Palestinians vs. Trump: The Battle Begins
Over the past year, the Palestinians have managed to keep under wraps their true feelings about US President Donald Trump and his Middle East envoys and advisors. In all likelihood, they were hoping that the new US administration would endorse their vision for "peace" with Israel.Michael Lumish: "Palestine" is a Wraith
Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas ensured that his spokesmen and senior officials spoke with circumspection about Trump and his Middle East advisors and envoys. The top brass of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah felt it was worth giving Trump time to see if he was indeed gullible enough to be persuaded to throw Israel under the bus and fork over their demands.
Well, that bus has long passed.
The Palestinians are now denouncing Trump and his people for their "bias" in favor of Israel. Even more, the Palestinians are openly accusing the Trump administration of "blackmail" and of seeking to "liquidate the Palestinian cause." To top off the tone, the Palestinians are insinuating that Trump's top Jewish advisors and envoys -- Jared Kushner, Jason Greenblatt and David Friedman -- are more loyal to Israel than to the US.
The Palestinians' unprecedented rhetorical attacks on the Trump administration should be seen as a sign of how they plan to respond to the US president's plan for peace in the Middle East, which has been described as the "ultimate solution." Although the full details of the proposed plan have yet to be made public, the Palestinians have already made up their mind: Whatever comes from Trump and his Jewish team is against the interests of the Palestinians.
"Palestine" and "Palestinian" are European settler colonial terms for the land of the Jewish people. I think we should cease to use those terms or, at least, put them in quotes.The Full Balfour Centenary Lecture with Simon Schama
Or perhaps go with Palestinian-Arab.
In truth, the greater Arab nation gave the world "Palestinians" - a word which used to mainly refer to Jews living under the British mandate - as a challenge to Jewish sovereignty on historically Jewish land.
The Jews are the indigenous people of the Land of Israel.
The Arabs are settlers and colonists on Jewish land.
I certainly do not mind that Arabs live there. Nor do I mind that Chinese people or Venezuelans or the Easter Islandish live there.
But none of those folk can claim sovereignty because none of them are indigenous.
Only the Jewish people have a claim to indigeneity to that land and we must insist on this basic concept.
Everything flows from that recognition.
From a purely objective historical standpoint, only the Jewish people can claim indigeneity to Israel.
On 1st November, renowned historian, Simon Schama delivered a guest lecture marking the centenary of the Balfour Declaration. This historic lecture delved in to the details and background that led to the signing of the iconic Balfour Declaration- the 67 words that led to the creation of the State of Israel. This lecture is sponsored by Balfour 100, the official tribute of the British Jewish Community, marking 100 years since the Declaration.