No hate. No violence
Races? Only one Human race
United We Stand, Divided We Fall
Radio Islam
Know Your enemy!
No time to waste. Act now!
Tomorrow it will be too late

English

Franç.

Deutsch

عربي

Sven.

Español

Portug.

Italiano

Русск.

бълг.

Hrvat.

Češt.

Dansk

Suomi

Magyar

Neder.

Norsk

Polski

Rom.

Srpski

Slov.

Indon.

فارسی

Türkçe

日本語

汉语

Between hope and the abyss

By Abdel-Jawwad Saleh*
Al-Ahram Weekly, 5 - 11 August 1999

How can the Palestinians step back from the edge of the abyss? Through grass-roots empowerment, writes Abdel-Jawwad Saleh

Political activists, members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), and prominent personalities (mostly independent) in Palestinian political life are taking steps toward the formation of an independent democratic movement. Another initiative is being organised by former members of traditional Palestinian groups, who are disenchanted by their leaders and the way they are handling the problems facing the Palestinian people. All these are united by a common imperative: in the absence of a democratic mass movement which can allow the Palestinian people to confront the socio-political challenges facing it, the Palestinian cause will sink into the abyss.

The independent members of the PLC are supported by non-members who played important roles in the Palestinian national movement before Oslo. This mobilisation results from the perceived need to rectify the mistakes made by the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Such political moves constitute a positive response, although it may have come a little late in the day, to Mr Arafat's indifference. The absence of good governance has had serious ramifications on popular morale, the fabric of Palestinian society, and the prevailing code of ethics. All these have been gravely damaged.

The PA's failure to set up strong institutions covering the three branches of its political system has jeopardised the Palestinian dream. The PA's denial of the Basic Law (the Palestinian Constitution), enacted by the PLC, is one of the main reasons for both PA failures and popular frustration.

The Palestinians are unexpectedly reminded of occupation policies: de-development, de-institutionalisation and a budget reminiscent of that of the occupation. Average people, to express their anger, have begun to compare the practices of the PA with the arbitrary repression practiced by the Israeli occupation.

The Palestinian cabinet does not exist as an institution. Its inability or refusal to prioritise concrete issues is well known. Since its inception, it has avoided tackling problems like unemployment, the phenomenal spread of poverty and the lack of a participatory approach involving the people in national development plans. The PA routinely denies funding to, and suppresses the opinions of, grass-roots groups. Palestinian children's health and the quality of their education are declining at a precipitous rate. The absence of an independent judiciary is undermining the potential for democratisation. Eventually, the systematic weakening of the PLC will imperil democracy.

The "collateral" activities of the security agencies, and the creation of a one-party system on a semi-military basis, are paving the way for the creation of a fully fledged police state. The PA leadership's abuse of power, responsibilities, and human rights has led to the widespread diffusion of corruption. The majority of Palestinians believe that an Intifada is brewing. The ingredients: frustration and despair. This situation has also weakened the PA before its Israeli counterpart. The paralysis that prevents the PA from confronting internal and external shortcomings is one of the factors crippling it in negotiations.

The other main factors behind the independent Palestinian initiatives are the stalemate of the peace process and the unprecedented acceleration of Israeli colonisation. Arafat, our main negotiator, has shown that he always bows to pressure. Barak knows that very well, and will manipulate it to the maximum. In fact, he has already started the game. First, Arafat cancelled the Geneva Convention signatories' meeting. Second, he yielded to Barak's request to establish a working group that will study Barak's "suggested" changes to the Wye Memorandum. The changes include the postponement of further redeployments stipulated by Wye until the final status negotiations -- in other words, decades from now.

We would do well to remember that Barak was the only minister under Rabin who rejected the Oslo Accords, in line with Netanyahu's position. This fact alone should arouse suspicion with regard to his "requests". His negotiating conditions, or "red lines" -- namely, maintaining Israeli control of the Jordan Valley; no dismantling of the colonies; ensuring contiguous Israeli "areas" (to dismember any potentially viable Palestinian state); no "foreign" sovereignty over Jerusalem (he rejected the raising of a Palestinian flag over the holy sites); and no return of Palestinian refugees to their homes -- are equally eloquent. In combination with Barak's new policy, which is to refrain from implementing the Wye Memorandum of understanding, and instead to postpone it until the final status negotiations, these goals should give observers a clear idea of what he is up to.

What will the Palestinians be negotiating for, if the red lines are imposed and further redeployments are transferred to the final status negotiations? Nothing of substance, that is certain.

Barak will limit negotiations on the Palestinian track to defining the nature and function of the future Palestinian entity. This explains why he is committed to the implementation of UN Resolutions 242 and 338 on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks, but denies their applicability to the Palestinian track. Barak, unfortunately, is trying to follow in Netanyahu's steps, and to go a little further still. His intention is to give the Palestinians a state devoid of substance, deprived of land and of Jerusalem. He will let the Palestinians call their "entity" the State of Palestine and borrow whatever adjectives the leadership likes. The Palestinian leadership's weaknesses will allow the Israelis to maximise their gains, while reducing the Palestinian share to nothing -- to a state without Jerusalem, without recognised international borders, without sovereignty over its lands and water; a state with nothing but a meaningless name. This is the ideal formula for continued conflict.

Barak's goal is to turn the PA into an Israeli security agency responsible for suppressing the Palestinian people and for protecting the settlers, the settlements and Israel. Who will accept this?

