Doaa El-Bey looks at the Palestinian divide one year on and the latest settlement drive One year after the Hamas takeover of Gaza and the resulting inter-Palestinian rift, the situation in the Strip is bad. But it's not much better in the West Bank after Israel announced it would build some 1,300 settlement units in Jerusalem, this coming on the eve of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to the region. Mahmoud Al-Mubarak described the conditions in Gaza one year after Hamas's takeover as catastrophic because it resulted in the slow death of a whole nation that is suffering from the absence of food, medicine, electricity and other basic needs. The blockade imposed by the Israelis and which is supported by the Western world and accepted by Arab governments and the unelected Palestinian government is an international crime that should not last under any conditions. It could only be defined as genocide. It is not only Israel, according to Al-Mubarak, but whoever aids and abets this blockade is legally responsible for the genocide. "The Iraqi president was accused of genocide and sentenced to death for the killing of 148 in Dujail. By the same token, the death of 170 Palestinians as a result of the blockade should be enough to indict whoever took part in the blockade," Al-Mubarak wrote in the London-based daily Al-Hayat. He called on the Egyptian people who are close neighbours of Gaza and who broke through the Bar Lev line in 1973 to break the criminal blockade imposed against Gaza. Al-Mubarak expressed his frustration that not a single call describing the blockade as criminal and which must be lifted had come from a present or even a former Arab official. Talal Okal wrote that the deteriorating daily life in Gaza during the last year was an indicator of the deteriorating situation in the Palestinian scene in total. However, Okal regarded Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's initiative for reconciliation, issued early this month, as a sign for optimism. Although most of the parties, especially Hamas, quickly and positively responded to the initiative, people still nurse doubt about the possibility of reopening a dialogue. Okal said the arena was set now more than at any time before for dialogue "because both Fatah and Hamas discovered they are incapable of ruling the Palestinians without the help of the other. "Palestinian reconciliation is complicated and needs time. Thus it is not wise for the parties to rush for quick results, lose hope in case of a setback or return to the atmosphere of provocation and mutual accusations," Okal wrote in the Palestinian political daily Al-Ayyam. Moan Al-Bayari drew a dreary picture of the situation in Gaza one year after the takeover. "The life of 70 per cent of Gazans relies on relief organisations and some 60 per cent of the people live below the poverty line thanks to the Israeli blockade and the silent world," Al-Bayari wrote in the United Arab Emirates daily Al-Khaleej. He cast doubt over whether the Annapolis gathering or meetings of Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert or of Tzipi Livni and Ahmed Qurei could deliver anything to the Palestinians. More Israeli settlements angered many writers. The Qatari political daily Al-Watan wrote that instead of attracting attention, Rice's repeated visits to the region arouse disgust. Although the Israeli authorities declared on the eve of Rice's visit that some 1,300 settlement units will be built, she would only say the settlement policy could hamper any progress in peace negotiations. However, after her arrival in Israel, she toned even that statement down, saying Jewish settlement activities would not affect the final status of negotiations. The newspaper's editorial regarded Rice's visits and comments as a sign of disrespect for and contempt of the Palestinian people and their just cause. "The Palestinian Authority is still dealing with the US administration as if it is an unbiased mediator, whereas evidence shows that Washington is financing Israeli settlement projects," the editorial added. The London-based political independent daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi tackled the same issue, saying that Rice's visit came amid a state of overwhelming dismay among the Arabs and Palestinians after the Israeli decision to build the latest settlement unit. The fact that Rice merely declared that the Israeli settlement policy could harm peace negotiations dashed all hopes of President Abbas and his negotiating team who rely on the US to put pressure on Tel Aviv to stop building more settlements. The editorial said the settlement boom came in line with Olmert's declaration that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel. It is clear, as the editorial added, that the US supports Israeli settlement policies or else it would have asked Tel Aviv to abide by the Annapolis summit which called for the freezing of all settlement building in the occupied territories. Even some Arab states like Egypt and Saudi Arabia are not willing to use their influence to push the US to abide by Annapolis and the recommendations of the international Quartet. "Building more settlements in the occupied territories is a provocative act to all Arab and Muslim states. It makes any negotiations look futile and absurd. Unfortunately, there is no sign of any Arab or international reaction to this provocation," the edit concluded. Amr Giftelli questioned the meaning of the US administration's criticism of Israeli settlement building. Giftelli wrote that Rice said the policy "could" hamper the peace negotiations, regarding the word "could" as a sign of the lenient US stand that is clearly biased to Israel. "Settlements are now everywhere in the West Bank and Jerusalem which is being Judaised under the nose of the US. There is no room left to build a Palestinian state on the occupied territories which are being gradually stolen either by settlements, security reasons or the apartheid wall," Giftelli wrote in the Syrian political daily Tishreen. He concluded by asking Rice to remain silent until the end of her term in office because the world will not believe her promises any more.
