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Does Arafat Have Control over the Intifada? By:
November 27, 2000 Many fail to understand the current crisis for different reasons. This crisis is not a conflict between the two partners of the ex-peace process. It is a Palestinian popular Intifada against the Israeli ongoing occupation of Palestinian land and control over peoples lives. People who like very much simplifying or stereotyping issues will be trapped into two contradictory false images. The first visualize Palestinians as loose mobs who are out of control and have no aims. The second visualize Palestinians as a tool in the hands of the Palestinian authority moved by a push button in order for the authority to achieve political gains. Both are far from the objective reality. It is true that the growing frustration from the current peace process was a factor in igniting the current crisis, but it should be appreciated that while the negotiations continued the Israeli occupation did not only continue its hostile policies against Palestinians but intensified them. Being patient and welling to give peace a chance, Palestinians refrained from resisting the Israeli occupation hostile policies for more than seven years. While land expropriation and settlement building continued within an unprecedented pace, Palestinians and for seven long years refrained from fighting against them hoping that this issue will be settled through negotiations. While control over their life and resources were raised to an intolerable level and Palestinians found themselves under siege and squeezed, they accepted that as a temporary tax to be paid for a better future. When Jerusalem was totally isolated and access to holy shrines was denied, Palestinians laid faith in the peace process as a way to correct this wrong doing. Yet, when it was apparent that the peace process is looked at by both Israel and the USA as a way to normalize the current inhuman conditions, and when Israel moved to impose the agreement on Palestinians by the usage of its might, Palestinians moved to reject slavery conditions and remind the world of their existence as humans and as a nation with legitimate rights. Palestinians have legitimate aims. They want to get red of the Israeli occupations symbols. They want the Israeli army to be replaced by International forces, want Israeli settlers to stop their aggression and prepare to leave the Palestinian territories, and want to protect their holy shrines against continued attempts to control them. Arafat works in harmony with all Palestinians if he can prove that through peaceful negotiations it is possible to provide protection to his people and insure their human and national rights. Otherwise. And even if he wants to give the negotiations another try he will face the hard task of convincing his people that it is possible. | ||||||||||||||||
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