Washington's "Candy" on the Palestine Issue
How can the world believe in Washington's sweet words if the reality of its attitude on the Palestinian issue says otherwise?
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is preparing to provide testimony in the Senate Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs approval hearing at Capitol Hill, Washington DC, USA on May 21, 2024.
”Free, free Palestine! Free, free Palestine!”
Thus shouted hundreds of Harvard University students during their graduation ceremony on Harvard campus grounds in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA on Thursday (23/5/2024). The atmosphere at the graduation ceremony of one of the prestigious campuses in Uncle Sam's country last week felt different.
Many graduates and female graduates wear Palestinian attributes, shawls or kafiyeh turbans. There were also those who unfurled the Palestinian flag.
"Allow them to enter, allow them to enter," shouted some of the graduates. The call referred to 13 students who were not allowed to graduate as a punishment for their actions in the pro-Palestine protest camp.
"In this semester, our freedom to speak and express solidarity has been punished," said Shruthi Kumar, representing the graduates, welcomed by cheers from her peers.
As reported by Associated Press, hundreds of graduates chose to leave the graduation location, holding up posters containing pro-Palestinian appeals. For them, the graduation ceremony has no meaning compared to the values they are fighting for.
"You don't know who you really are until you are tested, until you fight for what you believe in. That's what defines you," said Maria Ressa, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate of 2021, in her graduation speech.
Harvard University's male and female graduates raised the Palestinian flag while shouting slogans in support of Palestine as they chose to leave the graduation area in protest during the graduation ceremony on the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA on May 23, 2024.
The protest at Harvard University was part of a wave of similar demonstrations that hit campuses in Western countries, including the US, Canada, Europe and Australia. Young people in the US in general are increasingly critical of Israel's denial of human rights and the Palestinian people's right to self-determination, wrote Dahlia Scheindlin, a columnist for Israeli media Haaretz, Policy Fellow at Century International (Foreign Affairs, 5/23/2024).
Last week, not only at the grassroots, the pro-Palestinian movement has penetrated political policy at the state level. Three important countries in Europe, namely Spain, Norway and Ireland, have stated that they recognize the state of Palestine. The plan is that the confession will be declared on Tuesday (28/5/2024).
Also read: Ireland, Norway and Spain Recognize the State of Palestine
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris mentioned that several other countries will take similar steps. Two European Union countries, namely Slovenia and Malta, are included on the list.
The admission is part of efforts to encourage the realization of a two-state solution - Palestine and Israel standing side by side - as the only way considered most appropriate towards Palestine-Israel peace.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (left) received applause from parliamentary members and government officials after delivering a speech acknowledging the state of Palestine at the Congress of Deputies in Madrid, Spain, on May 22, 2024.
The issue of the Palestinian state within the framework of a two-state solution has now become important and is a valuable bargaining tool in several negotiations with Arab countries. The Palestinian state issue is one of the prerequisites requested by Saudi Arabia when negotiating a defense pact with the US.
In a hearing with members of the US House of Representatives in Washington, Wednesday (22/5/2024), US Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed that the US and Saudi Arabia were almost close to an agreement on security-defense cooperation and nuclear energy. This agreement was designed as a major US diplomatic project in the Middle East to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Also read: Biden-style Saudi Arabia-Israel Normalization Issue, Who Gets What?
Washington revived the normalization of Riyadh-Israel which had been drowned out by the Hamas-Israel war since 7 October 2023. However, unlike before 7 October 2023, where Saudi Arabia did not place too much emphasis on state issues Palestine, this time Riyadh made the issue a bargaining tool, apart from ending the war in Gaza, in normalization negotiations with Israel.
Saudi Arabia, according to Blinken, demands a "credible bright path towards the formation of a Palestinian state". Everyone knows, including Blinken, that this demand has been categorically rejected by Israel during Benjamin Netanyahu's tenure--or even by any Israeli leader.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) met with Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on April 29, 2024.
In a broadcast by the Saudi Arabian news agency, SPA, Sunday (19/5/2024), it was stated that the final draft of the US-Saudi Arabia strategic agreement was almost complete. With the deal, according to several sources quoted by Reuters, Saudi Arabia will gain access to advanced US weapons, including F-35 fighter jets, and nuclear technology. However, the US asked Saudi Arabia to limit Chinese investment in its country.
In courting Riyadh, Washington has repeatedly mentioned its support for a two-state solution in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. This was also conveyed by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in a meeting with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Sunday (19/5/2024).
However, how can people believe in sweet words when the reality speaks otherwise? When its European partner countries are rushing to acknowledge Palestine, Washington cynically rejects it.
Similar cynicism is also expressed by Washington every time it touches on issues related to Palestine, such as in the United Nations Security Council or its response to the International Criminal Court's demand to arrest Israeli leaders. Even towards its own citizens who express support for the Palestinian issue, US authorities have become repressive.
Also read: UNSC Rejects Full Membership of Palestine due to US Veto
As a result, from these various events, Washington's statements regarding the Palestinian issue, such as support for a two-state solution, were just "sweet candy".
