Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 26 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds    H3'ed 8/29/16

Carrot and stick carve-up will not work for Israel

By       (Page 1 of 2 pages)   No comments
Follow Me on Twitter     Message Jonathan Cook
Become a Fan
  (28 fans)

Reprinted from The National

Avigdor Lieberman

Launched this month, as much of the world was on holiday, Avigdor Lieberman's plan for the Palestinians -- retooling Israel's occupation -- received less attention than it should.

Defense minister since May, Mr Lieberman has been itching to accelerate Israel's annexation by stealth of the West Bank.

His "carrot and stick" plan has three components. First, he intends to sideline the Palestinian Authority in favor of a new local leadership of "notables" hand-picked by Israel.

    Preferring to "cut out the middle man," in his words, he will open a dialogue with supposedly more responsible Palestinians -- business people, academics and mayors.

    Next, he has established a new communications unit that will speak in Arabic over the heads of the PA in the West Bank and its Hamas rivals in Gaza directly to ordinary Palestinians.

    An online campaign -- budgeted at $2.6 million (Dh9.5m) -- will seek to convince them of Israel's good intentions. The Palestinians' problems, according to Mr Lieberman, derive from corrupt and inciteful national leaderships, not the occupation.

      And finally, his defense ministry will produce a map of the West Bank marking in green and red the areas where, respectively, "good" and "bad" Palestinians live. Collective punishment will be stepped up in towns and villages in red areas, from which Palestinian attacks have been launched. Presumably night raids and house demolitions will increase, while closures will further curtail freedom of movement.

        Palestinians in green areas will reap economic rewards for their good behavior. They will be given work permits in Israel and the settlements, and benefit from development projects, including the creation of Israeli-controlled industrial zones.

        It sounds like the musings of a 19th century colonial official on how best to prevent the natives turning restless. Ahmed Majdalani, an adviser to Mahmoud Abbas, told the Haaretz newspaper the new arrangements assumed Palestinans were "stupid and lacking self-respect" and could be "bought with economic perks."

          Mr Lieberman's longer-term goal is to persuade Palestinians -- and the international community -- that their aspirations for self-determination are unattainable and not realistic.

          Next Page  1  |  2

          (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

          Must Read 2   Supported 2   Well Said 1  
          Rate It | View Ratings

          Jonathan Cook Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

          Jonathan Cook is a writer and journalist based in Nazareth, Israel. He is the 2011 winner of the Martha Gellhorn Special Prize for Journalism. His latest books are "Israel and the Clash of Civilisations: Iraq, Iran and the Plan to Remake the Middle East" (Pluto Press) and "Disappearing Palestine: (more...)
           

          Go To Commenting
          The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
          Writers Guidelines

           
          Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
          Support OpEdNews

          OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

          If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

          STAY IN THE KNOW
          If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
          Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
          Name
          Email
             (Opens new browser window)
           

          Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

          Military pollution is the skeleton in the West's climate closet

          The battle for Syria's skies will see a move from proxy clashes to direct ones

          After Sy Hersh's Bombshell Investigation, Why Won't Media Tell the Real Story of Trump's Military Strike in Syria?

          American liberals unleashed the Trump monster

          Blocking roads isn't crazy - It's our last hope that sanity will prevail

          Mandela: a Dissenting Opinion

          To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

          Tell A Friend