American Task Force on Palestine President Ziad Asali congratulates US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice after her speech at the ATFP's inaugural gala, October 2006. (ATFP)
The Palestinians, frankly, are a ragtag people, many who barely speak English. And whatever they say is often offensive and then used against them.
- Dr. Ziad Asali, President and founder of the American Task Force on Palestine, 1 August 2007
Osamah Khalil, The Electronic Intifada, Oct 8, 2007. Employing the politics of fear, the ATFP contends that any critics of the current Palestinian leadership will find themselves stranded on the roadside of both the American and Palestinian political systems. This strategy might be effective if the ATFP had any credibility and if their version of advocacy wasn't centered on the polo grounds, vineyards, and expensive black-tie galas where they honor their own members and are hailed by Abbas. Tickets for the Inaugural Gala "Towards Peace and Prosperity" were $200 per person. (http://www.americantaskforce.org/gala/) Tickets for this year's gala, "Choosing Peace, Embracing Hope" are $250. According to the invitation, "A portion of Gala proceeds will be donated to the American Charities for Palestine." (http://www.americantaskforce.org/gala2007/) In this country club atmosphere, Palestine and the Palestinian experience is used as a prop, much like the expensive Washington, D.C. address and view of the White House that figures prominently on the ATFP's webpage. That their approach will only appeal to the denizens of the "Palestinian Green Zone" in Ramallah -- an area comprised of the Muqataa and the nearby bars and restaurants frequented by the oligarchs and officials associated with the PA -- but will find little support elsewhere is immaterial.
Osamah Khalil is a Palestinian-American doctoral candidate in US and Middle East History at the University of California at Berkeley, focusing on US foreign policy in the Middle East. He can be reached at okhalil@berkeley.edu.
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento