27 Sep. - 3 Oct. 2001
Issue No.553
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 27 Sep. - 3 Oct. 2001 Issue No.553 |
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A people's fate: above, another day of struggle; below, gun-fire on the way home photo: Thomas Hartwell
On the offensive
Some have argued that the Intifada was not a Palestinian initiative, but was imposed on the Palestinian people, largely in reaction to Israel's attempt to consolidate its illegal occupation and force the Palestinians to accept a solution similar to that our leadership refused in Camp David. The Intifada began with the intention to repeat the non-violent protests of the previous uprising, but Israel's brutal treatment of demonstrators transformed it into a bloody confrontation. In the first two to three weeks, Israel was killing an average of 10 Palestinian a day, while suffering almost no casualties.
The Intifada quickly acquired its own dynamic, however, and was shaped by both Israeli and Palestinian initiatives. Now, I believe, it has achieved certain objectives, such as preventing Israel from imposing unacceptable final solutions on the Palestinians. It has also reminded the world that the occupation continues, and that Israel is not part of the peace process but rather an illegal military occupier of Palestinian land.
The Intifada's main achievement, however, has been to tip the balance of power more in favour of the Palestinians. Before the uprising began, not only Israel but the whole world assumed that peace process was the Palestinians' only option. The Intifada has demonstrated that the Palestinians had chosen peace, but it is not their only option: if Israel is going to stall, there are others that, while difficult and harmful for the Palestinian people, are also difficult and harmful for Israel.
Before the peace process, Israel was achieving its objectives rapidly: security and economic prosperity. As for us, we got only an increase in settlement expansion; we neither obtained land nor achieved economic prosperity. From this situation of absolute imbalance, we have reached one in which both sides are suffering. This may bring a new dynamic to the political process.
Finally, the Intifada renewed Arab government and popular support for the Palestinian people and consolidated a measure of Arab unity around the uprising and its goals.
In the coming year, we hope it will move from a defensive position -- resisting Israel's attempt to impose a unilateral vision of the final solution -- to the offensive, widening the confrontation to the regional level. This could allow us to reach a balanced solution that will end the conflict on the basis of Security Council Resolutions 194 and 242, which call for ending the occupation and achieving the refugees' right of return.
* The writer is head of the Jerusalem Media and Communication Centre.
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