Already in its death throes after seven years of futile struggle against Israel, the Palestinian national movement suffered a fatal blow last week, when Gaza fell in the hands of Hamas. Now, instead of a state-in-the waiting, Palestine is two failed states, under two governments at war with one another.
Hamas in Gaza might still pursue its fight against Israel; and Fatah in the West Bank might still voice the rhetoric of grievance against Israel as the occupier. But the two are now locked in a deadly struggle. Anti-Zionist rhetoric has been waving the ghost of a one-state solution - implying that Israel might disappear, replaced by a united binational state comprising the West Bank and Gaza as well as present Israel. It now looks as though there will be a one-state solution after all - Israel, alongside two failed states, both Palestinian, and fighting each other.
It has not been easy for Palestinian nationalists. Ever since their late leader and national symbol, Yasser Arafat, chose to exploit the Intifadah, in September 2000, to extract more concessions from Israel, everything that could possibly go wrong, did. First, violence turned Israeli public opinion against the now moribund Oslo process: Ariel Sharon quickly replaced the left-wing peace coalition against which Arafat had unleashed his Intifadah. Systematic resort by Palestinian factions to terrorism against Israeli civilian targets only created the momentum for Israel’s military offensive in late March 2002. West Bank towns were reoccupied and the backbone of the terror network that seemed so close to breaking Israel’s will was crushed.
Arafat’s flirting with gun-toting militias and a myriad offshoot of armed groups only earned him confinement by Israel and isolation from America. Sharon easily won the next electoral round and set the stage for unilateralism - Israel would withdraw to borders of its choosing and the Palestinians would be left behind, once more. The spectre of this move did nothing to propel Palestinian leaders into action to bring an end to the mounting anarchy within their ranks and sue for peace. Instead, Arafat allowed anarchy to grow, as if it would only harm the enemies of Palestine, and not Palestine itself. Eventually, the persistent refusal of the Palestinian Authority, first under Arafat, then under Abu Mazen, to disarm all militias and dismantle all terror networks yielded the outcome all but fools would predict. In January 2005, I wrote that:
“Terror groups have grown stronger since the intifada began. Abbas’ predecessor… used terrorism to pressure Israel into more concessions. Convinced as he was that outsourcing violence to a network of terror groups would promote his goals, he willingly let them run amok, thus renouncing the monopoly over the use of force. Four years later, terrorists pose a formidable challenge not only to peace, but even more crucially to Palestinian statehood. Today, terrorists mainly attack Israeli targets. But tomorrow, unless disarmed and forced to recognize that only the Palestinian Authority has the monopoly over the use of violence, they could use their weapons and their militancy to dictate conditions or carve out areas of influence through threats, blackmail and intimidation. They have to be disarmed - not for Israel’s sake, but for Palestine’s sake.”
Alas, it is too late now. Brother will fight brother, while the West Bank and Gaza go their separate ways. At last, Abu Mazen seems to have understood the need to establish the monopoly over the use of force. Hamas has clearly understood it too, as it moved to disarm everyone not loyal to Hamas in Gaza. But this is too little too late. Two governments are now in place, and with them, two separate entities are slowly coming into being. They’ll play this war out to the bitter end. The west has already chosen its horse, not realizing that this is a cockfight, where the audience can do little else but watch.
There is little rejoicing in this turn of events, but it must be understood for what it is: the end of Palestinian national aspirations.
Hamas’ takeover in Gaza has created a small Islamic state on the shores of the Mediterranean, next door to Israel and to Egypt. Helped by Iran and Syria, Hamas has now opened a southern front in their war against Israel but in the process, it has made Palestine as a state even less viable than before.
Now, Hamastan needs to conquer the West Bank to make itself the credible and legitimate champion of the Palestinian struggle. Meanwhile, Fatahland will try to regain its lost territory of Gaza before it can even begin to negotiate credibly with Israel. An endless war will further contribute to Palestine’s demise. For ordinary Palestinians, seven years of the Intifadah yielded nothing but grief, death, and poverty. The passage of time did nothing to strengthen Palestinian territorial claims: if anything it gave time to Israeli settlements to expand and Israeli control over Jerusalem to tighten.
