Oppression is a Universal Language

Political incorrectness can be synonymous with realism, like the similarity between Jerusalem and Tehran. The violent turn in Iran’s opposition protests is more direct that Israel killing three Fatah members in the dead of night, but both sparked international outrage, a critical factor in the 21st century.

Both events give the impression of oppression, broadcast around the world for all to compare.

The current scene in Iran will accompany any momentous event going forward. Any vote, any death, any opportunity. Pressure is built up, still building, always seeking places to blow off. The government’s response is incomprehensible, to be succinct. Though a few bullets may appear cheaper than real reform, the cost is magnified by the media to a degree often unexpected by Iranian officials.

Whoever its enemies are - real political opposition, regional elements, US, Israel - aren’t going to stop exploiting their plight. Iran's opposition know it has something going, but the Ayatollah's power circle is likely to keep beating down dissidents until it’s life is truly threatened. Days like today will become more common.

The theme of the week, it seems, is hypocrisy. Washington has Iran fever, but take a glance at Palestine.

Israel and US officials, primarily Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are hanging onto the false dilemma of economic improvement or political sovereignty. While the West Bank is economically improving, that advantage belong to the Palestinians. Developing its economy will provide leverage in a two-state solution.

Like Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is thinking, once the West Bank can walk it will declare independence, preferably with Gaza but possibly on its own.

Unilateral actions are tempted by a political situation near rock bottom. Israeli-Palestinian relations are frozen with both government’s experiencing a crisis. President Obama is away, probably not thinking about the matter, but will probably have to develop a completely new strategy for the next few years unless he wants to end up like George Bush.

Israeli-Hamas prisoner swap is a whole other monster, one that could effect the entire Middle East. Marwan Barghouti is likely to cause a disturbance whether he’s released or not. 10,000 Palestinian prisoners remain in Israeli jails, so Hamas won’t stop trying to kidnap Israeli soldiers either.

The ground itself is hot, despite what some media reports may suggest about a relatively calm West Bank. Sporadic air-strikes on the Gaza border, Israeli-Palestinian settlers clashing with frequency, a death here and there, now three Fatah soldiers are killed - add the political deadlock and the landscape is ready for upheaval.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, an adviser to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the incidents along with another, and warned of the tempting violence.

"The Israeli escalation in the West Bank and Gaza and the return to the policy of assassinations and random killings in virtual excuses shows that the the Israeli government decided to destroy the independence and security of the Palestinian people and is pulling our people into a bloody circle of violence," Rudeineh told CNN.

The IDF claims all three men were suspected of murdering Rabbi Meir Hai last week in Nablus. Even if true, what good is derived from Fatah members killing an Israeli? This back and forth on the battlefield translates directly to the political arena, where final-status negotiations barely flicker in the storm.

Obviously if the Fatah members were innocent then hell could break loose. Around 10,000 people took part in funeral services for these “criminals,” meaning a lot more will turn out if they're innocent. Fatah's armed wing promised to respond in a statement: “This is another heinous crime on the long list of crimes of the occupation.”

And Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who attended one of the funerals, swore, “This attack was a clear assassination, and I believe it is targeting our security and stability.”

If this is what the Palestinian prime minister is thinking, what about Fatah, Hamas, and all the sub-groups who are even more radical? So remember that while "evil" Iran chases nukes and shoots its people, the "good" Israel has set a collision course with Palestine's future.