Economic Peace? No, we can't.

Gideon Levy argues in his article 'Let Netanyahu win', that if Netanyahu is to win the Israeli elections on Tuesday as predicted--this may be the only option left to engender real change between the Palestinians and Israel. He argues that Netanyahu is such a right-winged force that finally the "veil will be lifted" from the facade of Israel engaging in a peace process. A facade that has blocked from the general world's knowledge that while Israel may lament that it has "no partner for peace" it is actively sabatoging any real hopes for peace through its continuous expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank, house demolitions, imprisonments, extrajudicial assassinations (you know, when they "kill Palestinian militants"), its excruciating strangulation of Gaza for 2 years, the erection of the Apartheid Wall excising Palestinian land from the West Bank (who remembers in 2002 when they began this wall? It started as a "temporary security barrier"...now it looks like an apocalyptic fortress), and on and on...

Levy's argument could hold...on the condition that the world (namely the US) actually cares. Everything he says is predicated upon the Quartet taking offense to Israel's suddenly revealed oppressive, counter-peace, attitude. I do say really it depends on the Quartet, as a large (and growing) part of the world takes deep offense already to Israel's treatment of Palestinians and saw through its facade a long, long time ago. But we are not as powerful as those who unconditionally support Israel's inhumane imprisonment and oppression of the Palestinians-- reminding us all, always, that Israel's security is "paramount" while that of the Palestinians is negotiatable at best, irrelevant at worst (or at most realistic).

Could the facing off of Obama's SuperHero "Justice and equality? Yes, we can." attitude with that of Netanyahu's "we can lull them into submission through Economic Peace" attitude be what will finally push us towards a change? ("Economic Peace" is the idea that if Israel builds up the West Bank's economy (I don't think Gaza even factors into this equation anymore as Israel refuses to acknowledge it is still occupied) then economic security for Palestinians will be enough to ensure security for Israel without making any "painful concessions" of land. Palesinians will be content with an economy, and no country. I love this approach-- does Netanyahu really think that once Abu Mustafa's is given some collateral to re-open his factory he will forget he is a dispossessed refugee without a homeland and give up fighting to have his own country? Really!?) Will Obama extend his promise of "change" to Palestine? Do Palestinians deserve justice? Are we equal to Israelis? Because, as Levy points out, the term "process" no longer applies to tension between Israel and the Palestinians. "Process" implies some advancement of change over time. The only change over time Palestinians have seen is a rise in the numbers of their brothers, fathers, uncles, grandfathers, sons imprisoned; the rise in settlements stealing Palestinian land in the West Bank; a rise in the number of Gazans dependent on UN handouts to live (that's up to 80% now); an increased number of checkpoints throughout Occupied Palestine; fewer Gazans alive. The leaders have not changed--neither Israeli nor Palestinian. Neither actually look out for their people's best interest.

Is this really what Palestinians' future depends upon? Shock value? Sigh...