OccupationalHazard.org 06.24.02

The Occupation - 06/24/02

An exercise in futility

Danny Rubinstein - Ha'aretz

Last Wednesday, the East Jerusalem newspaper, Al-Quds, ran a full-page advertisement that calls on "those who stand behind the military operations that harm Israeli citizens to reconsider their actions and to refrain from drafting young Palestinians to carry out military attacks." The ad also featured a list of the damage caused by these operations, including "giving an excuse to the Israeli government, headed by [Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon, to intensify its military belligerence against Palestinians, young and old."
The declaration was signed by dozens of important personalities, headed by Sari Nusseibeh, the president of Al Quds University who has replaced the late Faisal Husseini as the individual responsible for the Palestine Liberation Organization's political contacts in Jerusalem, and well-known spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi.
In the face of the horrors of the continuing bloodshed, the declaration aroused hopes: Among the Israeli public, there are movements and demonstrations calling for the dismantling of the settlements and awithdrawal from the territories, and it is now possible that there is aparallel organization on the Palestinian side that is demanding an end to the suicide attacks.
Later in the week, Al Quds published additional advertisements, which were signed by dozens of others. The new ads, however, were worded somewhat differently. Instead of the opening call to the Palestinians to stop attacks inside Israel, the new declarations began with a sharp condemnation of the oppressive Israeli moves, listed as raids, assassinations and sieges, and only afterward was there a call to cease the attacks on Israeli citizens.
The new wording reflects the new signatories' criticism of the fact that the original declaration did not specifically mention the Israeli operations. Prominent in the new ads were the names of former Palestinian cabinet minister Ziyad abu Zayad, Prof. Gabi Baramki, the former head of Bir Zeit University, and another group of intellectuals and journalists.
At the same time, a similar ad was published on Saturday in Al-Ayyam - this time, by well-known leftist activists. Two of them, Samir Ghosheh and Hanna Ameera, are members of the PLO working committee. The declarations by the left also included a call to end the attacks directed against citizens inside Israel, but the headline states that an end to the occupation and an evacuation of the settlements must precede an end to the bloodshed.
This, therefore, is not merely a personal initiative by Sari Nusseibeh, whose moderate views are known, but rather a broader phenomenon of Palestinians who are terrified by the suicide attacks. The signatories drew encouragement from the fact that even Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat said that he identified with them (in an interview with Ha'aretz that was quoted in Al-Quds).
Everyone knows that the signatories represent limited, but influential groups of the elite - academics, writers, artists, leftist activists and others. Nobody doubts that their present awakening is of importance. Nevertheless, this is, unfortunately, not the hoped-for change that many in Israel think must take place in Palestinian society. There were incidents of condemnation of the signatories, such as those coming from amember of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Hatem Abdel Khader of Jerusalem, who said that they were political speculators. On the street corners, they were even cursed. But apparently the most common Palestinian reaction came from those who see the signatories as defeatists.
The reason is well known: A great majority of the Palestinian public sees the suicide attacks as a means of fighting that puts them, for the first time in the history of the conflict, in a position of equality against the Israel Defense Forces' sophisticated weaponry. In the streets of the Arab cities during the 20 months of the intifada, there have been only afew events that have been considered successful from the Palestinian point of view. There were two impressive attacks on Merkava tanks; there were a few attacks on outposts and roadblocks in Ein Ariq and near Kerem Shalom in the south of the Gaza Strip; and there was the lone sniper who killed soldiers and civilians at the roadblock in the wadi north of Ofra. All these seem unimportant when compared to the success, from the point of view of the Palestinians, of the suicide bombers.
The suicide bombers on the bus in Gilo and at the French Hill junction last week carried out their actions during a time when the Israeli security apparatus in Jerusalem was at the height of preparedness. This weekend, an East Jerusalem journalist described it in these words: "The suicide bomber entered the bus in Jerusalem as if to say: 'Whatever you Israelis do, you won't get rid of me.'"
On this backdrop, the campaign of Palestinian signatories opposing the suicide attacks seems ineffective and hopeless.
(C) Copyright 2002 Ha'aretz - reprinted with permission.

