Reports from Amman Jordan
by Samah Sabawi
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IX - Palestinian Resistance is caught up in Israeli Theatrics Our people are...caught up in a reactionary mode, the enemy always being one step ahead, provoking us into the next item on their agenda. |
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October 5, 2004
From Amman, Jordan Of all the politicians that compete for the world stage, Sharon has truly the most brilliant theatrical talent. So brilliant, indeed, that he has his Palestinian victims falling for his act and chewing on his bitter poison, self destructing in the process. During my stay here in the Arab world I’ve come to appreciate even more the importance of understanding the tactics of the other - the enemy’s strategy - and the true measure of the cost of the Intifada. I find myself almost isolated here in my analysis save for a few academics I’ve met and some scattered voices in the Palestinian arena. Take the way Palestinians think Israel has been affected by the Intifada. Talking to Palestinians here, one almost gets the sense Israel has been hurt enough by the militant Intifada to justify our persistence in continuing with our tactics as they are. True the Intifada has had its effect on Israelis and that some Israelis may live in terror, but the damage to Israelis, to their livelihood, their families, and their living standards does not come close to what the Palestinians have had to endure of demolitions, closure, economic strangulation and wholesale death and destruction. I’ve heard Palestinians claim that the settlers are declining in numbers as a result of the militant resistance. Nothing can be further from the truth. Statistics from Israel's Interior Ministry show that the settler population has spiked in Gaza. The population of Netzarim - a settlement just south of Gaza City - grew by 10.8 percent during the past six months and the population of Kfar Darom, in central Gaza, rose 15.7. Meanwhile, our Palestinian cities and villages are dying a slow and painful death. One sad example can be found in Nablus, a city that once was the thriving economic metropolis of the West Bank and now is seeing a decline in its Arab population as more and more Palestinians are being chased out unable to survive the heavy toll of the Israeli aggression. I’ve heard Palestinians boast about the Qassam rockets and how successful they are in battling the Israeli enemy. Why else would Israel create all this hoopla but to try to ensure that no more rockets will be fired? Why else would they engage their men in this guerrilla warfare in the streets of the refugee camps? Well, I’d hate to be the one to burst the bubble, but this hooplah is not about the Qassam rockets, or about squashing a vibrant, threatening resistance. The resistance may be vibrant but it is certainly not threatening. Israel’s might has not been shaken by the suicide bombings or the militant operations of our desperate people. What we are witnessing today in Gaza, ladies and gentlemen - this invasion, this disengagement, the settlers' protests - is all theatre. Israel’s cruel and callous operation to search for rocket manufacturers is a brilliant Sharon theatrical production. The invasion into Gaza has taken me back to Iraq’s invasion, and Bush’s search for the illusive Weapons of Mass Destruction. The Qassam rockets are Israel’s excuse; they are the illusive WMD. Here are some facts about the Qassam rockets: although they are fired almost daily at Israeli targets, they have rarely caused any injuries and they didn’t cause any fatalities on Israel’s side until June of this year. Could it perhaps be a growing threat to Israel, one that it must eliminate? Maybe, but it is certainly not worth the large scale invasion we’ve seen. One must remember that there was no Qassam in Jenin, Hebron, Ramallah, Rafah, Nablus or any of the other Palestinian cities that have received the wrath of Israel. We must remember that Israel has always had a strategy, a political geographical plan for the land of Palestine. To achieve this goal, it must drive out the Palestinians, make their lives a living hell so they would leave, destroy their homes, impede their education and break down their spirit. Israel will use whatever excuse it needs in the process, be it the alleged tunnels to smuggle weapons in Rafah, the search for alleged terrorists in Jenin or the Qassam rockets in Gaza. I don’t believe the Palestinian armed resistance has caused Israel’s atrocities; neither do I believe it has made a dent in Israel's plans. Israel has stayed its course since the moment of its inception and has remained faithful and consistent in its campaign to ethnically cleanse our land. However, I will say that the armed resistance has taken up time and energy that is desperately needed for us to think and strategize. What we need in order to be able to face such onslaught is some time to regroup, to think and to find a new direction. The militant methods have not worked well for the Palestinians, although many mistakenly believe they have. I will concede that it is impossible for any human being to think rationally when under fire. Our people are not thinking rationally at this point and they are caught up in a reactionary mode, the enemy always being one step ahead, provoking us into the next item on their agenda. This is all the more reason why our people who have lost so much must work up the strength to stop, and to draw a new plan of action where for once we may actually be the ones provoking a resolution. Samah
Sabawi, originally from
Gaza
and whose permanent residence is now
Ottawa, is a writer, playwright and well-known activist. Her articles
appear in several popular online journals. Her Palestinian Diary
is exclusive to YayaCanada.
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