Will the Palestinians Just Declare a State?

Frontpagemagazine ^ | 4-9-10 | P. David Hornik

[SJackson]

In the aftermath of last month’s diplomatic ruckus—Israeli bureaucrats referred, with Vice-President Biden in town, to building apartments for Jews in East Jerusalem; the Obama administration took severe umbrage; the Palestinians pulled out of the nascent proximity talks—things, at this moment, remain stuck. Does that mean no progress toward the administration’s cherished goal of a Palestinian state, and frustration all around?

Not necessarily. Moshe Elad, a columnist for Israel’s largest daily Yediot Aharonot, notes that the Palestinian Authority’s president, Mahmoud Abbas, and prime minister, Salaam Fayyad, have been talking about unilaterally declaring such a state in 2011—and that while “in the past, such statements would anger the Americans…this time around, even if we heard a response from the White House or the State Department, it was rather meek.”

Palestinians, Elad reports, have been setting aside their traditional anti-Americanism and “taking pleasure in feeling that ‘America is with us’”; and are “coordinating with the Americans the building of infrastructure across the West Bank as preparation for economic independence and detachment from Israel’s hold.” Elad goes on to ask “What will Israel’s position be in respect to the long list of guests invited to the ceremony that will seek to land in Ben-Gurion Airport?”—that is, if and when the Palestinians declare their state next year and invite many of the world’s dignitaries to honor the event.

Yaakov Katz, military correspondent for the Jerusalem Post, describes Israel as “extremely worried” about the prospect “because it may lead to a third intifada, during which Israel would be fighting a 20,000-strong militia”—much of which would be American-trained. As Katz explains,

Five battalions of 500 soldiers each and trained by US security coordinator Lt.-Gen. Keith Dayton in Jordan have already deployed throughout the West Bank alongside seven regional battalions.

By 2011, another five battalions will have undergone training. Fayyad’s plan is to then dismantle the regional battalions and expand the Dayton-trained battalions to close to 1,000 soldiers each, bringing the total number to around 10,000. Add the police and the presidential guard and the number of armed PA security officers comes out to around 20,000.

The Palestinians would still then have to face the fact that about 300,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank. “The solution—an official PA decision to launch a violent terror campaign branded around the world as a war for freedom.”

Or, in another scenario, Fayyad goes to the UN Security Council to get his state recognized; with the Europeans, Russians, and Chinese likely to assent, the question mark is the United States.

Traditionally the U.S. has vetoed anti-Israeli resolutions in the Security Council, and also has upheld the principle of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations as the way to resolve the dispute. But given what is now known about President Obama’s identification with Palestinian goals, delegitimization of any Israeli presence in the West Bank and even East Jerusalem, contemptuous treatment of Israel’s prime minister, and hurried timetable for Palestinian statehood—augmented by General Dayton’s activities that started under President Bush—Israelis can no longer be confident of U.S. backing in such a situation.

Some say these fears are exaggerated because Abbas and Fayyad lack sufficient Palestinian support. While Abbas’s Fatah movement (with which Fayyad, while not a member, is effectively aligned) is thought likely to defeat Hamas in this summer’s municipal elections, Fatah is itself deeply divided with its young guard scorning Abbas and Fayyad as weaklings—to the point that even a civil war is not ruled out.

Israel, though—as if not already pressured enough by the Hamas, Hezbollah and, ultimately, Iranian threats—has to take all scenarios into account, and now would be the time to start emphasizing to friends in the U.S. the dangers posed by a Palestinian state. True, in his speech at Bar-Ilan University last June, Prime Minister Netanyahu said he could accept such a state as the outcome of negotiations if it, in turn, was genuinely accepting of Israel and effectively demilitarized.

Clearly, a unilaterally declared Palestinian state would be neither. It would be bristling with hatred instilled by the seventeen years of hate-education enabled by the “peace process,” and with largely American-provided forces that would only grow as further weapons, trainers, and fighters flowed in from the Arab and Muslim world.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Maybe they will just deem a state!

