Diplomacy and disappearing Palestine

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has added to the tirade against UN Security Council Resolution 2334. Despite the absence of rhetorical aggression in comparison to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s postulations, Rivlin has outlined the Israeli ambition to see Palestine disappear in a manner that can be disguised within the diplomatic process.

“Resolution 2334 and the speech by the Secretary of State [John Kerry] put Israel on trial,” Rivlin told Israeli ambassadors based in Europe. He need not worry; the resolution’s impact upon the international community has already been consigned to history as yet another temporary, illusory triumph for the Palestinian Authority which amounts to little more than regurgitated awareness-raising. Nevertheless, Rivlin availed himself of the opportunity to expound upon the alleged discrepancies between Israel and the international community to usher in a more comprehensive strategy that starts with the elimination of Palestine from diplomacy. This would simplify the equation from one of colonial occupation, expansion and violence to a simple dispute between Israel and the international community.

The selections of Rivlin’s discourse published by YNet News contain no reference to Palestine, yet the paradigm of this being a diplomatic conflict rather than colonial aggression is portrayed clearly. In discussing the 1967 borders, Rivlin stated, “This is a genuine, deep and even sometimes difficult disagreement between Israel and the international community, yet it needs to be clear and open, and we have the duty to address and explain it.”

Such an imposition already imparts irrevocable disdain for last month’s symbolic resolution, let alone the Palestinians. “Today, perhaps more than ever, professional diplomacy is a central and crucial component to preserving Israel’s national and international resilience,” the Israeli president continued. This is not to say that Rivlin is advocating a less militarised approach; far from it, but it is a combination which renders diplomacy into a vehicle for justifying every act of aggression Israel commits to preserve its purported legitimacy.

Over the years, Israel has made sure to have a variety of issues to which it can point as perceived threats to its existence. Demography and security have, for now, been sidelined in favour of propagating and protecting the state’s legitimacy. While the latter is clearly a fabrication, Israel has invested considerable effort in building its fictitious narrative to the point of it being endorsed by the international community without any cohesive or meaningful opposition. In turning to “professional diplomacy”, Israel is setting out its stall by investing additional effort in countering even the vaguest imaginary threat related to Resolution 2334.

Indeed, it can be argued that the latest ineffectual Security Council resolution has, in a way, allowed Israel to usurp the scene, in much the same manner that the international community has allowed it to colonise Palestine. Rivlin has argued that the resolution put Israel “on the world’s stage”, which is a truth with many serious repercussions for Palestine. It is evident that the resolution’s contradictory context allocated ample space for Israeli manipulation and prominence. Hence, there is no “trial” for Israel at an international level, real or imagined, despite what Rivlin alleges. The terminology he has used, however, fits into the Israeli narrative and will be used for diplomatic purposes — endeavours which have now been facilitated by the joint effort between Israel and the international community — in order to “disappear” Palestine, forcibly when diplomatic efforts fail.

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