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Jakarta Post

Who will help the Palestinians?

Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sat, September 15, 2018

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 Who will help the Palestinians? A picture taken on July 29, 2018 shows a view of a mural painted on Israel's controversial separation barrier in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, by Italian artist Jorit Agoch, depicting Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi. Tamimi, who has become a Palestinian symbol for the struggle against the Israeli occupation, was released from prison on July 29 after nearly eight months. Agoch was arrested the day before for 'vandalising' the barrier. (AFP/Ahmad Gharabli)

T

he odds are stacked against the Palestinians these days. Regional and major players are preoccupied with major conflicts in the Middle East, the Syrian war and conflict in Yemen. Escalating tensions between Sunni countries and Iran have also relegated the plight of the Palestinians to the backburner, with majority Sunni nations, like Saudi Arabia, taking a friendlier stance toward Israel, which is similarly hostile toward Iran. The Palestinians are now left to their own devices.

Earlier this week, we are again reminded of the vulnerability of the Palestinians’ position and that the prospect of peace between Israel and Palestine remains an elusive goal. On Monday, the United States, through President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, delivered a one-two punch that dealt a severe blow to the prospect of peace for the Palestinians. After moving to shut down the Washington office of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Bolton threatened to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) if it moved to investigate war crimes committed by the Israeli government.

The move was just the latest in a series of what many consider to be bullying tactics by the US to bring the Palestinians to the negotiating table and accept the terms of its surrender. At the outset, Trump pledged he would bring the best deal ever for the Palestinians. What, however, transpired throughout the first two years of his administration is a US administration implementing plans that further defend the interests of the Israeli government, from moving its embassy to Jerusalem to cutting over US$200 million in aid to the Palestinians.

It does not help that the key person tasked to lead the peace talks is Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, an observant Jew and a family friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu who was never enthusiastic about reaching a peace deal (a sentiment shared by hawkish Cabinet members like Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who said last week that negotiations with the Palestinians were useless).

Realistically, there is little Indonesia can do about this. But the government is obligated to continue raising awareness about the bleak prospects that the Palestinians face. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is currently seeking reelection, and as indicated by his decision to name Ma’ruf Amin his running mate, he is desperately looking for Muslim votes. He should talk more about helping the Palestinians on the campaign trail.

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