TML: Nour, how did you get into this position? It’s the first time that a woman is carrying this weight…
Odeh: It was very interesting. It had a lot to do with chance, really. I’m a career journalist. I spent my life reporting on this story; doing it mostly for international media. I was the senior correspondent for Al-Jazeera International up until 2011. So that’s been my life’s work in media, in reporting. I was known here as an “up-front” journalist -- someone who speaks to power, who doesn’t mince her words. And when the vacancy made itself available, I think there was a lot of discussion in government about where to go from here. Choosing a woman was an important development because it is the first time someone in this position is a woman – although I have to say that as a Palestinian journalist, I’m very proud that we’re very far ahead in comparison with [other countries in] the region regarding where women are, especially in the media field.
TML: Prime Minister Fayyad continues to warn of the Palestinian Authority’s dire financial state even after Israel transferred $100 million. He’s been vocal in blaming Arab states for not delivering on pledges made. Is the PA in danger of collapsing as some have suggested?
Odeh: The danger is very real and that’s why Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has been very up front about it. The problem goes a lot farther than the withholding of our tax revenues by Israel. The problem has to do with this artificial cap that is on Palestinian potential and the Palestinian economy; and that artificial cap is the occupation which costs us almost 90% of our GDP.
In 2010, a very important study that was conducted for the first time showed that the cost – the direct and indirect cost -- of the occupation could be counted and calculated in numbers. No matter how much you work; no matter how much effort you put in; no matter how much you improve your legislation in terms of being friendly, of having a friendly environment for investment, (where, for example, we’ve made very good headway); there is still that cap where you’re not in control of what can be done and there’s a lot that can be done in Palestine.
This is an entrepreneurial society; it’s a society where people like to have their own projects; their own endeavors in economy. They don’t like to work for somebody; they like to have their own businesses; and that’s a very important aspect of the economy…of the personality of the Palestinian economy if that can be said. But again, that all suffers from those artificial restrictions. The objective, for the benefit I think of everybody, is to remove those restrictions so that the full potential can be reached and then there would be no need and there would be no dependence at any degree on the kind of financial assistance that is now an absolute urgent necessity.
TML: The Palestinian UN gambit went as planned; the Palestinian status is now that of non-member state. What has the impact been so far? Has it been worth ruffling US feathers?
Odeh: It was worth everything, and I’ll tell you why. This was not just a symbolic step for Palestinians. This was a moment of truth where they asked the world to tell them exactly where they stood on our right to have a state of our own. Everybody says, “We support having a Palestinian state.” We’ve been in that cycle of rhetoric for about twenty years of the so-called peace process. But it was time to translate that into an actual political position and that was done. And it was in line with international law.
TML: Israel just held elections and Prime Minister Netanyahu appears to be under intense domestic pressure to put peace talks with the Palestinians back on the agenda. The international pressure is also great with President Obama in his lame duck term; and the new Secretary of State John Kerry with longstanding personal relationships here in the region wanting to be the one to move things along. Should we be optimistic?
Odeh: Being committed to a process is not what’s needed right now. What’s needed right now is to have an end-game-focused approach. Something that makes sure that whatever engagement happens actually produces a final agreement – an end result. Getting caught up again in those meetings and photo-opportunities will do more harm than good, I believe, and I think there’s an increasing awareness of that.
TML: When President Obama comes to the region, do you think there will be some breakthrough?
Odeh: It’s a little early to foresee a breakthrough. I think it will be a missed-opportunity if the President of the United States comes to the Middle East without having a clear vision and a clear plan of what needs to be done in order to get to the consensus that everybody agrees upon.
You see, there are no two people in this region that say, “We don’t know what the end game is going to be.” We know that there will be two states: Palestine and Israel. We know there’s a commitment to that. Now, let’s get down, sit at the table, and make sure that we agree on how to implement that because sitting down again and re-discussing things from the beginning will only further complicate things. It will only make the positions harder on both sides. And it will only make Palestinians feel more and more threatened because as we speak, Palestinians are losing more land. As we speak, they’re losing more water; more resources. So you can’t expect someone who is occupied, who is losing all those resources – all of that potential – to feel secure [enough] to engage in an open-ended endeavor that ultimately doesn’t produce freedom.
TML: Nour, many observers suggest that what goes on down the road in Jerusalem will not matter until the Fatah-Hamas split is reconciled. Is there any news on the reconciliation front and any reason for optimism there?
Odeh: I think the situation vis-à-vis reconciliation is very different now. It’s a lot more serious than we’ve seen in the past and I think that has to do with the realization from Fatah and Hamas – and all of the political factions in Palestine – that this is an urgent step; and that the Palestinian public will not forgive those who do not move closer to reconciliation or who form an obstacle to reconciliation.
It’s ironic, because if you listen to a lot of the commentary made outside or in the Israeli media or even by some Israeli officials, you hear on one hand, “How can we make peace with the Palestinians, they’re split” And then if we get closer to reconciliation, you’ll hear, “How can we make peace with the Palestinians, they’re going to reconcile with Hamas.” I think that kind of going back and forth on this issue is just an indication of how un-ready those people are to move forward regardless of the details.
If we’re going to pick-and-choose who we want to talk to when we make peace, we’re not going to get anywhere. At the end of the day, Palestinians and Israelis, regardless of who is in the government coalition – whether we’re talking about the far-right in Israel or the far-right in Palestine – they have to sit down and make peace. It’s to the benefit of both sides.
TML: Khaled Meshaal is seeking to head the PLO, something that’s been a sticking point between him and President Abbas…
Odeh: This also has to do with elections within the PLO bodies, so it’s not up to one person to decide who is going to be the head of the PLO. That all depends on the elections that have to take place in all decision-making bodies within the PLO structure, including the Legislative Council of the Palestinian Authority. Once that is done, it’s the people who would have had their say and decided who has earned the privilege of leading them forward.
TML: Any prediction of which election will occur first?
Odeh: That’s not clear, but probably the easiest will be to have the ones held in Palestine. The other elections for PLO bodies involve exiles, in countries like Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Lebanon. Those situations are complicated. Each country has its own dynamics, so that’s a work-in-progress. They have to figure it out; it’s up to them. But they know that it is necessary, that it’s about time.
TML: President Abbas has come under criticism from Palestinian journalists who claim that some of their press rights have been stepped-on by his administration. How does Mr. Abbas respond to those charges?
Odeh: The issue of freedom of the press is an issue that should never stop. And that’s something all journalists engage in, in every area of the world, even in established democracies where laws are very clear.
In Palestine, we’re working on the legal environment which is still in the infant stages. So we’re working on the law that allows access to information. That’s in progress right now; we’re doing this in partnership with journalists. We’re working on the laws that regulate the various sectors of the media -- including electronic media -- and this is something that doesn’t exist in present legislation, so you can imagine what a challenge this is.
I’m not saying there are no problems, but I think that what’s important to keep in mind about the situation here is that protests about any kind of abuse – no matter how small – is there, and it’s loud and it’s clear and it’s not acceptable. It’s not policy to abuse the rights of journalists. And when those abuses or infractions are brought to the attention of decision-makers, quick action is taken. I think
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