Asking for a Settlement Freeze is Hard in the Midst of Global Warming

If Hillary Clinton’s current visit to the region proved anything, it’s that Obama’s message of change was nothing but a load of crap. “Yes we can” continue our ways of standing on the side of the oppressor against the oppressed is the message I have been hearing lately. In his attempt at justifying his premature Noble Peace prize win, Obama is settling for the easy way out, putting pressure on Palestinians in a time when their international representation is in complete disarray.

It is naive for anyone to think a US president can truly bring about change in Middle East policy. But in a time of unprecedented life loss, oppression, one can only hope and perhaps dream a little. Obama went from asking for “a stop to settlements. Not some

settlements, not outposts, not natural growth exceptions”, to allowing “natural growth”, to asking for an Israeli intention to stop settlements, to asking Palestinians to turn a blind eye to land theft. Natenyahu strengthened by Obama’s demands has asked Palestinians plainly to “get a grip” and drop their ridiculous demands of asking for their land back. In fact, Clinton went as far as saying that settlements are essential for Israel’s security!! On the same token should we start seeing American settlements in Canada to enhance American security?

So what are settlements such a big issue?

International law sees any land gained through war as illegal (see Finklestein below for a more thorough explanation). The West Bank has been occupied by Israel since 1967. Since the occupation started, Israel has systematically confiscated Palestinian land, destroyed homes, and built settlements in way that would introduce a status quo rendering any fair peace deal impossible. The settlements are connected by a vast network of roads for settler use only. Palestinians are denied access to these roads built on their land. At the same time Palestinian roads are littered with checkpoints, operated by soldiers who chose who can pass and who can’t based on their mood. Women have given birth at checkpoints while waiting to go to hospitals. Ambulances are often kept at checkpoints for hours. School children have to wake up at 3 AM to make their morning classes on time. Palestinians are denied a normal life, while illegal settlers enjoy a safe, luxurious lifestyle. Add to that a 9 meter high “separation wall”, or “security fence” as the Israeli’s like to call it, which serpentines through the West Bank confiscating even more Palestinian land, splitting villages in half, and creating yet another barrier for a just peace.

I would like to see Clinton live under the same conditions as Palestinians in the West Bank for a week, and see if she still thinks Palestinians should stop whining about a settlement freeze. But that would assume she was an honest person, not just another politicians seeking re-election.