One final time, I am commenting on US Secretary of State John Kerry’s third visit yesterday, April 9 to the West Bank and Israel. It seems that he is promising a new economic-assistance program to the West Bank, which he probably thinks would calm Palestinian insistence on the withdrawal of Israel and the restoration of the 1967 borders. Yet what is important at this juncture, as I emphasized not only recently, but throughout the conflict, is that unless and until Israel’s legal status in the Palestinian territories is defined clearly and unequivocally as an occupation, then further negotiations will only repeat earlier fruitless attempts.
A further important consideration at this juncture is that Gaza cannot be dealt with as an adjunct to whatever peace process takes place and thus, whenever negotiations happen, there must be inclusive representation of all the occupied territories and refugees since 1967, including east Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank. It is important to insist that unless the legal aspect of Israel’s presence in the Palestinian territories is decided upon and the Fourth Geneva Convention is rendered operative, the economic incentive will not be welcomed to ameliorate the dire economic conditions in the West Bank and Gaza unless done within a clear, legal context. Moreover, if it is presented as a temporary substitute without clarifying the legal issues, then Palestinians, while eager for sustainable development in their state, will never consider this an acceptable substitute — even as a first step.
