On the last Friday of the Gaza War, I attended a protest in Ramallah. Despite agreeing that Israel committed war crimes in Gaza, the Palestinians cannot agree on much anything else. The factions are as divided as ever and need some real reconciliation. The next step is a Palestinian unity government that represents all Palestinians. Then some reconciliation with Israel. Once they do that, Israel will have no excuse but to begin real negotiations.
To get even farther ahead of ourselves, check out this op-ed by Thomas Friedman: This is Not a Test
This is the piece I made for Time.com with Tim McGirk on the demonstration: Protesting Gaza, Carefully, in the West Bank
One thing that I didn't catch on camera was a scene that reminded me of the first and second intifadahs. As we were leaving through Qalandia Checkpoint, a mob of about a hundred Palestinian kids were throwing stones at Israeli soldiers. I saw a flipped over garbage bin that had been set on fire. Tear gas streaked through the air and shots rang out from the direction of the soldiers, quickly dispersing the young boys.
1 comment:
> The next step is a Palestinian unity government that represents all Palestinians.
I thin I have not well understood. Have Hamas won regular elections, did'n it? A unity government is not a bad idea, but I am afraid that for many people this means just a Quisling-style government.
W.N.
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