Palestinians refer to initiatives for a peaceful resolution of their conflict with Israel as “dissolution and not a resolution.” It is referred to as another attempt to dissolve their national identity and pride and not to resolve the conflict. This outcry is not without basis. The path to peace has complicated their lives and their voice is far too often lost in the corridors of politics for the sake of expediency.
To these people all talk of what would be a future Palestinian state seems to ignore the reality that there are Palestinian territories on which in 1967 only Palestinians lived. Those Palestinians did not leave or evaporate. They are simply cornered day by day into a smaller piece of their land. Although no one can claim that Israel committed a holocaust against the Palestinians, it has certainly committed everything else. The Palestinians are bleeding to death through a thousand cuts.
Israel first implanted large colonial occupation units in the heart of the 1967 lands. It did so on land it outright stole from individual Palestinians who lived there and then effectively imprisoned those who continue to live there. Israel restricted their movement through a complex web of permits that they are required to obtain from their occupiers. These occupation units, otherwise known as settlements, were linked through a nexus of roads for the exclusive use of the occupiers.
Israel then closed many of the major roads that were in existence in 1967 and forced the Palestinians to travel to their towns on awkward and twisted back roads. These measures have turned a simple fifteen-minute trip to an average hour and half journey.
Imagine getting to Washington DC from McLean Virginia via Annapolis Maryland. People now boast about having the stamina and fortune to travel from Ramallah to Nablus, two Palestinian cities in the West Bank that do not require crossing into Israel proper. As though this was not sufficient, the entire population is now caged in a “fence” that trumps the Berlin wall in length and insult.
Jerusalem, of course, is off limits to those not lucky to live in it and is getting smaller for those unfortunate Palestinians who live in it under occupation. In fact, even Palestinians who are U.S. citizens are now granted entry to visit only PNA territories, thus denying them the ability to see family, the Christian and Muslim holy sites and the many historic attractions. Jerusalem was and continues to be changed in a manner that threatens to erase a great deal of its history disallowing all future generations from enjoying the pleasure of its beauty and the majesty of its antiquity; all to accommodate the occupiers.
The arms of the “settlers” reach deep and touch everything Palestinian. They are the super class for whom land is confiscated and roads are made exclusive. They constitute the true ruling force in the Palestinian territories as well as the true face of the occupation. They fall in love with land and then confiscate it for security reasons! Palestinians can no longer visualize the space on which the peace process will allow them to exercise their right to live!
Talk of a peaceful resolution to the conflict also raises the issue of the need for democracy and a secular regime in the Palestinian territories. The Palestinians' response and outcry becomes even stronger.
The message of a secular state is distorted by Israel’s concurrent demands for their recognition of “a Jewish state.” The old tribal system which controlled social conduct and brought some stability was destroyed by the occupation. At the same time, the occupation prevented the rise of a new system based on the rule of law. The streets are therefore controlled by force and not the rule of law.
Hamas, which was elected as a quest for reform, delivered war and an onslaught on descent whatever its nature. Its recent legislation of enforcing “hijab on women” in Gaza reveals that it is out of touch with those who elected it and how little it has to offer them.
Fatah promised to reform itself held its internal elections, and as the Arabic saying goes "after long labor the camel delivered a rat.” It produced in part the old guard as its new generation, those who controlled the so-called security apparatus and those who are accused of corruption. It therefore made itself irrelevant as far as the people are concerned. From its ranks developed a class of former ministers who are preoccupied with shady business deals and street gangs that run havoc with the social fabric of the occupied territories.
The dire need for new Palestinian political parties is too apparent. These can only be born and thrive in a meritorious system based on the rule of law. Creating such a system is not a luxury; it is the essence of guaranteeing security to Israel and freedom and stability to the Palestinian people. This should be at the top of the peaceful resolution agenda and it should not be entrusted to those who have a vested interest in the status quo.
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