The need for a new approach

Ahmad Y. Majdoubeh

Time passes and peace in Palestine is not materializing. The consequences, both short and long term, are not in the interest of either the Palestinians or the Israelis. The violence that constantly erupts affects all, and the stalemate serves no one.

On the whole, however, the Palestinians are affected more than the Israelis - the Israelis being occupiers, fully equipped with the most sophisticated weapons on the face of earth (including weapons of mass destruction), and the Palestinians being subject to a ruthless, inhumane and shameful occupation.

In light of the current stalemate, primarily due to Israel’s subversion of peace efforts and America’s lukewarm approach to peace, one expects the Palestinians to weigh their options and come up with some reasonable steps and decisions that compel some movement forward. After all, the ones who stand to most lose at present are the Palestinians.

The problem is in the Palestinians themselves, a frustrated friend of mine keeps saying. First, there is this very unfortunate, very damaging rift between Fatah and Hamas, and second, one wonders whether the Palestinian leadership is up to the challenge.

My friend is right to a great extent. Instead of uniting as one front, negotiating with Israel from a position of strength, Palestinians are shamefully divided, making it easy for Israel to ignore and undermine them further.

Who represents the Palestinians? It is obvious that the Palestinians cannot engage forcefully and effectively in peace when they are at odds with themselves. If peace were charity, then one could expect the Israelis or Americans to bestow peace on the Palestinians, handing them a settlement on a silver platter, regardless of whether they are united or divided. But this is not the case at all.

As the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict clearly and unequivocally illustrates, negotiating peace with Israel is extremely difficult (to say the least), and the Palestinians need all the efforts they can muster. As such, Palestinian unity is not only desirable but essential.

Many peace and Palestinian rights advocates are bothered by and angry with the current Palestinian division, viewing it as utter irresponsibility on the part of Fatah and Hamas. The rights and interests of the Palestinian people - especially during these dismal times when precious Palestinian land is being swallowed by fanatic Israeli settlers and when the Palestinian people are being held hostage by Israeli occupation authorities - should be placed above any narrow factional or party interests. Division in Palestinian ranks amounts to abandonment of Palestinian rights and the whole question of Palestine.

But this division, it has become evident, shifts the blame for the absence of peace from the Israelis to the Palestinians. There are those who argue that during those moments when real peace offers were made by the Israelis, under American sponsorship, it was the Palestinian leadership that failed to grasp the opportunity. Whether this is true or not, many are beginning to seriously doubt the ability of the Palestinian leadership (both Fatah and Hamas) to manage the question of Palestine and bring about the desired results.

The Palestinians need to reflect seriously at this juncture in history on how to go about conducting business and managing the Palestine question. Division in the Palestinian ranks must come to an end. Palestinian loyalty should be not to Fatah, Hamas or any other party or faction, but to the cause of Palestine.

In order to put the Palestinian house in order, Palestinians need to sit down and think about what they need to do with this current stalemate and about the question of Palestine within the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict in the days to come. Simultaneously, they need to coordinate closely with positive, experienced players in the region, such as Jordanians and Egyptians, any future strategy, action plan, roadmap that rescues Palestinians from the present quagmire and puts them on the road to true statehood and peace.

Indeed, there is a need in Palestine for a fresh start and approach.




*Published in Jordan's THE JORDAN TIMES on Nov. 21, 2009.