Yesterday a headline on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict went rather unnoticed: the Gaza Strip is up for sale.
In its latest move of genius Israel is contemplating dealing away its responsibility for Gaza after having sown the seed of Gaza's death over the past 59 years. Israel is considering a plan that would ask the Arab League to take responsibility for the Gaza Strip in exchange for "a package deal" in which “negotiations between Arab and Israeli representatives on the Arab Peace Initiative" would begin. The Arab league, a body that is often made powerless by its internal differences and external limitations, is in no place to take on such massive task. After the unilateral Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip in September 2005 former prime minister Ariel Sharon claimed Israel had ceased any control over the strip and its future was now in the Palestinians hands. Yet, the facts on the ground reveal another reality. All economic borders continue to be controlled by Israel, the only outlet for civilians travelers is opened and closed at Israel’s whim, airspace is off limits to Palestinians, while limits are constantly set on fishermen off of Gaza’s coast, while laborers that for years found work only in Israel have been rejected access to Israel since disengagement with no where else to go.
Israel is taking another step in trying to disinherit itself of the responsibility for her past actions.
Deputy Prime Minister Avigdor Lieberman goes a step further... words are hard to come by for such disproportionate, one-sided and historically egocentric statements.
