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No
Mourning Required
Don’t
waste time bewailing the death of a promise of peace that never existed in the
first place. Isabelle Humphries writes for IslamOnline from Ramallah.
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Abbas,
the hapless prime minister whose resignation signaled the end of the
Road Map. |
What surprises me is not the end of what has been called the “peace
process,” but that anyone thought there was any kind of progress in the first
place. Maybe there was potential for a “peace deal” in the offing, but it
would only have been another along the lines of Oslo. A decade ago the PLO
agreed to renounce its armed struggle against Israel, and to work through
negotiations towards gaining control over a mere 22% of the land area of British
Mandate Palestine. The crucial issues of control over water resources,
dismantlement of settlements and leadership of Jerusalem were left to so-called
“final status” agreements. As for the possibility of Palestinian
international borders with neighboring Arab states, essential for an independent
economy, or the right of return of refugees, essential for the overall
acceptance of the plan by the Palestinian people, any analyst could see at the
time that Israel was not going to budge an inch.
The
last few weeks have not seen the end of what was a promising peace plan, despite
what mainstream media would have you believe. The latest jargon created
especially for the situation (i.e. the “Road Map,” the “Quartet,”
“Confidence Building Measures,” and even the “New Prime Minister,”)
should not have led anyone concerned with justice to jump for joy in the hope of
a promising future. The BBC opened its broadcasts announcing solemnly that we
are now far away from a peace deal, which to anyone experiencing the sharp end
of the violence is laughable. We were never anywhere near a lasting peace deal.
That
is not to say that all people associated with the process had the worst
interests of the Palestinians at heart. For sure, lifting closures and releasing
prisoners (however limited) are positive steps for those able to reach their
jobs or families. And certainly there are some diplomats and politicians within
the negotiation teams who genuinely want to see a positive change in the lives
of Palestinian people. I have read testimony by British politicians, for
example, who are appalled by the suffering in Gaza or in villages and cities
around the wall in the West Bank. But to put any faith in the Road Map was a
waste of time.
To
put any faith in the Road Map was a waste of time. |
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Nobody
can argue that, despite talk of a “Quartet,” it was the Americans who were
at the steering wheel. The current US administration allows officials such as
Donald Rumsfeld to refer to the “disputed territories,” (thus questioning
the existence of occupation itself), and describes the Palestinian people’s
own leader as “irrelevant,” replacing one puppet with another as the old one
refuses to do the job.
Upon
the resignation of White House favorite Mahmoud Abbas, the BBC news reporter
referred to the “dignified white haired figure of Abu Mazen,” as newsreel on
the screen showed him trying to walk through a throng of press and hangers on in
Ramallah. Is he “dignified” to the BBC because he wears a nice suit like a
good Westerner should, and doesn’t “look” like a terrorist? Even
Arafat’s insistence on wearing the Palestinian keffiyah, the symbol of
revolution, is implicitly under attack.
Don’t
get me wrong, I am not suggesting that Arafat is a noble figure, listening to
and representing his people. He himself was quite happy to play the American
game when he thought it might bring him a mini-fiefdom and regular visits to the
White House. But it all collapsed on Arafat, just as it has on Abu Mazen, when
he realized he couldn’t sustain his position in front of his people.
Mohammed
from Rafah, the ravaged Gazan camp on the Egyptian border, writes to me
describing the situation for the people who have suffered some of the worst in
recent years. He described how before Abu Mazen’s resignation, Palestinian
Authority (PA) men burst in the camp, “damaged many places and arrested
many… because they thought that they have tunnels in their houses and
they have weapons.” Eighteen-year-old Mohammed, homeless since the Israeli
Defense Force (IDF) destroyed his home many months ago, was in no doubt why the
PA men came in; “because the IDF asked them to.”
As
the Palestinians were subjected to the latest PA crackdown, Abu Mazen learnt in
a hundred days what took Arafat nine years to realize; if you want to retain an
ounce of credibility in front of your people you must stand up to the Americans.
And of course, you will never do enough to satisfy the Israelis.
And
now the Israelis have successfully rehabilitated Arafat in front of his people.
I was stopped in the road in Ramallah on Thursday as a crowd walked past,
carrying his picture. Whatever you want to say about the Israelis, they aren’t
stupid, and for sure they have a game plan. They know perfectly well that their
attacks and exclusion of various leaders will only increase an individual’s
popularity on the ground. So I leave readers to conclude what game they might be
playing on this one. Allow Arafat to push out Abu Mazen so that in response they
can expel Arafat? And where will he go? At what point does the Israeli strategy
require releasing Arafat from his prison in Ramallah and sending him abroad?
Where will he fit the plan better?
And
what of Hamas and Islamic Jihad? Both Rantisi and Sheikh Yassin survived this
time, but what about next time? The timing of the attempt on Sheikh Yassin must
have been significant. As it happened, the BBC relegated the attempted
assassination to second place after the Abu Mazen resignation story, and CNN
hardly mentioned that the Israelis nearly killed the spiritual leader of the
largest Islamic resistance group in Palestine. But what if it had succeeded?
Arafat
played the American game when he thought it might bring him a
mini-fiefdom and regular White House visits. |
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There
is much urgent discussion to be had internationally about the situation in
Palestine, but let’s not waste time trying to flog the “Road Map” back to
life. Lets talk about why Israel, a country which is so “liberal” that it
doesn’t use the death penalty for it’s own criminals, is not internationally
isolated for its ever increasing use of assassination. Why is the Israeli claim,
that assassinations counteract suicide bombing, considered a serious argument?
As a friend pointed out, every time an assassination of a senior militant
occurs, the checkpoints are sealed and the Israelis go on “high alert.” But
hang on; weren’t assassinations supposed to make Israelis feel more
“secure” and better able to forget about the people who once lived in
villages long since crushed under their new roads and houses? Didn’t they vote
for Sharon so he could make them feel safer as they ride their buses and do
their weekend shopping?
But
of course, we won’t talk about these things – dangerous talk. Talking about
the real issues in Palestine would require a fundamental questioning of the
whole current international balance of power, of Iraq, Afghanistan, and the rest
of the world submitting to American hegemonic rule. Palestine is not the only
occupation in the world; the continuing suffering and dispossession of the
Palestinians will not end without a transformation of the current world order.
Of course, the “Road Map” speaks nothing of international “regime
change.” A map that could actually help bring an end to the occupation of
Palestine is far from the agenda.
For
a more realistic perspective on life on the ground:
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Reports
from Rafah: Excellent and
disturbing website of eyewitness testimony and photos from Rafah camp. Do
you know how many homeless families there are in Rafah today?
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The
Palestine Monitor: Latest articles,
features and statistics from Palestine.
Isabelle
Humphries is conducting PhD research at St Mary's College, University of
Surrey, UK, on the situation for Palestinian refugees living inside the
1948 borders. She has worked for three years with Palestinian NGOs, and as a
freelance writer, on both sides of the 1967 border. You can reach her at innazareth@yahoo.co.uk
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