As Hamas assumes control over Gaza, Gazans are longing for the return of the despised Israelis. Palestinian intellectuals have conceded that Palestinians might need to be “re-occupied” by an international force led by the Arab league - a return to the pre-1967 occupation by Jordan and Egypt, no less. Now, not even this option seems available - unless, that is, foreign forces are sent to fight Hamas and re-conquer Gaza.
With the Gaza takeover by Hamas, history has finally drawn its curtain on the two-state solution. Before Palestinian nationalism can reclaim one Palestine, complete, before it can even settle for the meager leftovers Israel held for 40 years, Palestinians have to face their own, wearing each other out, Hamastan against Fatahland, while the Israelis look on.
What garbage. AJC gloats over the tragedy of Palestine which is actually the “blowback” of conditions put into effect by Israel and the Bush adminstration in the US. They thought that by freezing Hamas out of power, it would benefit Israel. On the contrary, Israel will now suffer the stings of the wasp’s nest it has overturned. I am afraid that instead of your prediction that these are two failed states, there will ultimately be only one state. And it won’t be Jewish any more. Israel has had many opportunities to help fulfill the two state solution, but through their arrogance and racist mentality, its leaders have blown every one of them. A pox on all their heads.
There are multiple tragedies here, but to blame Israel alone for the “blowback” is unwarranted, and unproductive. Whether Israel occupies or abandons, it seems that Israel is to blame. When Hamas jointly governs, passes no legislation of any consequence, refuses to comply with established norms of responsible government, i.e. recognizing signed agreements, then it is not surprising that other nations refuse to recognize it. The Palestinians have received more international monetary aide through UN programs, largely funded by American not Arabs monies, than any other people on the planet, including millions of non-violent and needy Africans. What have they done with it? What respect has it garnered them? What progress do they have to show for all this ‘guilt” money directed their way? Health care, education, infrastructure? At some point, hopefully now, the Palestinians have to come to grips with the simple reality that their leaders have failed them over and over again for generations. that they have repeatedly passed up opportunities to be a self-governing country, in 1936, 1947 and 2000. And that they themselves must accept responsibility. And that only they can do something about it.
The truth lies in between Palestinian failures and Isreali and U.S. inability to take advantage of their positions of strength to work towards a peace. The Palestinians have been plagued with the worst leadership in the world, the Isrealis and the present US administration have been incapable of a high level diplomacy and creativity even when opportunity knocked on their doors. Palestinians have suffered immensely and must bear the major responsiblity for their present condition, however Isreal and the U.S. must bear their share. Perhaps both sides may learn from their failures
With scum such as Gene Schulamn among us we certainly have to carry many a cross–ha ha ha! From Herzl’s time until now we have had Juden Rats like him–the Sulzberger family comes to mind. At any rate as the world sees the Arabs turn on each other and never missing the opportunity to miss an opportunity Israel will overcome the Schulmans and prosper into the infinite future! The truth always wins out in the end!
So Israel is to blame when the fruits of violence which Fatah has sown return on their own head? When the seeds of a revolution, planted in the garden of hate and death begin to claim the planters? Hate and violence always feed upon themselves and can only lead to more death and destruction because there is no compassion or life in them.
But the truth is not convenient. We should rather say that Israel, besieged by the climate of hate and violence planted all around it by these so-called Palestinians is at fault for desiring peace and life? So look into YOUR heart and see what YOU desire….what will you have for YOUR life and the lives of those YOU love. Israel has not been perfect, but a light still shines where compassion and love have room to grow - even in the soil of adversity.
Thank you for the opportunity to rebut. I would ask Ted Basset just what Israel has abandoned? Certainly not Gaza. They may have removed some settlements, but IDF has been making life there miserable. Hamas dis not jointly govern. They were denied that right by withholding of funds by Israel, EU, UN and US. How could Palestine build an infrastructure when Israel persistantly destroys homes, agriculture, forces them off the land to make way for new settlements, which is against international law?
