Palestinian Non-violent Resistance – Is it possible?
I hate what is happening in Gaza. Rather than make political arguments, I think it’s enough to say that it’s simply horrible. Israel is likely responsible for major war crimes. The only positive seems to be that this latest crisis is finally highlighting Gazan reality and making the world take greater notice of just how horrible that reality is.
With that said, I have never understood Hamas response to Israel: continued violence. Even if you think it’s justified, what good does it do? From what I gather, it only acts as a front for Israel’s continued and disproportionate aggression.
Imagine you wake up tomorrow and turn on Al-Gazira, CNN, LBC, Fox News, whatever you watch, and you see 200,000 Gazans sitting in Gaza City. They’re not doing anything but sitting. The Israeli soldiers come up and look confused. Perhaps they start shooting, perhaps they don’t. Instead of fighting back, Palestinians sitting there accept that they may face death, but agree to not return fire with fire.
Some die. They become martyrs. Some live. They become witnesses. The world recognizes the situation for what it is – outright aggression by an occupying power.
Even when Palestinians use violence to resist, they suffer, die, and are buried. When has the violence ever worked? Israel is one of the most powerful military powers in the world. What will Hamas ever be able to accomplish against such a powerful country with international cover from the U.S.? I keep believing that non-violent resistance is really the only option, the only thing that could ever work. But is it possible?
Even some of my most progressive Palestinian friends think it’s impossible. Most just say Israel will get away with more violence. My response: Israel will always get away with violence under the current conditions. Palestinians have to fundamentally change the parameters under which the conflict is perceived. Death in the face of a non-violent resistance receives far more sympathy than the death of militants. That is why the death of women and children is so horrific. Eventually, the world (i.e., the United States) will realize how oppressive the Israeli occupation is. As Israel loses its credibility, the chances for the U.S. to act as an impartial player increase, also increasing the chances for a just peace, something all sides can accept.
Nonviolent resistance is not a foreign concept to Palestine. However, it doesn’t seem to take hold at the grassroots level. I think Fateh is associated with the non-violent approach, but such a resistance needs to be a movement, not a position of the government. Sure that helps, but it won’t create the change needed.
Can this happen? How? Ideas?
Join the Conversation
How about voting Hamas out? Nice, non-violent, democratic and logical end to this madness. What madness to elect a band of terrorists to run your country.
“What madness to elect a band of terrorists to run your country.”
You should tell that to the morons who voted Bush and Co. into office, twice.
What the Palestinians need is a charismatic leader like Martin Luther King Jr. or Ghandi to preach strong disciplined non-violence to the Palestinians. Imagine the impact it would have if Marwan Barghouti were to call for non-violent uprising by the Palestinians from his jail cell.
It is also worth noting that many Palestinians have complained that when they use nonviolence they get a violent response from the IDF. Well Duh! Nonviolent resistance is a serious challenge to the Israeli Occupation and when occupiers are challenged with resistance, they will use violence because this is the only way to maintain an occupation. As morbid as this sounds, Palestinians who use violence will die anyways, in my opinion it is better to die for the sake of coexistence than for the sake of hate.
Well, first a lil apology to Esra’a..I went a bit overboard on my last comment and got a bit personal, and you are right, I should know better at my age.
While I think that non-violent resistance is always a better idea than war, there are some serious challenges to bringing about such a radical shift in the mindset of the palestinian militants. First, it is increasingly obvious that it would be exceedingly difficult to get all the various armed factions to agree to this method, since even Hamas can’t control the groups in it’s own territory during the last ceasefire. Even Hezbollah, probably the most disciplined non-government armed force in the Middle East, couldn’t stop a few rockets from being fired into Israel this week from it’s territory. Any positive pressure that Israel would feel would get erased by one rocket barrage or armed attack.
Since the blockade has pretty much wiped out whatever economy Gaza had and the current debacle is mopping up whatever is left, the Palestinians in Gaza will be more dependant than ever on the funding from the those governments who wish the fighting to continue, and provide the weaponry to make it happen, as much or more than the West, who seem content to dole out “welfare grade” aid without any meaningful investment in nation-building. The irony is that such assistance would flow from non-violent tactics, but since the credit is needed to start that process, it is stymied.
Also, the West Bank, Fatah and Abbas are proceeding along these lines, trying to negotiate and keeping things peaceful. I don’t see how it has been beneficial to them, with large chunks of their territory eaten by the Wall, settlers moving in at an undeterred pace, and numerous attacks and brutal treatment by the IDF.
So, in order to make this idea work, the Israelis and Palestinians would both have to reign in their wacko fringe elements, turn their backs on the largesse of their weapon supplying sponsors, and actually listen to their best natures rather than be motivated by fear and hate, while at the same time the world ponies up the billions needed to rebuild the territories into a proper nation during the worst economic times in decades.
I think that the best option for a peaceful settlement at this point is to pick a UN peacekeeping force that both the Palestinian and Israelis would have enough respect for and have them man the border around Israel, both in Gaza and the West Bank, and permanently cement Israel’s borders ( no bloody settler ‘tentacles’). This force could oversee the Egypt border crossing with representatives from the Palestinian government, and keep a hundred meter “no mans land” between the two sides. Israel and Palestine could also agree on a punitive measures peace, where every time there is a rocket attack from Palestine a week of UN aid is suspended, and every time Israel “responds” with any kind of incursion into the Palestinian territories they lose $1 billion in US aid. I’m thinking Kenya for the UN force, trained and equipped by the US…
Eric/Canada: one big problem with that plan – it is exceptionally hard to get conditions or aid cuts based on human rights violations passed through the US Congress.
For years, certain members of Congress have been pushing for cuts and withholdings for the US Aid to Egypt package (which is the second largest aid package given out by the US, second only to Israel of course) and these cuts have not yet been successful…despite Egypt’s flagrant and well-published violations of human rights.
I don’t think any other form of resistance is viable except non-violence. it would be difficult, but if you really want the sympathy of the World, which Gaza despite the current mess, does not have has a whole, non-violence is the only path. Moreover, for it to be effective it would have to be widespread, united and coordinated. Hamas militants are not non for their peaceful tactics. Hamas would have to be sidelined first. Mr. Mashaal would need to STFU first and stop hiding. Then Gazans would need to tell the World that this is the new strategy and they will not give up until it happens…whatever that is.
There is a non-violent Palestinian resistance. Nobody pays attention to it.
Not only is nonviolence possible, it is being actively used, particularly in the West Bank, Israel and around the world to end the occupation. Go to Palestine Network News for ongoing nonviolent resistance. http://english.pnn.ps/ Nonviolent action cannot guarantee victory anymore than armed struggle can. However, given the military disparity, Palestinians have a strategic advantage focussing on their strength in people power mobilized on a global basis. The Israelis are enormously outnumbered.
Yaman,
The author realizes this. That’s why she said:
I would just add one thing:
Peaceful protests have led to scores of dead Palestinians, unfortunately. More recently the Israeli military was caught shooting at innocent protesters’ legs. Why? Because “the only democracy in the Middle East” can obviously get away with it.
Sigh
Here’s an article from Newsweek on this very subject: http://www.newsweek.com/id/180635/page/1
Pingback: The art of war