Palestinians quietly preparing for victory

Having tried illegal terrorism, legal fighting against Israel’s powerful army and peaceful negotiations, all without much success, many Palestinians feel they are just about out of moves.

But an old idea has been rejuvenated and many feel it could be their best chance at getting their own country.

It is the simple, yet effective plan of building the requirements for the country of Palestine now, so it’s ready to go on the day it’s created.

The Salam Fayyad Plan

For decades, certain Palestinian groups have advocated that they should be building the infrastructure needed to run a country first, so that they will have the capacity to govern when the time comes.

But this idea was consistently dismissed by ruling Palestinian leaders, particularly Yasser Arafat, who staunchly preached that ending Israel’s illegal occupation of their land must come first.

Now, Salam Fayyad, the prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority (Palestinian’s unofficial government) has agreed to adopt this strategy.

Fayyad has an impressive background, studying economics in Beirut and America before working for the US Federal Reserve, the World Bank and the IMF.

He later became the finance minister for the Palestinian Authority under Yasser Arafat, and then Prime Minister under the current President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007.

His plan, launched in August last year called “Palestine – Ending the Occupation, Establishing the State”, is to prepare the country for ‘statehood’ on the understanding that building such infrastructure will pressure Israel and the international community into finalising Palestine’s existence as a country.

‘The Fayyad plan’, as it has come to be known, involves building government offices, a stock exchange, a central bank and an airport, as well as more schools, hospitals and community centres.

He also wants to develop a functioning and incorrupt court system, police force and set of ministries.

Fayyad says it’s an attempt to create a critical mass of positive change on the ground so as to reinforce the political process that will ultimately end the occupation.

And so far it’s going well.

Palestinian security forces have been deployed across the West Bank for months and have been doing a successful job of working with Israeli forces to keep people under control – an important issue in any peace deal.

And the improved security conditions have allowed goods and people to move more freely about the West Bank, which has improved the economy dramatically.

This economic progress is another key part of Fayyad’s plan. The economy in the West Bank grew 7% in 2009 – among the highest rates in the world – leading to higher employment and consequently less violence.

Fayyad is routinely signing off new schools and other building and development projects daily.

He has already completed over 1,000 community projects including clinics, libraries, schools and community centres, and is also spending money on roads, electricity, water and sewage.

Over the past two years, most of the money to pay for it all has come from oil-rich Persian Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as from the United States and the European Union.

However, more than half of this year’s US$3 billion budget comes from local taxes – where Fayyad plans to increasingly acquire the bulk of the money.

The end goal is to have all the projects completed by mid-2011 at which point Fayyad wants to make his political move.

With everything in place, he will invite the Israeli government to recognise the country of Palestine within the generally accepted borders prior to the 1967 six-day war.

If Israel refuses, he hopes the weight of international public opinion will force them to reconsider.

Crucially, Barack Obama will still be in the White House at that point and has already voiced his support for the plan.

This is important considering the US is the only country that would likely block the legal creation of Palestine in the United Nations Security Council.

However, in a controversial American offer given to Israeli leaders this week to stop settlement building so peace negotiations can continue, one of the carrots offered was that the US would block any Security Council resolutions that would harm Israel.

It’s unsure whether Fayyad’s ready-to-go Palestinian country inside the generally accepted borders would constitute harm, but it certainly brings the Obama administration’s support into question.

Nevertheless, Fayyad is quietly forging ahead with his preparation plan. His only hope is that next year the world will be as ready for Palestine the country as the Palestinians are.

By The Casual Truth

Photo – Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad