“The US offers no hope for change in the war in Gaza: Biden insisted that attacking Rafah would be a red line, and when the Israelis attacked - he did nothing", said Professor Avi Shlaim.
“Hope lies with civil society, both in the Middle East and all around the world as the people force their governments to change. One example is the BDS movement that seeks the end of occupation, the right of return, and full rights for all in Israel. Another is the student activists occupying university premises in many countries.
“The new Biden initiative will go nowhere. If the US really wanted a ceasefire, it could have voted in the UN to support one
“Netanyahu’s war aim can never be achieved, and permanent occupation is the outlook. Netanyahu is unpopular but after the horror of October 7, the war is popular with Israelis, giving Israel the sense of entitlement to do whatever it wants.
“Biden is an unconditional Zionist, and Trump was the most pro-Israel US president ever: he moved the US embassy to Jerusalem; closed the PLO office in Washington; ended support for UNWRA; and recognised the annexation of Golan and all of Jerusalem.
“The Abraham Accords are a transactional deal authoritarian governments and an apartheid government, not a peace treaty.
“The Arab Peace Initiative was the deal of the century for Israel: total peace for only 22 percent of mandate Palestine. But Netanyahu refused it.
“There is a Split in the Saudi establishment: the King and others like Turki Al Faisal support the traditional Palestinian position, whereas MbS wants Saudi benefits rather than Arab principles."
Some key points from a fascinating conversation with Avi Shlaim, Professor Emeritus at Oxford University and Fellow of St Anthony’s College.
Негізгі бет “As a Jew, I have to stand with the Palestinians”, says Oxford Professor Avi Shlaim
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