In his article about the Palestinian statehood bid, Mahmoud Jabari expressed his worries about some possible consequences of such a step.
Other Palestinians are afraid of a possible financial aid cut as a result of this step. If this happens, Palestinian people will be paying the price of going to the UN. But, this should not happen because it might lead to the point of complete loss of hope. This is a dangerous situation, and all the sides should work hard to avoid it, especially given that a lot of Palestinians do not believe that this step is the right step.
I’m surprised this story, reporting on attempts by US Congress to freeze $200m in aid to the West Bank and Gaza, hasn’t been given wider coverage – I may have missed something, but I couldn’t find any references to this move in the Palestine Telegraph, the Electronic Intifada or MEMO.
Rasheed Kassam, of the Henry Jackson Society is in favour of the move.
With regard to the Palestinian approach to Israel, it is both naïve and short sighted to think that we can coax a population away from its implacable hostility to Jews and the state of Israel with cold hard cash.
Others are more cautious. This piece in the Jewish Daily Forward reports how AIPAC and senior Israeli figures (as well as more expected voices such as J Street) have concerns about such a step.
The Independent has more on Israeli worries:
Some senior figures in the Israeli government, reportedly including Defence Minister Ehud Barak, have been arguing against such a move on the grounds that it could jeopardise Israel’s security, given the co-operation hitherto between those security forces and the Israeli military.
Avi Dichter, a former head of the intelligence agency Shin Bet and a Knesset member in the opposition Kadima Party, said this month that even if UN recognition went ahead “the state of Israel cannot think in terms of punishing the Palestinians. A Palestinian state is a national Israeli interest.”
Obviously the cuts aren’t in the interests of ordinary Palestinians either. As Mahmoud points out:
Only those who are in the middle class and working class will suffer and pay the price of a step for which its makers will not pay any price or suffer any consequences.
Neither, perhaps, do they seem to be in the interests of the US (except in so far as $200m is always handy) as they are likely to increase international disapproval of their opposition to the statehood bid. In fact the main beneficiaries might seem to be Hamas and other extremists.
