Fodder is our name

It took decades for Palestinian to finally win overt support in some mainstream international media outlets. But, and as is often the case with modern-day Arabs, the victory is Pyrrhic in nature and will not translate into any substantive support for the Palestinians’ goal of establishing their own independent state.

Why?

• The presence, ideology and activities of Hamas and other Islamic radical groups will continue to give Israeli and Western leaders enough leeway to justify wavering on the peace process.

• The discovery of oil and natural gas deposits off Levantine shores offers the Israelis an important financial incentive to oppose Palestinian statehood, though few will ever admit the existence of such incentive openly. The discover also  offers of justification for denying Palestinians the state that they deserve, so long as Hamas and other radical Islamists continue to be the dominant political force in Gaza.

• Finally, continuous dabbling by Iranians, Turks, Egyptians, Saudis and Qataris, as well as the ambitious financiers of Al-Qaeda and like-minded groups, will continue to divide and further radicalize the Palestinians, offering Israeli waverers and their international sympathizers additional incentive not to pursue peace.

But sympathy without support will breed frustration and more radicalization. The dynamics on the ground, therefore, continue to favor war and mayhem.

Who’s to blame here?

In the moral sense, and no matter how one chooses to qualify or justify it, as occupiers, the Israelis are the ones who should bear the brunt of the blame.

In practical sense, however, and after more than 60 years of struggle, it’s the Palestinian political and intellectual leaders who should bear the brunt of the blame for failing to come up with an effective political vision and strategy to stop the hemorrhage. They might have made some progress when it comes to their media strategy, but only politics can seal the deal. This is exactly where Palestinians continue to fail. As the most educated Arab people around, this continued failure by the Palestinians comes as an important indicator of how far the Arabs in general still have to travel before they can become effective contributors to modern civilization.

In the meantime, fodder is our name.