Erekat's unabashed subjugation

The distortion of “logic and law” forms the premise of Palestinian Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat’s recent article which was published in the Guardian. The article entitled “What Palestine needs is for Europe to honour its own agreements,” is another exhibition of subjugation to higher authorities, achieved through the usual tactic of selective political rhetoric, assimilated and reaffirmed through a compromised narrative. In this case, Erekat’s alleged concern for Palestine clearly portrays the Palestinian Authority’s acquiescence and hence, fails to challenge Europe’s role in protecting Israel’s colonial expansion.

“Under international law, states have a duty not to support Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land. Logic and law dictate that the EU and its member states take active steps towards implementing the two-state solution.” Erekat’s statement encapsulates the abomination of the whole article, which is littered with discrepancies, adherence to international dictates on Palestine, as well as the PA’s commitment to discuss Palestinian concerns through a collaborator’s perspective.

Proof of such stance is easily discernible in Erekat’s request of Europe. “What we, as Palestinians, are asking from Europe is nothing more than that the EU protects its own 20-year investment in the two-state solution by respecting its own obligations under domestic and international law; nothing more than adherence to its own policies; nothing more than allowing our people the same basic human rights to which all people are entitled.”

The EU has made it abundantly clear that as far as Palestinians are concerned, the concept of universality with regards rights remains an elusive hypothesis. Conveniently disregarding colonisation – a tactic also utilised by the PA – the EU has remained at the helm of negotiations which have led to the excessive fragmentation of Palestinian territory and displacement of the indigenous population, all in the name of the two-state conspiracy. Despite the repercussions upon Palestinians, Erekat is calling upon the EU to persist in its fallacious and duplicitous agendas.

What Erekat defines as a “common goal” has proved to be nothing but an extended timeframe for Israel to expand its illegal presence – defined clearly in the article as a process that “became an end in itself, the only goal being to get the two parties to the table – nowadays an almost feverish obsession for some governments.” However, an immense intentional omission is evident in the article – that of the PA’s willingness to participate in the international obsession of insisting upon a two-state scenario. Whatever political jargon the internationally-recognised Palestinian leadership might come up with, the reality for Palestinians remains dictated by inadequate and incompetent representation seeking to aid in the colonisation process, rather than assert or, at the very least, appreciate the intrinsic role of Palestinian resistance.

Reminiscent of the same manner in which the PA has exhibited its incompetence at utilising the international platform provided by the UN to articulate the Palestinian narrative, Erekat has taken up precious space penning a series of inconsistencies which confirm the PA’s role in subjugating Palestinians, in return for a compromised semblance of legitimacy that only retains validity in relation to both Israeli and European efforts to maintain instability in Palestine and the region.

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