A time for action, not words

Donald Trump’s decision to ‘recognise’ Jerusalem as Israel’s capital comes exactly a century after Arthur Balfour, the British foreign secretary and later the prime minister, announced the creation of a Jewish homeland on Palestinian land. A century separates the American and British perfidy. But the underlying sentiment remains the same, giving away something that is not theirs to give away in the first place.

The sheer injustice and brazenness of this whole business and the continuing colonial hubris is simply breath-taking. And you thought colonialism was long dead and buried!

Who are the Americans and the British to give away the Palestinian’s homeland, homes, holy cities and their very identity to people born in Europe, Russia and America? As if the century-long oppression and dispossession of Palestinians in their own land with the blessings and support of the world powers was not enough, now they must suffer the indignity of being divested of Al-Quds, which is home to Islam’s third holiest mosque.

Jerusalem is not just another city. Sacred to the followers of all three Abrahamic faiths – Islam, Christianity and Judaism – the ancient city has been at the heart of the Palestinian existence and Islamic identity.

This is why – notwithstanding all that has happened over the decades as part of the Zionist colonial project to take over and occupy the whole of Palestine, making Palestinians strangers in their own land – no one else, including successive US administrations, ever dared to endorse its designs and aggression against the holy city of Jerusalem.

As an angry Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has emphasised, Jerusalem is the ultimate redline for the world’s 1.7 billion Muslims and no one would be allowed to cross it. This is why, despite Israel’s growing assertions and antics to ‘Judaise’ Jerusalem and project the holy city as its ‘capital’, the rest of the world continues to respect the special status of the city, maintaining their diplomatic missions in Tel Aviv.

But then again, Trump, with his devil-may-care attitude goes, eyes wide shut, where angels fear to tread and says and does things considered unthinkable by his predecessors and much of the Western world.

Besides, given the chaos and strife reigning in Muslim lands, especially the disunity in the Arab-Muslim ranks, Trump and his Israeli friends and allies wouldn’t have been wrong to conclude that there couldn’t be a better time to steal Jerusalem. Indeed, things would not have come to such a pass if the Arab and Muslim world had not stood around and silently endured the atrocities and humiliation that was repeatedly inflicted by Israel and its patrons for all these years.

Over the past few years, thanks to the efforts of Israel and its allies and the Arab and Muslim world’s increasing preoccupation with the conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen and more pressing domestic concerns, the question of Palestine has receded further into the background.

Above all, it was the international pressure on Palestinians to give up ‘violence’ and embrace peace and the so-called two-state solution that brought Palestinians to this point – a political wilderness.

More than anything, it was the bullying of Uncle Sam – the principal architect of the two-state solution – and his allies that persuaded Palestinians to end their freedom struggle for the chimera of their own state. And look where it has brought Palestinians. Today, they have no homeland, no freedom and no rights. Why, they have even been deprived of the very struggle that offered them their self-respect and identity as Palestinians, keeping Israelis perpetually on the edge.

Having long promised Palestinians and Arabs a “viable and peaceful Palestinian state, side by side with Israel”, the US has quietly and shamelessly gone back on decades of commitments. In doing so, it has violated the historic UN resolution of 1980, backed by 14 members of UN Security Council – except, of course, the US – that recognises the special status of Jerusalem and demands Israel to withdraw from the holy city.

The international community, including America’s European allies, also regards the old city of East Jerusalem as occupied territory and says Jerusalem’s final status must be negotiated, not unilaterally declared. In rejecting all this with casual insouciance, the US has also shown us what it thinks of its historical relations and alliances with the Arab and Muslim nations.

But it is futile to cry over the spilt milk. After all, there are no permanent friends and foes in the world of international relations, only permanent interests. The question is: what are the Arabs and Muslims going to do in response to this great betrayal?

Not surprisingly, a majority of Muslim nations have been swift in issuing regulation denunciations of Trump’s decision. However, Muslims around the world are not likely to be propitiated by these perfunctory statements and resolutions anymore.

The outpouring of popular anger and outrage from Morocco to Malaysia over the past few days demands credible and effective action in response, not mere words. The time for business as usual has passed. That is the message from the streets – from Egypt to Indonesia. And the Muslim nations attending the emergency summit in Istanbul on Wednesday seem to have heard and acknowledged it.

The Istanbul communique declaring East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine is historic in this sense. The 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has asserted that it considers Trump’s declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel “null and void legally” and views it as an attack on the rights of the Palestinian people.

It goes without saying that the Istanbul declaration, symbolically significant as it is, will not alter the geopolitical realities of the occupied Palestine or the Middle East. Palestinians will remain occupied and powerless as ever. The Arab and Islamic world will need to go beyond eloquent speeches and long-winded resolutions to challenge the status quo and confront the Israeli occupation.

In a way, we all ought to be grateful to Trump for putting an end to this whole circus of ‘peace process’ and the ‘two-state solution’. As Israeli writer Gideon Levy argues that Trump has exposed the masquerade that has been going on in the Middle East for the past half a century.

On the other hand, the US action serves as a rude reminder to Palestinians about the stark reality of their predicament. Long lulled into apathy and inaction by international assurances of peace and justice, Palestinians have just been reminded that there is no alternative to resistance and fighting for their freedom and rights.

The US move should serve as a rallying point for Palestinian unity and taking firm and concerted actions until their objective is achieved. The Muslim call for action and solidarity with Palestinians is welcome. But this must translate into credible action, such as the total economic and political boycott of Israel and efforts to get Palestinians their due. Clearly, the two-state solution is dead. It is, perhaps, time for one state with equal rights for Palestinians and Israelis.

When all’s said and done, no one can help Palestinians until they decide to help themselves. They have waited long enough and in vain for international assistance and action. It is time for Palestinians to take charge of their own destiny.

The writer is an independent writer and former newspaper editor.

Email: aijaz.syed@hotmail.com