Joel Schalit wrote:
> Hey Marvin,
> I agree with you completely. Barghouti will eventually be released, from
> what I hear. He's considered a "bargaining chip", and will be let loose
> when the Israelis believe its time for a leadership change, so to speak.
>
> Just to clarify vis Abunimah, he's not a two state guy. His argument is
> that a one state solution is the only realistic one, and is, for all
> intents and purposes, already in effect through the Occupation.
==========================================
Right you are, Joel. I understood that, and was agreeing with Yoshie's point
about him being unrepresentative on that account. He and others do have a
point, however, in suggesting that there is already de facto a single
"apartheid" Greater Israel and that what is currently on offer is not really
a two-state but a "bantustan" solution. If the Israelis had decided not to
withdraw from the Palestinian areas, the logic would point to a South
African-style struggle for civil rights within that unitary framework.
However, as we know, the Israelis, except for the settlers and what is left
of Likud, have indicated they will withdraw from the Palestinian areas
precisely to escape the demographic and democratic dilemmas which remaining
there would involve for them. So the only real road aparently now open to
the Palestinians - and it is a sad and difficult one - is to try and make
their future land-locked "independent" state as viable as possible in
negotations with the Israelis. The Israelis think this objective will
eventually bring Hamas or whoever else is in power to the table after they
withdraw, especially if they threaten the population with continued economic
misery if they do not follow their script.
Thanks for the info about Barghouti. He would play the Mandela role if the Israelis. like the Afrikaaners, were serious about a lasting resolution. Unfortunately, the internal and external pressure on the Israelis to settle doesn't seem as strong as it was on the white South Africans.