Recognition and Failure

The shelling of Gaza has been resumed: last night, three airstrikes were carried out in the city and a school was destroyed. No one was injured, but they were forced to cancel classes.

One of the internationals pointed out to me that he’d noticed a much more dejected and desolate feeling in the air of late. I think I’d noticed it too, although I wasn’t sure whether it was real or just the wax and wane of daily life that was on a thin ebb. There is reason for people to be down at the moment: in the last week, the US officially stopped demanding a settlement freeze from the Israelis, signalling the final death of the current peace talks; politically motivated arrests by the PA are on the increase whilst Hamas and Fatah continue to bicker for power and influence; the bombs still rain on Gaza.

Tuesday was Islamic New Year, the day the prophet moved from Mecca to Medina, somewhere around fourteen hundred years ago. We took a taxi out to a village full of Roman ruins and sat in an ancient amphitheatre and spoke of the situation, far from the city and the local people. It’s good to get out of the city when you can – everything can break down to repetition otherwise – and it’s good to get out to the open countryside. The ruins were impressive, and the rolling hills and olive groves around Nablus are stunning, although the landscape is blotted by settlements. One, in all its vulgarity, stood out bright-green against the arid backdrop, with its sprinkler-fed trees, modern homes and electrified perimeter. I suppose you can get out of the city, but you can never truly get away from the conflict.

On the bright side, Brazil and Argentina have declared that they formally recognise the Palestinian state, drawn along the 1967 borders, and Uruguay will follow in 2011. Together, these countries make up the majority of Mercosur, the largest trading bloc in South America. At present, Israel is one of only two countries outside of South America which enjoys a free trade agreement with Mercosur (the other being Egypt) and as such the recognition of a Palestinian state will be seen as a great rebuff against Israel. The recognition may indicate a move toward ending this controversial trade agreement, and this would be seen as a great victory by many within the Palestinian Solidarity community, not least the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Such a move may be far off, but the announcements have provided a glimmer of hope that in the face of crumbling US leadership and the long dead Oslo accords, a fresh hope may be offered from a region which as yet has had few dealings with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Also, it finally rained a couple of days ago, which was a huge relief. The weather’s taken a turn, and it’s got a whole lot colder; it’s still t-shirt weather in the sun, but the nights bring a chill. I expect no sympathy from any of you poor bastards languishing in the UK freeze; I’m just telling it like it is. Spare a moment of thought though for those on the Gaza Strip, whose night times will once again be very loud, and very dangerous.