Herzl to the rescue of Palestinians?

A Catalonian separatist once said that their problem is that Catalonia is occupied by Spain. If Catalonia were occupied by Israel, the world would be pro-Catalonian and nobody would have ever heard of Palestine.

Catalonians should be careful about what they wish for. The pro-Palestinian stance of the world and, in particular, of Europe, led to debilitating consequences for Palestinians.

Europe is the occupier of the Palestinians. It occupies the Palestinian mind, development and true character, and as discussed in this column, it reduces Palestinianism to a single aspect: occupationalism. This creates a dependency not just on Europe but also on conflict perpetuation. The end of the conflict could mean the end of Palestinianism.

Can Palestinians look up to Herzl’s vast understanding of such a European mentality and apply it to their benefit? He wrote, “In the first 25 years of our existence we need, for our development, some rest from Europe, its wars and social complications.”

This is not likely to happen, given the depth of the European occupation of Palestinians and the immense power of the well-funded conflict industry (UN agencies, NGOs, media). To the dismay of Catalonians, Tyroleans, Corsicans, Sumi and other nations in Europe that feel they are under occupation, the world’s attention is likely to stay focused on Palestine and the dogmatic neo-religion of occupationalism.