Set-up to Fail:

Why Paris Peace Talks Went Nowhere?

Rasa - You cannot negotiate with people who say what's mine is mine and what's yours is negotiable.

News ID: 426597

Date: 16 January 2017 - 22:49

RNA - This was precisely the case when dozens of countries gathered in Paris on Sunday for talks and called on Israel to revive work toward long-elusive peace - including an independent Palestinian state.

The closing declaration at the so-called Mideast peace conference urged both sides to officially restate their commitment to the two-state solution, disassociate from voices that reject this, and stop taking one-sided actions that hurt talks, an apparent reference to illegal Israeli settlement building.

Per usual, all these beautiful words were, well, just beautiful words, and the reasons are plenty:

-The Zionist regime didn't take part in the conference. Benjamin Netanyahu called the conference "rigged" and cooked up behind Israel's back to force it to accept conditions against the regime’s interests.

-Representatives from the Palestinian resistance front Hamas didn't take part either. The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) cannot rally international support to hold Tel Aviv accountable for its systematic violations of international law and the rights of the Palestinian people if it's unable to get Hamas on board.

-The French organizers argue the conference is necessary to keep hopes alive for a two-state solution. That's precisely the point. It's all about keeping hopes alive and wasting even more precious time. Peace talks are never meant to succeed, not today, not tomorrow, not ever.

-Tel Aviv has abandoned the two-state solution and expanded illegal settlements. It has called for annexing parts of the West Bank. President-elect Donald Trump has made no mention of Palestinian independence either. He even wants to transfer the American embassy to Jerusalem Al-Quds.

-The usurper regime will never abide by international law and end its military occupation of Palestine. It did level the besieged city of Gaza, killed thousands of innocent civilians in broad daylight, and the world did nothing about it. The regime sees no reason to abide by a silly conference that by the way didn’t represent all warring sides.

-The United Nations Security Council has rejected a draft resolution demanding the recognition of an independent Palestinian state. Even if peace talks succeed, the United States will veto it. Like administrations before it, the Obama administration has not only refused to recognize the statehood of Palestine, but has used that non-recognition to reap billions for the Military-Industrial Complex. Whether they support US foreign policy or not, the world community should understand the role US political recognition plays, not only in thwarting regional stability, but in undermining peace talks.

Taken together, through recognition, the practice of acknowledging the Palestinian statehood and government opens the doors to peace, treaty relations, trade, foreign aid, and, potentially, permanent membership in the United Nations. Recognition offers real hope, the promise of equality, and having a nation’s voice heard on the world stage.

The United States does not recognize the state of Palestine. This is while there was a higher percentage of governments at the time of its failed application to the UN in 2011 (68 percent) than Israel was (64 percent) when it was unfortunately admitted in 1948. Contrary to claims, the primary reason for this wasn’t Palestinian unilateralism and belligerence. The real reason was US obstructionism and efforts designed to blame the Palestinian people in order to further US-Israeli interests.

And it doesn’t end there. If the United States and its NATO allies, including France, are to be taken as anything other than a bully, and if they truly have an interest in creating a lasting peace in the Middle East, it will not be through denying recognition of Palestine. They must first acknowledge and take responsibility for the current mess they have helped to create, and act to create real change. That, after all, is the true hallmark of peace talks - a commitment to international justice and action.

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