Putin calls for resumption of negotiations

Beyond mere symbolism, Palestine’s struggle for liberation, already thwarted by its leaders, is becoming an abstract endeavour. Several countries have embarked upon symbolic recognition of Palestinian statehood, which is now serving as the euphemism for approval of territorial loss and a resumption of negotiations, thus promoting further political deconstruction of Palestine.

On the occasion of the annual International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed sentiment to this effect that erroneously amalgamated Palestinian independence with the internationally-accepted compromise. A letter addressed to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, delivered by Russian Ambassador Alexander Rudakov to Palestinian secretary General Al-Tayeb Abdul Rahim, declared Russia’s intention “to provide all possible assistance to the Palestinian Authority in the establishment of state institutions and addressing the pressing social and economic problems.”

Putin’s letter to Abbas, summarised and partly reproduced in Haaretz, emphasised, above all, his insistence upon negotiations as opposed to “unilateral declarations” – the implication being the continued marginalisation of Palestinian resistance factions by the international community.

Following the predictable jargon utilised by many world leaders about the “establishment of an independent, contiguous and viable state”, Putin declares Russia’s cooperation in promoting the resumption of negotiations, despite the ensuing erosion of Palestinian rights and dignity throughout the interminable process. Purportedly, further negotiations, which Putin had also insisted upon last June in his meeting with Abbas, would secure sovereignty for Palestinians.

“We believe that Palestine’s acquisition of national sovereignty on the common international legal base will be an important factor in ensuring comprehensive, just settlement in the Middle East”, the letter reads.

Such vague statements serve Israeli interests well through a barely disguised implication of international commitment to safeguarding the colonial entity. Russia’s stance is void of the necessary anti-colonial discourse, attempting instead to project the illusion of an equal conflict between two equally responsible entities. Since the establishment of the Palestinian unity government, now deemed obsolete by Hamas due to the termination of its mandate, discourse of equal responsibility has proved easier to disseminate. Despite Israel’s displeasure at the international recognition granted to the unity government, its establishment has served Israeli interests as the entity provided an additional diplomatic front detracting from Palestinian resistance and sought to compromise on Palestinian liberation by aligning itself with the same governments and institutions promoting the continuation of Zionist colonisation. Therefore, Russia’s seemingly ambivalent call for negotiations is an added voice to promoting and preserving the international oppression of Palestinians.

Once again, international demands take precedence over Palestinian history, memory and struggle. In part, the continued fragmentation of Palestine can be attributed to the vocal denial of constructing the Palestinian struggle for liberation from within its own history. Instead, the international community has projected and enforced its demands that Palestinian leaders adhere to and navigate an imposed narrative that, as Putin states, focuses upon an allegedly “just settlement” – one that incorporates the Zionist colonial project and, in turn protects the interests of imperialism and the institutions safeguarding the ongoing cycle that promotes rhetoric of freedom within a context of perpetual human rights violations.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.