Palestinians threaten independence declaration

A senior member of the Palestinian negotiating team Yassar Abad Rabo has said the Palestinians will unilaterally declare independence. He said this move would be taken if the stalemate in negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians continues. This declaration would be along the lines of the recent Kosovo Declaration that seceded from Serbia. Serbia has said it would not act by force to Kosovo’s declaration. The difference between Kosovo’s declaration and a future Palestinain declaration is vast. To begin with Serbia has said repeatedly that it will not oppose by force such a move , Israel will act much differently. Kosovo has continuous territory that makes it possible to have a semblance of normality with regard to statehood. The Palestinian authority has jurisdiction in splinter areas all over Judea and Samaria which will make any declaration mostly virtual. Jewish settlements all over Palestinian claimed territory make any real state mostly meaningless.
Israel has said in recent years that any unilateral proclamation will be dealt with force in addition to Israeli annexation of Judea and Samaria. This is a major reason why the Palestinians are so against settlement activity as they understand that the Israeli settlements make a future state inconceivable. This unilateral proclamation by the Palestinians is something they can threaten with but would mean only the formal end to peace talks.  Depending on who is prime minister of Israel at the time it could mean a new intifada and the arrest of Palestinian political leaders. There is right now a defacto Palestinian state in The Gaza strip. It has the minimalist conditions for a state. It has continuous territory a trained army/ police force with a primitive central command. There are no settlements in the Gaza strip anymore. Now Mr. Rabo and his friends would proclaim another state that is at odds with the Palestinian State in Gaza and the State of Israel.

It might be interesting but it won’t be pretty.