[G Larry]

YA!
Why don’t they declare Jordan!?!?
Or, a....Iran!?!?

Unilateral declarations don’t count for much.
They may have trouble defending any such claim.

[Diogenesis]

“America’s Shiny New Palestinian Militia
No matter how events play out, this story ends with U.S.-trained soldiers pointing their guns at Israel.
‘The stupidest program the U.S. government has ever undertaken” — last year that’s
what I called American efforts to improve the Palestinian Authority (PA) military force.
Slightly hyperbolic, yes, but the description fits because those efforts enhance the
fighting power of enemies of the United States and its Israeli ally.

First, a primer about the program, drawing on a recent Center for Near East Policy
Research study by David Bedein and Arlene Kushner: Shortly after Yasir Arafat died in
late 2004, the U.S. government established the Office of the U.S. Security Coordinator to
reform, recruit, train, and equip the PA militia (called the National Security Forces or
Quwwat al-Amn al-Watani) and make them politically accountable. For nearly all of its
existence, the office has been headed by Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton. Since 2007, American
taxpayers have funded it to the tune of $100 million a year. Many agencies of the U.S.
government have been involved in the program, including the State Department’s Bureau
of Diplomatic Security, the Secret Service, and branches of the military.”

[Red Badger]

They cannot “declare a state” at this time. If they did, that would mean that the “borders” as they now stand would be it. The other Arab nations would recognize that “state”, as would all Muslim nations and a good portion of the rest of the world. Once those borders are “recognized” as legitimate, they cannot then claim more territory for themselves and the “recognition” would be de facto recognition of ISRAEL’S BORDERS as well...................

[Mikey_1962]

If they do then they lose the refugee status and all the UN money attache to that status.

After 4 generations they really aren't refugees any more anyway.

[dblshot]

Not if the US recognizies a Palestinian state. They’ll get a UN seat in a heartbeat.

[wendy1946]

State of confusion, state of anarchy...

Animals don't have states. That's why even in some languages you use different declension cases for human languages versus animal calls e.g. in Russian

По Русский (in Russian, infinitive case) but

По крысыному (rat imitation, dative case)

precisely because rats don't have and never will have any sort of a nation or state. Same applies to the palisavages.

[massgopguy]

If they declare a state then they’ll have to...you know....get jobs!

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-determination-waiver-restriction-providing-funds-palestinian-authority

Home • Briefing Room • Presidential Actions • Presidential Memoranda

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 07, 2010

Presidential Determination - Waiver of Restriction on Providing Funds to the Palestinian Authority

Presidential Determination
No. 2010-06

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE

SUBJECT: Waiver of Restriction on Providing Funds to the Palestinian Authority

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 7040(b) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2010 (Division F, Public Law 111-117) (the “Act”), I hereby certify that it is important to the national security interests of the United States to waive the provisions of section 7040(a) of the Act, in order to provide funds appropriated to carry out Chapter 4 of Part II of the Foreign Assistance Act, as amended, to the Palestinian Authority.

You are directed to transmit this determination to the Congress, with a report pursuant to section 7040(d) of the Act and to publish the determination in the Federal Register.

BARACK OBAMA

###
###

Note: The following text is a quote:

www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-determination-waiver-and-certification-statutory-provisions-regarding-

Home • Briefing Room • Presidential Actions • Presidential Memoranda

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
April 07, 2010

Presidential Determination - Waiver of and Certification of Statutory Provisions Regarding the Palestine Liberation Organization Office

Presidential Determination
No. 2010-05

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE

SUBJECT: Waiver of and Certification of Statutory Provisions Regarding the Palestine Liberation Organization Office

Pursuant to the authority and conditions contained in section 7034(b) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2010 (Division F, Public Law 111-117), I hereby determine and certify that it is important to the national security interests of the United States to waive the provisions of section 1003 of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1987, Public Law 100-204.
This waiver shall be effective for a period of 6 months. You are hereby authorized and directed to transmit this determination to the Congress and to publish it in the Federal Register.

BARACK OBAMA

[Cindy]

ping