The settlements remain one of the greatest stumbling blocks to any progress on the peace front. Leading Zionist leader Isi Leibler recently argued that Israel had the right to maintain whatever settlements it desired and should continue building on Palestinian land. These are the words of a truly irresponsible and arrogant leader who has sided with the far-Right activists who protested in Jerusalem during Bush's visit and accused Olmert and the US President of bringing a "Holocaust" upon them for even discussing the colonies.
As long as these extremists blackmail the world - and Zionist organisations, including in Australia, remain silent over their threats - the occupation will deepen.
History is a good guide when analysing the Israel-Palestine conflict. The Camp David talks in 2000, pushed by Bill Clinton and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, have entered mythology as the opportunity that then Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat missed to bring freedom to his people. A recent leaked document, written by Israel's security and political establishment in the wake of Camp David, proves that the Jewish state had no intention of evacuating the settlements in the occupied territories or offering the Palestinians anything close to a viable state.
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As part of his visit, George Bush visited Israel's Holocaust memorial and allegedly stated that the US should have bombed Auschwitz during World War II or the railways leading to it.
The irony is tragic. Bush feels sympathy for millions of murdered Jews - and it is indeed true that the Allies often ignored the suffering of the oppressed people - but today comfortably bombs, tortures and occupies lands across the world, causing the deaths of untold thousands.
The current "peace process" is guaranteed to end the same, tragic way.
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About the Author
Antony Loewenstein is a freelance journalist, author and blogger. He has written for the Sydney Morning Herald, Haaretz, The Guardian, Washington Post, Znet, Counterpunch and many other publications. He contributed a major chapter in the 2004 best seller, Not Happy, John!. He is author of the best-selling book My Israel Question, released in August 2006 by Melbourne University Publishing and re-published in 2009 in an updated edition. The book was short-listed for the 2007 NSW Premier's Literary Award. His 2008 book is The Blogging Revolution on the internet in repressive regimes. His website is at http://antonyloewenstein.com/ and he can be contacted at antloew@gmail.com.