For Paul Zloto - Palestinians have been plagued by terrible leadership because that “leadership” has been supported by US and Israel. The first democratically elected government has been squeezed out. Now you see the results.
David Levine is not worthy of reply. Anyone who bases his views on ad hominem name calling deserves no respect.
Kurt Palm wishes for peace. So do I. If only Israel and US leadership would wish for it. Unfortunately, all they can propose is “war on terror.”
I would recommend that all of the above read David Shulman’s book, “Dark Hope; Working for Peace in Israel and Palestine.
The Arab governments are all doomed to continuing failure because they concentrate more on cursing Israel, the Jews and the Americans than they do on developing their own human resources. As Golda Meir said in these approximate words, when the Arabs love their children more than they hate the Jews, there will be peace. For someone to blame Israel or the United States for the decadent conditions of the Palestinian Arab or any other Arab culture or state is to use tunnel vision and biased though politically correct speech. There is no independent thinking or scholarship among these politically correct lemmings.
My goodness, doesn’t anyone agree with me? Oh well, I must remind myself, that as readers of AJC propaganda, the audience is probably biased. I wonder, who are the lemmings?
Oh yes, Golda Meir also said that Palestine and Palestinians don’t exist. And David Ben Gurion said; it is no wonder the Palestinians hate us so, they have lived here for over three thousand years. We have come here and stolen their land!
Well, I guess no one has the ammunition to refute the facts that I, and others who think like me, present. I would let everyone know that this writer is neither anti-Israel, nor anti-Semitic. He is an ethnic but secular Jew. I believe that for the most part Israelis wish for peace, but for some reason are indifferent to the sufferings of other people. Do they not remember that they were once in much the same boat that the Palestinians are in now? Why must they continue to absorb Palestinian territoies and allow the right-wing settlers to rain such terror on innocent, impoverished people? (You will say that it is the Palestinians who use terror and Israel must protect itself.) The obvious answer is that they have become like their own earlier oppressors and have a symbiotic relationship with the US imperial hegemony. And all the diaspora Jews are in denial of these facts. Walls only exacerbate the suffering and will not protect Israel. The more the Palestinians are oppressed, the more terrorism will occur. Please, tear down the wall! Give peace a chance.
Shalom
I’ll bite. Here is my rebuttal to you Gene Schulman.
1. Democracy is not the end goal. Hamas was elected by people whose mind has been poisoned by its so called leaders (PA) who were bent on destruction of its neighbor. Negotiation was a way to get means and position to further its agenda of destruction of Israel. Oslo accords allowed Yasser Arafat and his inner circle to return West Bank and Gaza. White River and other negotiations gave him media clout as “the leader” of his people and white-wash his past to solidify his grip on power. But more to the point, Hitler and his Nazi party was democratically elected to power by Germans in 1933. Would you negotiate with them? Many European Jews didn’t want to see evil then and don’t see it now. “Why should be fear? We lived with our German neighbors for hundreds of years. They’re cultured and civilized. They wouldn’t do anything to us” And so they stayed.
2. Hamas had enough money to buy arms from abroad and resources to dig tunnels under Egyptian/Gazan border to smuggle those arms in Gaza. It’s all about priorities my friend. Building a civil society is not in Hamas’ agenda. Taking control of both Palestinian territories and then Israel is.
3. Israel pulled out Gaza completely. It does not control either Philadelphi Route or Rafah crossing. They are/were under EU/PA control. IDF made very limited incursions to stop Qassam rocket fire on Sderot. Over 2000 rockets have been fired since the Gaza withdrawal by various groups within Gaza.
The day Palestinians leave their victim mentality behind is the day when they will govern themselves in peace with Israel. As for your point of view, as I said before many like you preferred not to see the evil 70 years ago. Their family went to the gas chambers.
Shalom
Ross