, for example, again re-emphasized recently that the United States must play a mediating role in any viable negotiation. Such involvement still remains extremely unlikely, however, as the Bush administration continues to stand firm on its policy of refusing to engage Damascus.
In addition to this roadblock, the Knesset this week passed legislation that mandates “a national referendum or a two thirds Knesset majority prior to a withdrawal from any [Israeli-controlled] territory.” (Haaretz) The passage of the law was a major win for the Golan lobby, as well as Israeli hard-liners. Benjamin Netanyahu, head of the Likud Party, voiced his strong support for the legislation: “In Western countries, giving up land is impossibly difficult, and in tiny little Israel, governments can relinquish land with unbearable ease. This is something that must be rectified, and the law can do that.” While not rendering it impossible, the new law will make reaching a peace accord with Syria just a little more difficult.
3.) A different poll, this one conducted by the University of Maryland, has found that 71% of Americans want the United States to take a non-biased, neutral stance towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
4.) Palestinian blogger Laila El-Haddad recently compared the gas prices in Gaza (struggling from the Israeli economic embargo) to those in the United States.
I was talking to my father today in Gaza. “How’s the car doing? Did you fix that loud noise its making?” he asks, ever the concerned parent… “Yes, its purring like a kitten now, and I’m $400 poorer. Lucky car. But the gas is $4 a gallon now.”
“Yeah well we don’t have [gas], don’t complain.” In fact, he was quick to point out that gas is in such short supply now in Gaza that its selling on the black market for 600 Shekels per 20 liters, the equivalent of $35 per gallon. Yes, you read that correctly: ONE GALLON= $35. Of course the real problem is not for the average “consumer”, since Gazans are not really “gas guzzlers”; it is for the things that fuel powers- everything from water pumps to hospital generators.
This entry was posted on Friday, July 4th, 2008 at 9:32 am and is filed under Palestine, Israel. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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