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An exercise in futility
Danny Rubinstein - Ha'aretz





Last Wednesday, the East Jerusalem newspaper, Al-Quds, ran a full-page advertisement that calls on "those who stand behind the military operations that harm Israeli citizens to reconsider their actions and to refrain from drafting young Palestinians to carry out military attacks." The ad also featured a list of the damage caused by these operations, including "giving an excuse to the Israeli government, headed by [Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon, to intensify its military belligerence against Palestinians, young and old." The declaration was signed by dozens of important personalities, headed by Sari Nusseibeh, the president of Al Quds University who has replaced the late Faisal Husseini as the individual responsible for the Palestine Liberation Organization's political contacts in Jerusalem, and well-known spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi. In the face of the horrors of the continuing bloodshed, the declaration aroused hopes: Among the Israeli public, there are movements and demonstrations calling for the dismantling of the settlements and awithdrawal from the territories, and it is now possible that there is aparallel organization on the Palestinian side that is demanding an end to the suicide attacks. Later in the week, Al Quds published additional advertisements, which were signed by dozens of others. The new ads, however, were worded somewhat differently. Instead of the opening call to the Palestinians to stop attacks inside Israel, the new declarations began with a sharp condemnation of the oppressive Israeli moves, listed as raids, assassinations and sieges, and only afterward was there a call to cease the attacks on Israeli citizens. The new wording reflects the new signatories' criticism of the fact that the original declaration did not specifically mention the Israeli operations. Prominent in the new ads were the names of former Palestinian cabinet minister Ziyad abu Zayad, Prof. Gabi Baramki, the former head of Bir Zeit University, and another group of intellectuals and journalists. At the same time, a similar ad was published on Saturday in Al-Ayyam - this time, by well-known leftist activists. Two of them, Samir Ghosheh and Hanna Ameera, are members of the PLO working committee. The declarations by the left also included a call to end the attacks directed against citizens inside Israel, but the headline states that an end to the occupation and an evacuation of the settlements must precede an end to the bloodshed. This, therefore, is not merely a personal initiative by Sari Nusseibeh, whose moderate views are known, but rather a broader phenomenon of Palestinians who are terrified by the suicide attacks. The signatories drew encouragement from the fact that even Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat said that he identified with them (in an interview with Ha'aretz that was quoted in Al-Quds). Everyone knows that the signatories represent limited, but influential groups of the elite - academics, writers, artists, leftist activists and others. Nobody doubts that their present awakening is of importance. Nevertheless, this is, unfortunately, not the hoped-for change that many in Israel think must take place in Palestinian society. There were incidents of condemnation of the signatories, such as those coming from amember of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Hatem Abdel Khader of Jerusalem, who said that they were political speculators. On the street corners, they were even cursed. But apparently the most common Palestinian reaction came from those who see the signatories as defeatists. The reason is well known: A great majority of the Palestinian public sees the suicide attacks as a means of fighting that puts them, for the first time in the history of the conflict, in a position of equality against the Israel Defense Forces' sophisticated weaponry. In the streets of the Arab cities during the 20 months of the intifada, there have been only afew events that have been considered successful from the Palestinian point of view. There were two impressive attacks on Merkava tanks; there were a few attacks on outposts and roadblocks in Ein Ariq and near Kerem Shalom in the south of the Gaza Strip; and there was the lone sniper who killed soldiers and civilians at the roadblock in the wadi north of Ofra. All these seem unimportant when compared to the success, from the point of view of the Palestinians, of the suicide bombers. The suicide bombers on the bus in Gilo and at the French Hill junction last week carried out their actions during a time when the Israeli security apparatus in Jerusalem was at the height of preparedness. This weekend, an East Jerusalem journalist described it in these words: "The suicide bomber entered the bus in Jerusalem as if to say: 'Whatever you Israelis do, you won't get rid of me.'" On this backdrop, the campaign of Palestinian signatories opposing the suicide attacks seems ineffective and hopeless. (C) Copyright 2002 Ha'aretz - reprinted with permission.
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