|
NOAM CHOMSKY: Yeah, there were some good things happening. I mean the Camp David agreements in 2000 were completely
impossible, nobody could accept them. Mahmoud Abbas, the U.S. favorite, rejected them. And Clinton recognized that they were
unacceptable. A couple of months after the Camp David fell apart, Clinton backed off, he produced what are called his parameters.
This is December 2000. They're kind of vague but they went some direction towards satisfying legitimate Palestinian demands.
(see Reshaping History)
He then pointed out, Clinton, that both sides, Palestinians and Israelis, had accepted his parameters, both sides had reservations.
That's what he said. Then they had negotiations in Taba, in Egypt. There were negotiations that went on toward the end of
January at which considerable progress was made towards the long standing international consensus that the U.S. unilaterally
has blocked for 30 years. They were moving towards it, might have made a settlement. Israel called off the meetings. Informal
negotiations then continued, high level negotiators but not official. They came up with several plans of which the most well
known is what's called the Geneva Accord was presented in December 2002. Most of the world, you know, very much favors,
sent representatives, had strong comments. Israel flatly rejected it. The United States just dismissed it, they didn't talk
about it. It wasn't the end but it was a basis for a two state settlement pretty much in accord with the international consensus
that has been quite clear for 30 years. U.S. flatly rejects it. Israel rejects it. That's it.
TOM MURPHY: All it would take, would be for the U.S. to say "we are going to abide ..."
NOAM CHOMSKY: Yeah, "we're going to go along with it." And if the U.S. goes along with it, Israel has no choice. furthermore,
it is very possible the majority of Israelis would go along. I mean, they don't want the fighting and the war and the terror
and all that. They'd go back to normal lives. So it's possible, but the point is, no position can gain any credibility in
Israel unless it's strongly supported in the United States. I mean, Israel chose a long time ago - they had a choice to make:
are we going to choose expansion or security. And it goes back to 1971, when they were offered a full peace treaty by Egypt,
the main Arab state. They were offered a full peace treaty on the international borders and they rejected it. They recognized
it as a peace treaty, genuine, and they said they wanted to expand, at that time into the Sinai. Well, you know, that's, from
then on, that was a fateful decision. From then on, as long as they continued that policy, they are reliant on the United
States. They can't guarantee their own security, they are reliant on the United States and they have basically become an offshore
kinda U.S. military base. And an economic dependancy. That was a choice. That had that chose at any point in fact. The alternative
would be integration into the region.
TOM MURPHY: OK, thank you very much.
Click here to watch video
|
