by Stephen Lendman

Even a tepid one. Falling far short of what Palestinians deserve. it's official. What Israel wants it gets.

Asked about PLO Security Council draft text language, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said "(i)t is not something we would support."

"We wouldn't support any action that would prejudge the outcome of the negotiations and that would set a specific deadline for the withdrawal of forces."

An imminent vote is unlikely, she added. Palestinians want one before Christmas.

Netanyahu's bluster wore thin long ago. Categorically rejecting Palestinian statehood. Now or ever.

Intends permanent occupation. Yesterday accused Abbas of "threaten(ing) us with unilateral steps."

"He does not understand that they will result in a Hamas takeover in Judea and Samaria, just as occurred in Gaza," said Netanyahu.

"We won’t let that happen. We will never agree to unilateral diktats." Except numerous Israeli ones. With full US support.

Israel will "always safeguard our security. This is our lesson both from the days of the Maccabees and in our day," said Netanyahu.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called Palestine's initiative a "gimmick." Strategic Affairs minister Yuval Steinity called it "an act of war."

Threatened to dismantle PA puppet governance in response. Joint PLO/Jordanian text language calls for resuming peace talks,

With a 12-month deadline. Ending Israel's occupation by December 2017.

Palestinian statehood within June 1967 borders. With "mutually agreed, limited, equivalent land swaps."

Accepting a "third party presence" in the West Bank. Following "full an phased withdrawal" of Israeli forces.

"(O)ver an agreed transition period in a reasonable timeframe." Ending no later than December 2017.

"We will continue with consultations in the UN to gather support for this project," said Abbas.

The PLO/Jordanian draft Security Council text (dated December 17, 2014) is as follows:

"Reaffirming its previous resolutions, in particular resolutions 242 (1967); 338 (1973), 1397 (2002), 1515 (2003), 1544 (2004), 1850 (2008), 1860 (2009) and the Madrid Principles,

Reiterating its vision of a region where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders,

Reaffirming the right of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 181 (II) of 29 November 1947,

Reaffirming the principle of the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force and recalling its resolutions 446 (1979), 452 (1979) and 465 (1980), determining, inter alia, that the policies and practices of Israel in establishing settlements in the territories occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, have no legal validity and constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East,

Affirming the imperative of resolving the problem of the Palestine refugees on the basis of international law and relevant resolutions, including resolution 194 (III), as stipulated in the Arab Peace Initiative,

Underlining that the Gaza Strip constitutes an integral part of the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967, and calling for a sustainable solution to the situation in the Gaza Strip, including the sustained and regular opening of its border crossings for normal flow of persons and goods, in accordance with international humanitarian law,

Welcoming the important progress in Palestinian state-building efforts recognised by the World Bank and the IMF in 2012 and reiterating its call to all States and international organizations to contribute to the Palestinian institution building programme in preparation for independence,

Reaffirming that a just, lasting and peaceful settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only be achieved by peaceful means, based on an enduring commitment to mutual recognition, freedom from violence, incitement and terror, and the two-State solution, building on previous agreements and obligations and stressing that the only viable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an agreement that ends the occupation that began in 1967, resolves all permanent status issues as previously defined by the parties, and fulfills the legitimate aspirations of both parties,

Condemning all violence and hostilities directed against civilians and all acts of terrorism, and reminding all States of their obligations under resolution 1373 (2001),

Recalling the obligation to ensure the safety and well-being of civilians and ensure their protection in situations of armed conflict,

Reaffirming the right of all States in the region to live in peace within secure and internationally recognized borders,

Noting with appreciation the efforts of the United States in 2013/14 to facilitate and advance negotiations between the parties aimed at achieving a final peace settlement,

Aware of its responsibilities to help secure a long-term solution to the conflict,

1. Affirms the urgent need to attain, no later than 12 months after the adoption of this resolution, a just, lasting and comprehensive peaceful solution that brings an end to the Israeli occupation since 1967 and fulfills the vision of two independent, democratic and prosperous states, Israel and a sovereign, contiguous and viable State of Palestine living side by side in peace and security within mutually and internationally recognized borders;

2. Decides that the negotiated solution will be based on the following parameters:

• borders based on 4 June 1967 lines with mutually agreed, limited, equivalent land swaps;


• security arrangements, including through a third-party presence, that guarantee and respect the sovereignty of a State of Palestine, including through a full and phased withdrawal of Israeli security forces which will end the occupation that began in 1967 over an agreed transition period in a reasonable timeframe, not to exceed the end of 2017, and that ensure the security of both Israel and Palestine through effective border security and by preventing the resurgence of terrorism and effectively addressing security threats, including emerging and vital threats in the region.


