David Bedein – Unveiling The Unratified: The Swift Demise Of The PLO-Israel Peace Endeavor
As the world reminisces about the 30th anniversary of the Oslo Peace Process, an exploration into the less-talked-about aspects of the initiative reveals a story that diverges from conventional narratives.
Three decades ago, on September 13, 1993, the White House witnessed a historic moment as Israel and the PLO signed the “Declaration of Principles” (DOP) in the presence of US and Russian officials. This landmark agreement, meticulously crafted in Oslo, sought to establish mutual recognition between the two parties, while requiring the PLO to renounce terrorism and nullify its call for Israel’s destruction.
A week later, the Israeli Knesset approved the accord with a vote of 61 to 50, with 9 abstentions. However, what remains largely obscured from public awareness is the subsequent failure of the PLO Fatah executive to ratify the Oslo agreement on October 6, 1993. This lack of ratification was initially reported by Pinchas Inbari, an Israeli correspondent based in Tunis, who wrote for the left-wing newspaper Al HaMishmar.
The media’s response to this revelation was a stark contrast. The Israeli government and compliant media chose to disregard the PLO’s non-ratification, preferring to believe in the potential for genuine peace. The narrative took shape, painting a picture of hope and reconciliation while overlooking a significant failure.
This incident foreshadowed the years to come. Dr. Michael Widlanski’s meticulous investigation exposed the duplicity of Arafat’s Palestinian Authority (PA). In 2002, nearly half a million documents were seized from the Orient House, the quasi-official seat of the PA in Jerusalem. These documents portrayed Arafat’s day-to-day control over the Palestinian authority’s military operations, contrary to the common belief that he was influenced by terror organizations.
Widlanski’s findings highlighted Arafat’s direct involvement in Fatah’s tanzeem militia and other terror-related activities. The documents even illustrated the process by which Arafat’s proxies requested his approval for expenditures related to terror operations and other illicit activities.
The documents that could have unveiled Arafat’s true intentions, which included involvement in organized crime and illicit dealings, were stored in a police warehouse in Beit Shemesh. A request for private funding to translate these documents was made, but the decision to keep them from public scrutiny was eventually made. When questioned, the reasoning behind this choice was marked as classified by Tzachi HaNegbi, who today leads the Israel National Security Council.
In the midst of all this, a flood at the Israel Police headquarters in Beit Shemesh resulted in the destruction of these revealing documents. The Israeli government’s commitment to portraying Arafat as a harbinger of peace overshadowed this loss, further shaping a narrative that diverged from reality.
In the annals of history, Pinchas Inbari remains one of the few who remember and bring to light the untold story. As a fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, he continues to emphasize the overlooked aspect of the Oslo Accords.
In the shadow of nostalgia, it is essential to reevaluate history, considering the unratified accord that shattered the initial hopes of a lasting peace. The PLO-Israel Peace Process, often celebrated for its potential, was marred by the stark reality that it lasted less than three weeks.
David Bedein Bio:
David Bedein (born August 31, 1950) is an MSW, a community organizer by profession, a writer, and an investigative journalist.[1] In 1987, Bedein established the Israel Resource News Agency,[2] with offices at the Beit Agron Int’l Press Center in Jerusalem. He serves as Director of The Center for Near East Policy Research.
Bedein has also reported for news outlets such as CNN Radio, Makor Rishon, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Jerusalem Post, and the Jewish World Review.[3] For four years, Bedein was the Middle East correspondent for The Bulletin, writing 1,062 articles until the newspaper ceased operation in 2010.[4] Bedein has covered attempts at Middle East negotiations centering Israel—in many major cities of the world. Bedein lives in Efrat with his family. One of his inspirations was the community organizer and activist Saul Alinsky.
Work
Bedein was active in the Israeli peace movement for over for 17 years.[5]
In the 1980s, Bedein went to Ethiopia as part of a delegation to investigate the impact of the famine on the Ethiopian Jewish community.[6]
The UNRWA Reform Initiative (U.R.I.)[7] was launched by The Center for Near East Policy Research, which has been conducting news investigations and producing films since 1987. Their current project focuses on policy change at UNRWA, The United Nations Relief and Works Agency.[8]
Research and media presence
Bedein has overseen investigative studies of the Palestinian Authority, the Expulsion Process from Gush Katif and Samaria, The Peres Center for Peace, Peace Now, The International Center for Economic Cooperation of Yossi Beilin, the ISM, Adalah, the New Israel Fund, and United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).[9]
Under the Direction of David Bedein, The Center for Near East Policy Research and www.IsraelBehindTheNews.com have produced a number of investigative video productions. In July 2013, they released a film titled “Camp Jihad” allegedly showing activities and interviews in which UNRWA promotes anti-Semitism and incitement to violence in its ‘summer camps’. This was not the first time he dealt with this topic.[citation needed] UNRWA released an official rejection of these claims,[10] claiming the summer camp shown, and the people involved are not affiliated with UNRWA. In a November 2013 meeting between US Secretary of State, John Kerry and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, parts of this film were shown.[11]
Bedein has been involved in UNRWA Reform Initiative,[12] which involves requests of donor nations to make reasonable reforms of UNRWA. Bedein’s legal counsel articulated these requested reforms in a letter to the British government DFID Agency which helps UNRWA.[citation needed] In March 2014, Bedein participated in an informal panel at the British House of Commons with experts on UNRWA education.[13]
Since the publication of Bedein’s book, Bedein has discovered several new alleged findings concerning UNRWA, Islamic groups that fund UNRWA,[14] Jews killed Christ in the Palestinian Authority Christian Education Texts Used in UNRWA Schools[15] and UNRWA Child Death Cult Education.[16]
Bedein presented his latest research to members of the Swedish Parliament on November 18, 2016.[17] He appeared on a local program entitled “Follow the Money: with Swedish journalist Tobias Petterson” [18] Following these revelations, Tobias Peterson took to the Israel Nation News site, Arutz 7, to express his shock over the official Palestinian Authority Ministry of Education textbooks and curriculum.[citation needed]
