On Wednesday, Oct. 9, Dennis Ross, the American face most visible throughout the so-called “peace process” mediating the Israeli-Palestinian divide, widely viewed as “Israel’s lawyer,” appeared at the University of Oregon, sponsored by three Jewish and no Palestinian or Arab organizations.
This is 12 years after his earlier UO appearance and 26 years since the negotiations were launched based on the 1993 Oslo Accords, a Bantustan model replicating Apartheid South Africa.
The 1991 Madrid proposal envisioning two peoples sharing the land “as neighbors and equals” drafted by the Palestinian delegation guided by international attorney Francis Boyle was betrayed by Yasser Arafat at Oslo, although Boyle had presciently warned against Israel’s proposal.
Predictably, Israel has doubled down on land theft and oppression of colonized Palestinians, including its chokehold on Gaza and periodic massacres to “mow the lawn.”
Palestinian resistance to assert its internationally recognized human rights and preserve its dignity are denigrated as “terrorism.”
Columbia University’s famed Palestinian scholar Edward Said named Ross an “administration flack.” Peace is no closer than it was when the U.S. intruded. Justice and equality are equally distant hopes.
In my field of behavioral research, an intervention tested and found ineffective receives neither further funding nor public trust.
Jack Dresser
Springfield
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
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None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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