• a just and agreed solution to the Palestine refugee question on the basis of Arab Peace Initiative, international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, including resolution 194 (III);


• Jerusalem as the shared capital of the two States which fulfills the legitimate aspirations of both parties and protects freedom of worship;


• an agreed settlement of other outstanding issues, including water;

3. Recognizes that the final status agreement shall put an end to the occupation and an end to all claims and lead to immediate mutual recognition;

4. Affirms that the definition of a plan and schedule for implementing the security arrangements shall be placed at the center of the negotiations within the framework established by this resolution;

5. Looks forward to welcoming Palestine as a full Member State of the United Nations within the timeframe defined in the present resolution;

6. Urges both parties to engage seriously in the work of building trust and to act together in the pursuit of peace by negotiating in good faith and refraining from all acts of incitement and provocative acts or statements, and also calls upon all States and international organizations to support the parties in confidence-building measures and to contribute to an atmosphere conducive to negotiations;

7. Calls upon all parties to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949;

8. Encourages concurrent efforts to achieve a comprehensive peace in the region, which would unlock the full potential of neighborly relations in the Middle East and reaffirms in this regard the importance of the full implementation of the Arab Peace Initiative;

9. Calls for a renewed negotiation framework that ensures the close involvement, alongside the parties, of major stakeholders to help the parties reach an agreement within the established timeframe and implement all aspects of the final status, including through the provision of political support as well as tangible support for post-conflict and peace-building arrangements, and welcomes the proposition to hold an international conference that would launch the negotiations;

10. Calls upon both parties to abstain from any unilateral and illegal actions, including settlement activities, that could undermine the viability of a two-State solution on the basis of the parameters defined in this resolution;

11. Calls for immediate efforts to redress the unsustainable situation in the Gaza Strip, including through the provision of expanded humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilian population via the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and other United Nations agencies and through serious efforts to address the underlying issues of the crisis, including consolidation of the ceasefire between the parties;

12. Requests the Secretary-General to report on the implementation of this resolution every three months;

13. Decides to remain seized of the matter."

According to an unnamed Western diplomat: "There is not the basis for consensus on the (above) text as drafted, and that is why we need to do some work."

In other words, whatever Israel agrees to is fine. Not otherwise. Its regime has final say. Expressed through assured US vetoes.

Longstanding policy hasn't changed. Two-state solution notions don't wash. Israel controls over 60% of West Bank land. Its most valued parts. Most of East Jerusalem.

Professor of Modern Arab Politics and Intellectual History Joseph Massad says "no Palestinian state (exists) to recognize…"

"(W)ithin 1967 or any other borders. (T)hese political moves are engineered to undo the death of the two-state solution, the illusion of which had guaranteed Israel’s survival as a Jewish racist state for decades."

"These parliamentary resolutions in fact aim to impose a de facto arrangement that prevents Israel's collapse and replacement with a state that grants equal rights to all its citizens and is not based on colonial and racial privileges."

Dead-on-arrival peace talks "worked very well for the last two decades with hardly a peep from the Palestinian Authority."

An Israeli creation. Stooge governance. Designed to serve its interests. At the expense of peace, equity and justice.

Self-determination. What matters most to millions of Palestinians is strictly verboten.

Extremist Netanyahu policies threaten Israel's survival as a racist Jewish state, says Massad.

It's why "European parliaments are rushing to rescue Israel's liberals by guaranteeing for them (its) survival in its racist form through recognizing a nonexistent Palestinian state 'within the 1967 borders.' "

Two states once were possible. No longer. Except in rump form for Palestine too inconsequential to matter. A state in name only. With worthless scrubland for territory.

Assuring Israel's survival as a racist Jewish state. Justifying its worst policies. High crimes. Polar opposite justice. Denying it.

PLO/Jordanian text language falls way short and then some. Loopholes give Israel enough wiggle room to drive tanks through. Guns blazing.

Calling Israel a "democratic state" is nonsense. It never was from inception. For sure not now. With ruthless fascists in power. Racists. Operating with impunity.

"Calling for a sustainable solution to the situation in the Gaza Strip" ignores years of illegal blockade.

Collective punishment. Wars at Israel's discretion. Repeated cross-border land and air incursions. For contrived reasons. With no accountability whatever.

Claiming America "facilitate(s) and advance(s) negotiations between the parties aimed at achieving a final peace settlement" is nonsense.

Both countries partner in each other's crimes. Peace is strictly verboten. Conflict without end persists.

Western leaders able to intervene responsibly support Israel's worst crimes. Ones they commit as NATO members. Genocidal ones.

Policies mattering most belie deceptive rhetoric. Occasional initiatives accomplish nothing.

Long-suffering Palestinians remain on their own. Alone. Isolated. Unaided. Brutalized by their own PA government. Disgracefully serving as Israel's enforcer.

Palestinian statehood within June 1957 borders based on "mutually agreed, limited, equivalent land swaps" assures continued injustice.

Israel able to keep all valued parts of Palestine it controls. Security through third-party presence assures continued occupation.

Israeli state terrorism alone exists. So-called security threats are ones it invents.

Two nations sharing Jerusalem as their capital assures virtual total Israeli control. So does settlement of other outstanding issues.

Looking forward to Palestine as a full UN member ignores its longstanding statehood. Declaration of independence. Since November 1988.

Its support from over two-thirds of world nations. Its legal ability to have now what it hopes for years ahead. A continuing unfulfilled dream. Ongoing for decades. With no resolution in sight.

Urging both parties build trust toward peace through good faith negotiations proposes what never was. Never will be. Not with Israel involved. Or America. Partners in crime.

Resolution text language calls for lots of things. With no authorized enforcement mechanism. Accountability for violators.

It bears repeating. Giving Israel enough wiggle room to drive tanks though. Guns blazing. With impunity. Like many times before.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.