Politics 2.0

SHORT SELLING THE PALESTINIANS

The Goldstone Report under the auspices of the United Nations Human Rights Council has received much attention for its suggestions that both sides in the recent Gaza conflict are allegedly guilty of war crimes. Following this report, an outcry has emerged from many states, within the Middle East and beyond, to refer the report to the Security Council. One of the countries spearing this endeavour is the “enlightened” republic of Libya.

Amongst the Palestinians, President Abbas is being blackmailed, in a politically clever move by the US, not to encourage the referral of the report to the council in the hope that this whole debacle will lose steam. Hamas on the other hand, are charging Abbas with national treason and threatening to withdraw from the conciliatory talks if Abbas refuses to further the hype at the UN, despite the fact that the report finds Hamas guilty of war crimes as well.

At the same time as this report, but ironically not connected to Goldstone’s enquiries, a tape of Gilad Shalit has been released for the first time since his kidnapping in the exchange of 20 female Palestinian prisoners.

In an article on Politics 2.0, following the release of Samir Kuntar last year, I argued that it the Arabs themselves set the currency of the value of the lives of Palestinians by making ridiculous demands for the exchange of live prisoners for the dead bodies of Israeli soldiers. In keeping with that fashion, Hamas has now asked for 20 prisoners for proof of life of Shalit – 20 lives for 1 tape.

These two recent events coming out of Israel in the past couple weeks only show that the Palestinians themselves are responsible for their low status on the world stage. While Israel is receiving international criticism and feeling self-embarrassment that a fellow Jew could make such convictions, Hamas seem to glowing in the notoriety of being accused of war crimes, without even a receiving a smack on the knuckles. Their bargaining power in negotiations with Fatah has become more brash and confident. All this is happening while the world seems to be acknowledging the goals of the terrorist organisation which is the suppression of human life and human rights.

It seems that, as always, Israel is being held to the highest ethical bar, beyond any nation while with global consensus places Hamas at the lowest standard as if to say “well what else would you expect from them?”. Trading 20 prisoners for a tape shows that Hamas not only disregards the values of human rights, but also has no care for the value of human lives as well. The Goldstone report, as debatable as it may be for the Israeli’s, only confirms the world’s low expectations of the Palestinians.

Perhaps 20 Palestinians is the equivalent of a snap shot of an Israeli but it is Hamas who has set this price. One has to ask who are real culprits responsible for the real plight of the Palestinians – using their lives and nationhood as a commodity?