Steve Clemons of The Washington Note recently interviewed Mustafa Barghouti, general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, about the reality of the much-vaunted "Annapolis process":
Barghouti: "Annapolis represented a hope for many people, but what happened since Annapolis is really shocking. Since Annapolis, the rate at which Israeli settlements expand in the West Bank is 20 times more than before. Since Annapolis, the number of Israeli military checkpoints have increased from 521 to 607 ... Since Annapolis, the number of Israeli attacks on Palestinians have increased by 300%. During the whole year of 2007 404 Palestinians were killed and 10 Israelis, or 15 Israelis, were killed. During the period since Annapolis more than 520 Palestinians were killed, including 70 children. In reality what you have on the ground is unfortunately the evolution of something that can only be described as an apartheid system...
"What [Barack Obama] should understand, and I hope what American people and also Israeli people would understand, because I care for both people, Palestinians and Israelis, is that we are at the edge of losing a historic opportunity of [a] two-state solution. If this does not happen very very soon, we will end up having an impossible, irreversible situation of the possibility of a two-state solution."
Former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski describes watching the discussion as "humiliating for any decent American who values human rights".
Since the interview was conducted, the Israeli government has issued tenders for the construction of another 447 housing units in the settlements of Har Homa and Beiter Illit.
Cross-posted at The Heathlander