Palestinian Naivety: Making The
Realization Of A Genuine And Durable Reconciliation
Unlikely
23 June 2012
By Khalid Amayreh
The recent agreement between Fatah and Hamas to patch
up their differences is raising many eyebrows in
Occupied Palestine and beyond. Discouraged by the
numerous fiascos of the past, many Palestinians think
the agreement will eventually evaporate into another
disappointment. Others prefer to look at the
proverbial half-full glass. They argue that the rift
between the two largest Palestinian political camps
has lingered for too long and cost the Palestinian
people and their just cause irreparable damage, so
much so that the two groups have now learned the
required lessons and are willing to coexist
peacefully. If not amicably.
As part of the agreement, the two sides agreed to form
a national unity government, prepare for elections and
begin a process of normalization and national
reconciliation.
However, it is amply clear that reality on the ground
doesn't leave much room for optimism even for those
who want to give the parties the benefit of the doubt.
Let us cite some of these facts on the ground that
will make the realization of a genuine and durable
reconciliation unlikely.
First, the Israeli occupation army, not the
Palestinian Authority (PA), controls every nook and
cranny in the West Bank, hence it is the apartheid
Zionist state that has and will have the final say
with regard to matters such as holding elections,
especially in East Jerusalem.
Second, it is inconceivable that the Islamic
liberation group, Hamas, would consent to continued
security coordination between Israel and the PLO. Such
consent would eviscerate Hamas of all its Islamic and
nationalist credentials and project the movement as
just another Fatah, or another political group vying
for "power" under the heels of Israeli military
occupation. This scenario amounts to political suicide
for Hamas and could consign the movement to the museum
of history.
This issue is very crucial for reaching national
reconciliation. The so-called security coordination
between Israel and the PA is a matter of survival for
the Ramallah regime. Indeed, for Israel, security
coordination with the PA (against Hamas and other
opponents of the scandalously bankrupt peace process)
constitutes the ultimate Raison d'ętre of the PA.
Hence, it is highly unlikely that Israel will tolerate
any serious reduction in the level of security
coordination and collaboration with the PA. It is true
that Hamas would probably opt for political and
popular resistance against the Israeli occupation. But
this is no guarantee that Israel will allow Hamas to
reestablish itself in the West Bank, even through
reincorporation into the PA apparatus.
In the final analysis, the Israeli witch-hunt policy
against Hamas has very little to do with resistance to
the occupation or "terror" as Israeli propaganda
refers to every act of resistance or opposition to the
Nazi-like occupation.
Israel is simply against Hamas because Hamas refuses
to lower the ceiling of Palestinian national
aspirations, especially those pertaining to such core
issues as Jerusalem, the paramount Right of Return for
the refugees, recognition of Israel and settlements.
It is true that Fatah publicly adopts more or less
similar positions on these issues. However, it is
clear that Israel believes or at least hopes that
Fatah could be bullied or cajoled into making
far-reaching compromises that would enable Israel to
clinch a significantly better deal than anything
involving Hamas.
Hamas refuses to recognize Israel, let alone recognize
it as a Jewish state for ideological reasons. The
group argues rather convincingly that it is grossly
unfair to demand a Palestinian recognition of Israel
at a time when Israel continues to refuse to
acknowledge the very existence of the Palestinian
people.
Moreover, Hamas argues convincingly that Israel never
has peace with the Palestinians on the top of its
priority list as the apartheid state continues to
build settlements on occupied land and transfers
hundreds of thousands of its Jewish citizens to live
on land that belongs to another people.
Third, the continued rounding-up of Hamas' supporters
in the West Bank underscores the utter ill-will of the
Fatah movement which apparently prefers to appease
Israel and its guardian-ally, the United States,
rather than respond positively and sincerely to
reconciliation efforts with Hamas.
Hundreds of Hamas supporters, including college
students, are still being detained in PA lockups in
the West Bank. This fact means that mistrust and
mutual suspicions will continue to shape the manner in
which the two groups relate to each other.
More to the point, it is well known that hundreds of
Islamist institutions, including schools, clinics,
youth clubs, cultural centers, charities and social
centers have been taken over by Fatah, which refuses
to return them to rightful owners. This, too, shows
that Fatah doesn't have much faith in the
reconciliation process with Hamas and wants to keep
its bargaining cards close to its chest.
Notwithstanding, it is widely expected that the
election issue will prove to be the most difficult
obstacle impeding the realization of genuine
reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas. Since the last
Palestinian general elections were held in 2006,
Israel has been rounding up Hamas or pro-Hamas
politicians, serving them with prolonged prison terms
for "association with a terrorist organization." In
fact, even today, five years later, as many as 26
Palestinian lawmakers are still languishing in Israeli
dungeons and detention camps on purely frivolous
charges. The captives include the Speaker of the
Palestinian parliament Aziz Dweik, a professor of
Urban Planning.
A lawyer representing some of these lawmakers told
this writer that in any other country; his clients
wouldn't spend a single day in prison.
"They are held in Israeli jails because Jewish
officials want to satiate their sadistic urges. This
is the reason my clients and others are not brought
before a genuine court of law…because they have done
absolutely nothing wrong."
In light, Hamas must seek real guarantees that its
candidates and supporters will be granted full freedom
to campaign unhindered by the Israeli occupation army.
Similarly, Hamas must obtain guarantees against the
arrest of its candidates, before or after the
elections.
But Neither Fatah nor the PA, not even the EU and the
US, can give such guarantees, given the lawless and
insolent nature of the Israeli state.
Hence, it is imperative that Hamas make every effort
in order not to fall into the trap that is being set
up for it, especially in the West Bank.
This is because a genuine election that is worthy of
the name must at the very least ensure that all
participating parties and groups are treated on equal
footing and given equal opportunities.
Otherwise, the rift will be consolidated and the
current agreement will vanish into oblivion.
In conclusion, it is futile to conduct genuine
elections, let alone pretend we are free and
sovereign, while the Israeli occupation authorities
continue to occupy our country, torment our people,
strangle our will to freedom and dignity, and try to
force us into succumbing to a status of water carriers
and wood hewers in the service of the master race, the
so-called chosen people.
©
EsinIslam.Com
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