The Problem Has Been and Remains the Israeli Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip
 

Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi

The world media, and the international audience have fallen into the trap designed by Israeli Prime Minister, Arial Sharon. He is currently up-scaling the aggression against the Palestinian population from the inherent aggression of occupation to the aggression of a full-scale war, which it will never be since an army is attacking civilians. His decision to take this move seems to rest on his erroneous belief that a military solution to the current conflict is the only option, and provides him with the opportunity to fulfill his longing to play the role of military general.


The problem has been, and remains, Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The decisions taken and the moves made by Israeli government in the past few days are clearly the final ones in the complete destruction of the Oslo agreements. The military maneuvers are spearhead by Sharon, who has throughout his career opposed these agreements, or for that matter any agreement that would give Palestinians even a relatively fair settlement, or hope for a future independent Palestinian state. 

It is obvious that Sharon is currently re-establishing full military occupation of what little, fragmented areas remain under the control of the Palestinian Authority. This short sighted military solution completely ignores two other realities - his heavy handed aggression will not endear himself to the Palestinians, nor will it make them more accepting of Israeli occupation. Israel complains about Hamas, yet now Sharon seems to be doing everything in his power to facilitate Hamas's ascendancy in Palestinian politics. Perhaps there is a method to his madness - once Hamas has more power, Palestinians can be declared truly as a terrorist people/state and their annihilation justified. 

In mentioning annihilation you may think I am being too dramatic, but let us look at the facts for a moment - in the last 14 months 915 Palestinians have died - even before Israel was dedicating itself to the task of 'fighting terrorism' - and over 25,000 Palestinians have been injured, 2,000 of whom are permanently disabled, compared with the deaths of 250 Israel soldiers, settlers and citizens.  

To add to the tragedy of these victims of a violence we condemn and oppose, is the view that somehow, in the unfathomable ways of the world, all the Israeli victims are mourned as individuals and many international comments condemn their deaths in harsh terms. This is in direct contrast to the deaths of Palestinians (Palestinians always die, they are vary rarely 'killed' or 'murdered') when the silence is almost deafening. Sometimes comments have to be made, in the cases of Muhammad Ad-Dura, or Bilal and Ashraf Khalil aged 7 and 5, killed in an assassination attack, or the five children who died two weeks ago when a bomb planted by the Israeli army exploded as they were on their way to school. But the overwhelming feeling we are left with is that Palestinian blood is somehow cheaper than Israeli, and that if Palestinians are killed it is not as tragic as when Israelis are, and it was somehow the Palestinians fault.  

This is wrong - all these people are victims of the conflict, but just as importantly they are victims of the occupation, the lack of a proper peace settlement, the failure of Oslo, the avoidance of the main issues leading to the current Intifada, and the inappropriate response to it. The deaths of all should be equally mourned. 

In the post Oslo years we Palestinians lost hope; no tangible changes were evident in our lives and as far as we could see Israel maintained almost total domination over our lives and destinies. The occupation continued in reality, illegal settlements doubled in size; Palestinians lost faith in the process and lost hope of any fair and just settlement. An Israeli killed Rabin and the most extreme Israeli political party was elected.  

In the year before the outbreak of the Intifada, when it still seemed peace and a fair settlement could be reached, Palestinians waited. Many Israelis and Palestinians had already struggled for years to arrive at a point where it seemed a two state solution could almost be a reality.  

The outbreak of the Intifada changed the situation somewhat, but it did not destroy the potential for a two state settlement.  

Sharon is doing this.  

He has, in the past months, made life intolerable for Palestinians, causing the deaths of children and sick people at checkpoints, assassinating various individuals and political leaders and community activists (and numerous bystanders), he has brought the educational and health systems to their knees, he has re-occupied, destroyed homes, property, lives and livelihoods. And the international community has let him. He is now hammering the final nail into the coffin that is Oslo. 

Previously Sharon has made the Palestinian people inseparable and indistinguishable from Arafat, so in attacking Arafat he attacks and punishes Palestinians. In his latest move - the demonisation of Arafat as Israel's very own "Bin Laden", he is setting the stage for the complete destruction of the Palestinian Authority and infrastructure, in addition to the obliteration of any Palestinian hope for a future independent entity. Sharon is counting on this - and it is highly likely that this is the motivation for his vicious and aggressive use of a highly sophisticated army against an already weakened leadership and a civilian population that has neither an army nor the ability to defend itself.  

It is counting on this so he can once and for all rid himself of the Palestinian problem and claim all the land between the Mediterranean and Jordan for Eretz Israel. This is foolhardy, especially with the growth of the Palestinian population, estimated to outnumber the Jews in the same area in a mere 20  years. It would be so much wiser to bow to the inevitable and create a Palestinian state alongside Israel. By destroying the potential of a Palestinian state Sharon is also destroying the survival of Israel as a Jewish state.  

Palestinians seek a state so they can end living in the violence of occupation, so refugees living squalid and horrid lives in camps for more than two generations can have a home, so that a Palestinian will never again be ordered by Israeli soldiers to strip to his underwear at gun point as he tries to earn money to feed his family.  

Palestinians will never vanish. The only danger is that due to the lack of international intervention Sharon has been given a green light to kill and maim more Palestinians - it is for this reason we call for an international observer/protection force to be sent immediately to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Land and buildings can be destroyed, and people can be murdered, but these horrendous and destructive acts will never destroy the inherent right of Palestinians to live their lives free of the interference of, and occupation by, Israel.