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PalThink for Strategic Studies · 2014-04
Economist Omar Shaban, director of PalThink for Strategic Studies, said he has information indicating that some members of the international Quartet are seriously considering withdrawing from it in protest at marginalization, unilateralism, and its lack of legality, which he said could mean its end. He added that the Quartet suffers from ineffectiveness and inconsistency with international law, and criticized Tony Blair’s role as well as the Quartet’s pressure on the Palestinian Authority and silence toward Israeli policies and the siege on Gaza.
Economist Omar Shaban, director of PalThink for Strategic Studies, said he has information indicating that some members of the international Quartet are seriously considering withdrawing from it in protest at marginalization, unilateralism, and its lack of legality, which he said could mean its end…
Media 24 / Gaza / Omar Shaban, Director of PalThink for Strategic Studies and an economic expert, said that he has very special information indicating that some members of the Quartet are seriously considering withdrawing from its membership.
Shaban wrote on his Facebook page that this comes in protest at neglect, unilateralism, and its lack of legality, explaining that if this happens — which is not unlikely — it would mean its end.
Shaban noted that the Quartet is witnessing serious discussion among its four members because of its ineffectiveness, its inconsistency with international law, and the unilateral management of it by Tony Blair, the envoy of the Committee for the Middle East peace process.
He pointed out that Russia, which was not active in the Quartet, is returning again, indicating that a meeting was held three days ago in occupied Jerusalem on this issue.
The Quartet Committee, established in Madrid in 2002 as a result of the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, includes Russia, the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations.
Blair announced his agreement to serve as the representative of the Quartet envoy to the Middle East on June 27, 2007. On the same day, he announced his resignation from the premiership and from membership in the British Parliament. His acceptance came after initial objections from Russia.
Shaban considered that the end of the Quartet would serve the Palestinian position, which has been greatly harmed by the Quartet’s pressures and its silence in the face of Israeli policies.
He explained that the Quartet, under Blair’s leadership, has been and continues to be a sword hanging over the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian national reconciliation, and that it has had no role whatsoever regarding the blockade on Gaza and the humanitarian tragedy resulting from it.
Shaban indicated that the Quartet has done nothing in the areas classified as “C” and in occupied Jerusalem.
He explained that Blair works as an adviser to a number of international companies and to the Kuwaiti government, where he receives millions of dollars, and that he has left the management of the Quartet to a team of foreign advisers who behave with odious colonial arrogance toward the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian society in general.
He noted that the economic plan of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was drawn up by foreign experts in the Quartet without any consultation with the Palestinian Authority or Palestinian society, and that it was marked “not for distribution.”
Shaban concluded by saying, “The Quartet must leave immediately, and it must be boycotted so that the Palestinians may unite.”
Shaban is the founder and director of PalThink for Strategic Studies. He is an independent researcher and analyst specializing in Palestinian affairs and the Arab-Israeli conflict, and he writes about developments in Palestine and the Arab world.
He participates in conferences on political and economic affairs in the Middle East and Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, and he holds a master’s degree in entrepreneurship from the University of Stirling in Scotland.
Source: http://www.media24.ps/ViewDetails-11817