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Condemnation of Israel: From rhetoric to action

Sep 15,2019 - Last updated at Sep 15,2019

When His Majesty King Abdullah received the US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker last Thursday he told him what is on the minds of all Jordanians and, indeed, all Arab people: That it is important to unite international efforts to reject unilateral Israeli actions that undermine the two-state solution.

There is now a pressing need to mobilise international efforts to abort Israeli ploys against the Palestinian lands, and on top of this is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's latest declaration that he intends to annex the Palestinian Jordan Valley and the northwest areas surrounding the Dead Sea.

Time has long passed on mere rhetorical condemnations or censorship of the Israeli threats to peace, which aim to abort the two-state solution that calls for the creation of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Israel no longer heeds such international reactions or cares much about them, having ignored them for so long with apparent impunity. The required international reaction must take another form that may, indeed, apply the kind of pressure that Israel would heed and respect.

Telling Israel that what it is doing flouts international norms of past UN resolutions and works against all genuine efforts to settle the Palestinian conflict is no longer viable or enough. Much more forceful resolutions by the international community are urgently needed before it is too late to salvage what can be salvaged in the Palestinian file.

There are several options available to the international community that may dissuade Israel from flouting international norms and conditions for peace. Suspension of economic support is one such option. Putting on hold trade agreements with Israel is yet another tool to apply pressure on Israel. Reducing the level of political representation in Israel is another. Boycotting Israel on many levels is another weapon that can be applied. The list of other complementary options is rather long.

When there is a will to apply pressure on Israel, the options are many and varied. The important thing is to change the nature of the international condemnation of Israel from rhetoric to action. That is what is needed from the world if it is serious about combatting the continuous Israeli violations of Palestinian rights.

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