Mediterranean fractures : introduction

Abstract

It is Wednesday, the 6th of December 2017. Many across the world are celebrating the feast of Nicholas, or Santa Claus, the early Christian saint and bishop of Myra, deliverer of gifts to the good and the god-fearing. The President of the United States is holding a press conference at the White House and, in what appears to be a bizarre take on the spirit of the season, is delivering his own gift to the world. Al-Quds, Jerusalem, the Holy City, shall be formally recognised by the United States as the capital of the State of Israel. One could almost hear the shivers of shock and disbelief rippling across the planet. The effect of such a zero-sum move, I thought straightaway, may well turn out to exceed the range of connotation afforded within the space of the word ‘fracture’. Senior Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) member, scholar and activist Hanan Ashrawi rushed to point out that Trump’s stance ‘has totally ripped apart the very legal foundation for peace in the region’ (Ashrawi 2017). That the UN’s 21st December resolution (ES-10/L.22) to declare the US’s move ‘null and void’ received a strong backing in the General Assembly is significant — but the implications of Trump’s unilateral stance in both the shorter and longer terms have yet to be gauged.