What is really left to be negotiated, when Israel has doubled its illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem? When Gaza has been under lock and key for over 10 years, suffering from war, polluted water and malnourishment?
There is no doubt that the UN Security Council condemnation of Israel on Friday, December 23, was an important and noteworthy event. The resolution is a further affirmation that the international community is unconditionally on the side of Palestinians and, despite all the failures of the past, still advocates the respect of international law.
Fear and trepidation are slowly building up, as US President-elect, Donald Trump, is fortifying his transitional team with people capable of bringing about a nightmare scenario, not only for Americans but for the rest of the world as well. For Palestinians, however, the signs are even more ominous.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres was never truly a peacemaker – he never labored to achieve fair and just political compromises that would preserve the dignity and rights of the Palestinians, along with securing the future of his people. In fact, he was a maximalist, a man who blatantly shoved his ideas forward in order to achieve his goals, no matter what the method or the price.
Ban Ki-Moon’s second term as the Secretary General of the United Nations is ending this December. He was the most ideal man for the job as far as the United States and its allies are concerned. The unspoken, but unmistakable rule about UN Secretary Generals is that they must come across as affable enough so as not to be the cause of international controversies, but also flexible enough to accommodate the US disproportionate influence over the United Nations.
Aylan, Omran and Abdullah are dead, but it is children like them who will have to carry the burden of Syria for many years to come. The best way to honor these children is by understanding that the future of Syria’s children cannot be determined according to the whims of American and Russian politicians but the Syrian people themselves.
Copyright Toward Freedom 2019