Palestine faces tough challenge

Young Palestinians are lashing out with knives, bullets and vehicles against Israeli soldiers and civilians.

The Palestinians as a people and nation are under greater challenge than ever before but they have only one option left of the three they have adopted since Israel occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza in 1967. This option is peaceful resistance combined with international outreach.

Palestinians responded to the occupation with two uprisings, intifadas. The first was the “intifada of the stone” (1987-93) and the second was the “intifada of the gun and bomb.” The first compelled Israel to negotiate on the so-called “two-state solution,” the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel; the second retaliated for the failure of the state to emerge.

A third broad-based intifada is not expected. Jeff Halper, an Israeli peace activist, told Deccan Herald that Israel has divided the occupied Palestinian territories into tight enclaves that prevent organised Palestinian mass protest. “The Israeli army is everywhere and there are many Palestinians who collaborate with Shin Bet (Israel’s domestic intelligence service). Israeli army squads pose as Palestinians and enter Palestinian towns and villages and arrest and shoot Palestinians. Israeli and Palestinian Authority intelligence and police forces cooperate as they both seek to prevent an explosion.

“Nothing is unknown,” stated Halper, “thanks to surveillance by satellites, drones, and balloons.” He pointed out that 43 top intelligence operatives serving in Unit 8-20 quit because they objected to the fact that their work intruded into the private lives of Palestinians.

Palestinian sources said there can be no intifada without leadership and the current Palestinian leadership simply does not want an uprising although there is no prospect of progress in negotiations.

In the absence of these two options, young Palestinians, frustrated and humiliated by both the occupation and their powerless leadership, are lashing out with knives, bullets and vehicles against Israeli soldiers and civilians, killing and wounding them. When Israel responds Palestinians suffer death, injury and imprisonment. Such incidents have been dubbed the “lone wolf intifada” which has had rising fatality and injury rates.

Last year, Palestinian deaths were the highest since 2007 and injuries the highest since 2005. The violence peaked after the killing of three Israeli youths in June and the retaliatory burning to death by Israelis of a Palestinian teen.  Jerusalem think tank director Mahdi Abdul Hadi said the Israelis see Palestinians as “the enemy” and “shoot to kill. They take it for granted that they will be absolved (of responsibility).  Palestinian youths are left on their own and dehumanised. They react.”

In 2014, outside Gaza there were 105 Palestinian and 87 Israeli casualties as compared to 39 Israeli and 92 Palestinian casualties in 2013. The dramatic rise in Israeli casualties is striking and could account for increased Israeli use of live fire.
Former Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath stated, “There will be no progress as long as Benjamin Netanyahu heads the Israeli government.  There will be no political peace and no economic peace. The talks chaperoned by the Americans are dead. Indeed, the 1993 Oslo (peace process) was a Trojan horse (that led to the Israeli take over) of 62 per cent of the land of the West Bank, 92 per cent of the water, and 100 per cent of its minerals. They control all access and movement.

“The only option is non-violent resistance modelled on the campaign led by Nelson Mandela in South Africa,” Shaath gestured toward a portrait of Mandela. The Palestinian “vision must be an anti-apartheid struggle (that) will put pressure on the Israelis to change their policies and make them think peace is better than occupation.”

Campaign for boycott
As head of the foreign affairs commission of Fateh, Shaath’s task is to cultivate relations with parties in parliaments in Europe to convince members to press their governments to recognise the Palestinian state and support the campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) now gaining ground in Europe.

Ghassan Khatib, a  vice president at Bir Zeit University in the West Bank, said the Palestinians have so far passed through two stages, the armed struggle and bilateral negotiations and are now focusing on internationalisation through the UN, International Criminal Court (ICC), international law and BDS. He said, “Israel is not leaving us any choice. Left on their own, Israelis and Palestinians will not move. Israel will use its strength to impose things unilaterally. The only thing we can do is go to the ICC and Security Council.”

Halper pointed out that there is, however, another weapon the Palestinians need to build upon and use: “the large reservoir of sympathy (for their cause) in the world.” In his view, if the Palestinians make an all out effort to use global public opinion they could put serious pressure on Israel to come to terms with them. “Israel thinks it’s won, it's over.”

It is up to the Palestinians to make certain, the struggle for Palestine is not over and to achieve this monumental task without an intifada.