How can the Palestinians respond? This is an exceptionally difficult question. But a good place to start is with the empowerment of the Palestinian people, which will allow them to face the challenges ahead. Those who have taken recent independent initiatives understand such empowerment to mean the creation of a favourable environment: elections at all levels, including local government; a parliament surpassing the Oslo terms of reference; and presidential elections. The new leadership will derive its sovereignty from the people. New terms of reference will be adopted by a new team of negotiators -- terms based on the people's inalienable rights. This might be the only option left, if the Palestinians are to save themselves.






*The writer is a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council.


"When a Jew, in America or in South Africa, talks to his Jewish companions about 'our' government, he means the government of Israel."

- David Ben-Gurion, Israeli Prime Minister


Palestine banner
Viva Palestina!

Latest Additions - in English

What is this Jewish carnage really about? - The background to atrocities

Videos on Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam and Blacks and Jews  

How Jewish Films and Television Promotes bias Against Muslims

Judaism is Nobody's Friend
Judaism is the Jews' strategy to dominate non-Jews.

Jewish War Against Lebanon!

Islam and Revolution
By Ahmed Rami

Hasbara - The Jewish manual for media deceptions

Celebrities bowing to their Jewish masters

Elie Wiesel - A Prominent False Witness
By Robert Faurisson

The Gaza atrocity 2008-2009


Iraq under Jewish occupation
Iraq - war and occupation


Jewish War On Syria!

CNN's Jewish version of "diversity" - Lists the main Jewish agents

Hezbollah the Beautiful
Americans, where is your own Hezbollah?

Black Muslim leader Louis Farrakhan's Epic Speech in Madison Square Garden, New York  - A must see!

"War on Terror" - on Israel's behalf!

World Jewish Congress: Billionaires, Oligarchs, Global Influencers for Israel

Interview with anti-Zionist veteran Ahmed Rami of Radio Islam - On ISIS, "Neo-Nazis", Syria, Judaism, Islam, Russia...

Britain under Jewish occupation!


Jewish World Power
West Europe    East Europe
Americas          Asia
Middle East       Africa
      U.N.              E.U.

 

The Internet and Israeli-Jewish infiltration/manipulations

Books - Important collection of titles

The Judaization of China

Israel: Jewish Supremacy in Action - By David Duke

The Power of Jews in France

Jew Goldstone appointed by UN to investigate War Crimes in Gaza

When Jews rule...
The best book on Jewish Power


The Israel Lobby - From the book

Jews and Crime - The archive

Sayanim - Israel's and Mossad's Jewish helpers abroad

Listen to Louis Farrakhan's Speech - A must hear!

The Israeli Nuclear Threat

The "Six Million" Myth

"Jewish History" - a bookreview

Putin and the Jews of Russia

Israel's attack on US warship USS Liberty - Massacre in the Mediterranean

Jewish "Religion" - What is it?

Medias in the hands of racists

Strauss-Kahn - IMF chief and member of Israel lobby group

Down with Zio-Apartheid
Stop Jewish Apartheid!

The Jews behind Islamophobia

Israel controls U.S. Presidents
Biden, Trump, Obama, Bush, Clinton...

The Victories of Revisionism
By Professor Robert Faurisson

The Jewish hand behind Internet The Jews behind Google, Facebook, Wikipedia, Yahoo!, MySpace, eBay...

"Jews, who want to be decent human beings, have to renounce being Jewish"

Jewish War Against Iran

Jewish Manipulation of World Leaders

Al Jazeera English under Jewish infiltration

The Founding Myths of Modern Israel
Garaudy's "The Founding Myths
of Israeli Politics"


Jewish hate against Christians
By Prof. Israel Shahak

Introduction to Revisionist
Thought
- By Ernst Zündel

Karl Marx: The Jewish Question

Reel Bad Arabs - Revealing the racist Jewish Hollywood propaganda

"Anti-Semitism" - What is it?

Videos - Important collection 

The Jews Banished 47 Times in 1000 Years - Why?

Zionist strategies - Plotting invasions, formenting civil wars, interreligious strife, stoking racial hatreds and race war

The International Jew
By Henry Ford

Pravda interviews Ahmed Rami

The Founding Myths of Modern Israel
Shahak's "Jewish History,
Jewish Religion"


The Jewish plan to destroy the Arab countries - From the World Zionist Organization

Judaism and Zionism inseparable

Revealing photos of the Jews 

Horrors of ISIS Created by Zionist Supremacy - By David Duke

Racist Jewish Fundamentalism

The Freedom Fighters:
   Hezbollah - Lebanon
   Nation of Islam - U.S.A.

Jewish Influence in America
- Government, Media, Finance...

"Jews" from Khazaria stealing the land of Palestine

The U.S. cost of supporting Israel

Turkey, Ataturk and the Jews

Talmud unmasked
The truth about the Talmud


Israel and the Ongoing Holocaust in Congo

Jews DO control the media - a Jew brags! - Revealing Jewish article

Abbas - The Traitor

Protocols of Zion - The whole book!

Encyclopedia of the Palestine Problem
Encyclopedia of the
Palestine Problem


The "Holocaust" - 120 Questions and Answers

Quotes - On Jewish Power / Zionism

Caricatures / Cartoons 

Activism! - Join the Fight!