Comments on: The man who invented the PA calls for it to be dismantled

By: Greg Pollock

Greg Pollock — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 07:39:14 +0000

“Will American officials be able to continue talking about the need for both sides to re-enter the peace process, now that the man most closely identified with it has abandoned any such hope?”
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Absolutely nothing, Noam. No one will notice. We, over here, have everything thought out. And we are always right.
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The US and EU will continue funding the PA because, even apart from the likely resulting violence, not to is against humanitarian principle. The US and EU are subsidizing the occupation rather directly thereby. So we are left, as far as I can see (not far) with human particularism: cry out against specific actions, waiting for the inevitable encroaching Israeli direct soverignty.
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And fight within Israel, to be ready when that day fully comes. Fight for articulated law. Fight for a new polity.
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I see no other road.

By: Arieh Zimmerman

Arieh Zimmerman — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:19:27 +0000

It would possibly better for everyone if we Israelis concentrated on improving our own government and wishing good luck to Palestinians trying to do the same to theirs.

By: phlegmatico

phlegmatico — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 17:34:51 +0000

the fun part about being a nationalist is watching the hipster Left, stand around in a circle and pee on each other. While we are busy hebraicizing all the hilltops we need for enfilading sniper fire. Hey, next time, have your discussion include some Harvard and some CUNY professors. Hold it in Oslo!! Don’t forget to invite New Israel Fund!!!

By: Rodrigo

Rodrigo — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 17:26:34 +0000

XYZ, the only problem with that vision of the anti-Israeli Left progressives is that it is based on nothing. If the international community is incapable of pushing Israel out of the West Bank when there is an actual Palestinian government, then it will not even bother to try to do so in a situation of anarchy.
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Jack, Abbas has threatened to resign on multiple occasions. This is mostly done to scare the Europeans and the Americans, not the Israelis, since the current government of Israel would prefer if Abbas and the PA did not exist. The PA is a crutch of the two state peace negotiations. In such a framework they just need to apply pressure on Israel in the hope of forcing concessions to strengthen the PA on the ground while waiting for a more compromising Israeli government. Bibi has been trying to defeat the Oslo process since 1996 but could never renege on it explicitly because he is bound by signed agreements and commitments to the US. If the PA dismisses itself he will have achieved success.

By: Jack

Jack — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 11:30:49 +0000

Dismantling would be a huge blow to Israel but also hurtful for the palestinians, I dont think it would be wise to do that at this time.
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Instead of dismantling at this time atleast, Abbas should pressure Israel becuase without pressure Israel will never accept a palestinian state. For example have Abbas said he would resign if there is no progress in peace. This is something Israel fear since Israel use PA as a proxy-puppet and also a punching bag. Without any influence in the west bank Israel would face a huge setback.

By: XYZ

XYZ — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 09:05:41 +0000

Beilin, like many Liberal-Left-Progressives, really couldn’t care less about the Palestinians AS people. What interests them is knocking down Israel. Beilin apparently believes in an apocalyptic scenario….anarchy would break out, as Rodrigo pointed out, lots of Palestinians would die, terrorist attacks against Israel would resume and in this chaotic situation, the ultimate dream of the anti-Israeli Left-progressives would come true…international intervention which would somehow push Israel out of the West Bank.
Beilin would sleep better at night, enjoying his dream of proving himself a purified Progressive, and the lives of possibly several million people turned into hell. What does he care? What do these Israel-bashers care?

By: Aaron the Fascist Troll

Aaron the Fascist Troll — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 06:14:17 +0000

Dear Political Leader,
Please relinquish all power held by yourself and your political supporters immediately, despite the fact that you are under no pressure or obligation to do so. Thank you in advance.
Sincerely,
Yossi Beilin
Statesman

By: klang

klang — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 02:04:08 +0000

Perhaps Beilin should stage a coup against Abbas and become head of the Palestinian people. Obviously the Palestinians are not smart enough to control their own destiny. Only Beilin can do it

By: Rodrigo

Rodrigo — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:53:43 +0000

Beilin is just amazing. He basically calls on Abbas, as a national leader, to abandon the interests of the 160,000 PA employees and the 2 million Palestinians of the West Bank to the mercy and pity of a fictional Israeli leader that will accept these thrown keys. It isn’t like the Israelis are suddenly going to take over the offices in the Muqata in Ramallah. The Israeli police isn’t going to enforce order in Nablus. Abbas would be relegating his people in the West Bank to a life of poverty and anarchy. Many will just leave. This is basically a dream scenario for the right-wing. They will refuse to replace the Palestinian authority’s control in the Palestinian cities, while seeing themselves free of any and all restrictions imposed by Oslo.
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Beilin doesn’t even bother proposing how such a move would in any way benefit Abbas on a road to a Palestinian state or any other Palestinian interest. Not only that, but even Abbas’s consolation prize of being the head of the PLO is of questionable value given the changes happening in the Arab world. The PLO is a decrepit, corrupt organization with little support on the ground that becomes of questionable value the moment Abbas abandons his official PA post. What would the PLO do? Set up their headquarters in Tunisia and rebuild Black September? Even the PLO as it was in the early 1990s was bankrupt and it signed Oslo out of desperation. It would be in even worse shape now. Who would sponsor them? The Syrians? The Iranians? What achievements can it market to the Palestinians? What ideology does it have?
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This is just terrible advice. As for the Americans. Do you know what they will do? Nothing. They will do nothing at all. In the absence of a Palestinian Authority even the European states have nothing to contribute. They would simply have no framework for moving forward. It is a complete dead end, one in which Hamas becomes the de facto Palestinian representative and Bibi starts talking about a Jordanian option while permanently securing Jerusalem for Israel.
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What kind of dreamworld is Beilin living in?

By: Richard Witty

Richard Witty — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:26:25 +0000

The PA’s role in Palestine is significant. Those that call them simply patronized or patronizing, “quislings”, are living in an illusion.

To dismantle the PA is itself a very big effort, not just closing the door.

And, it has enormous consequences for the welfare of Palestinians and Israelis. While politically it sounds nice, in practicality one has to be willing to cause suffering to advance a political end in advocating the irrelevance of the PA.

That seems to me the opposite of any motivation that is capable of mass solidarity. Law, compassion, congruity, are the based that mass movements can succeed.

There is a phrase in many religious traditions, including Judaism, “strength to strength”.

Very different than ‘gamble to gamble’.