Palestine
The very word is so tasty. Just saying it-the State of Palestine-is enough to bring into being this imaginary state with neat little houses on tree-lined streets, municipal buildings, bus stations, a brand new airport, and the capital in “East” Jerusalem, the imaginary holy land, the Jerusalem of Palestine, a cut-and-paste of Their Jerusalem. But without Them.
The simple recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel-officially declared by Congress in 1995, confirmed by geographic and geopolitical realities, and now consummated by President Trump-unleashes a torrent of disapproval and threats. The disciples of international law chant promises of violence, stamped with the moral authority of Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran’s Rouhani.
Unilateral declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel? It’s blasphemy! Shameful disrespect for international law. It’s reckless! Putting the cart before the horse, tossing a match into the powder keg, and pouring oil on the fire! Is Trump out of his mind? He’s destabilizing the delicate balance of the shaky Middle East. What’s become of the table where the promised talks should be held? The peace process was almost nearly ready to resume, and now it’s doomed! And so it goes: the revisionists are busy reconstructing the past with shopworn lies, and the multilateralists have decreed the irreversible isolation of the United States, guilty as charged.
One thing is certain: all hell will break lose. In fact, the shababs, by tens and by twenties, went back to their old game, complete with keffieh-face masks, sling shots and rocks, flaming tires, stereotyped theatrics. They go round in circles, scatter in the jet stream of water cannons, cry in clouds of tear gas, do their act, and run back home.
Reality
Israeli sovereignty over the whole of Jerusalem is a reality. The two-state-solution with “East” Jerusalem as capital of Palestine is a fake proposal. But there is a real proposal facing off with the Jewish Jerusalem. It’s an Islamic Jerusalem.
