Israel Matzav

Norwegian foreign minister says world won't bankroll 'Palestinian state building' forever

Does the 'international community' seriously believe that the morning after - God forbid - there is a 'Palestinian state,' that 'state' will be economically viable? It sure sounds like it from this interview with Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, who currently chairs the 'Palestinian donor conference.'

Both the Palestinians and Israel should know that the world will not bankroll Palestinian Authority state-building forever, and that if progress is not made the donations will stop, Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told The Jerusalem Post Tuesday.

“The donors will not be ready to keep funding Palestinian state-building much longer if we are not seeing a political horizon,” said Eide.

Norway heads the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, which is the international group of donors scheduled to meet next month in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting.

Eide said it was important for both sides to know – as they have just restarted negotiations – that the world was not willing to provide a blank check.

“I think this is important for the Palestinians to know, because if anyone there thought they could sort of just fall back to the comfort of an internationally subsidized state-building endeavor, that may be wrong,” he said in an interview. “And I think that it is important for some people on the Israeli side – living in reasonable comfort [given] that cooperation with the pseudo-state in the West Bank is quite good – to know that this cannot continue forever.”

So if the 'international community' decides that there is no hope of there ever being a 'Palestinian state,' they will cut off all their financial support? Then why are we at the table?

And if 'international community' believes they're not going to have to support the 'Palestinians' forever (as they have done for the last 65 years) once there is a 'Palestinian state,' why are the 'Palestinians' at the table? After all, in the 20 years since Oslo, the 'Palestinians' have shown absolutely zero interest in economic development or the kinds of activities that go into running a state on a day-to-day basis like roads, sewers, water supply etc.

The 'international community' has to understand that just like the United States has been propping Egypt up economically for the 36 years since Camp David - because otherwise why would they keep to the peace treaty - the 'international community' is signing on to support the 'Palestinians' in perpetuity. The day that the 'Palestinians' stop being bribed to live in peace will be the day that they stop living in peace.

What could go wrong?

Labels: Espen Barth Eide, Norway, Palestinian Authority donors, two-state solution

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:47 AM