After Gaza, Where Do We Go From Here?

After Gaza, where do we go from here? Before we attempt to answer that question we must first recognize the chain of events and courses that led us to the present situation.
Without rehashing the entire history of the Palestinian national movement we chose to focus on the years of the first Intifada (December 1987) to the present.

During the first Intifada the Palestinian National Movement was at its peak in terms of it effectiveness both on the ground, in form of active and passive resistance to the Israeli occupation, and on the international political arena. Some examples:

• Mass participation at all socio and economic levels within the Palestinian society in the Occupied Territories, such as general strikes, confrontations, sit-ins, and mass demonstrations.
• Israel fasade as a free democratic society was exposed especially with its military’s gross violations of human rights captured daily by the international media
• Israel’s society was fragmenting with some prominent voices openly questioning the occupation and its’ practices
• When PLO Chairmen Arafat was denied entry to the US for a UN General Assembly meeting the entire General Assembly reconvened in Geneva, Switzerland to allow him to address the world body

The reason for the initial success of the first Intifada, was due to the fact that it was led by the Unified National Leadership in the West Bank and Gaza that was able to rise up to the level of that historical moment and put aside factional differences. Its success was primarily due its unity and its ability to keep the outside Palestinian leadership from interfering in the day-to-day decision making. When the outside Palestinian leadership was unable to totally control the daily affairs of the Intifada they frantically began grasping at straws in order for them to return to the spotlight, these were:

• Forcing some members of the Unified National Leadership and West Bank personalities to meet with Secretary of State James Baker III which led to,
• The Madrid Peace talks, which led to
• The Oslo Accords

These straws were presented by the outside leadership as “victories” but in actuality they were designed to circumvent the Unified Leadership thus aborting the Intifada. What followed was the return of some the traditional outside leadership, based on Israeli conditions, signaling the beginning of an unending series of conferences, summits, plans, and road maps. Meanwhile, Israel has continued to aggressively expand its settlements, imprison Palestinian activist, confiscate Palestinian land, and terrorize Palestinian civilians, dismembering the West Bank through road blocks, settlement by-pass roads and the Separation Wall. Palestinians held elections only to discover the harsh reality that when the results are not acceptable to the Israeli occupation the real authority rests with the Israeli soldiers who summarily arrested the elected officials.

After 14 years since the creation of the Palestinian Authority, we find ourselves in the worst political and national situation in our history, culminating with Palestinians coordinating with the Israelis to protect the occupiers against fellow Palestinians. We find our society fragmented due to the lack of viable national leadership. In the last few weeks with Israel’s war on the resistance in Gaza there were some Palestinian voices in the PA that could not be differentiated from the Israeli government officials. We find that some official Palestinian and Arab position, vies a vi the War on Gaza or the War on the Resistance, range from collaborators with the Israelis to those we were waiting to see the end result so as not to upset their American and Israeli masters by taking a supportive position. It is a sad state of affairs that during the first two weeks the Arab leaders, including the PA, could not agree to meet. Only after it was proven that the Palestinian resistance was able to withstand all what the Israeli military machine could throw at it, then we saw a flurry of summits. Now we see another war waged against the resistance, disguised as to who will be responsible for the rebuilding of Gaza.

We believe that it is not only high time but absolutely imperative for our national survival that the Palestinian people should engage in a national dialogue on the basis of:

1. Should the Palestinian National Authority as it exists today under the occupation continue?

2. Should the traditional Palestinian political organizations maintain a monopoly on the political future of the Palestinians?

As the authors of this call to dialogue this is a small snap-shot of some positions we have discussed .We believe that what caused our problems must be eliminated. Anything that came from Oslo should be dissolved. The so called Palestinian Authority is anything but. Any PA official is treated no different than any mayor or city official in the old civil administration under the Israeli occupation. Today the common Israeli soldier has more authority than President Abbas. Historically, under occupation it is either the occupier’s soldier or the resistance fighter who holds the authority. The governing power within Palestinian occupied territories should include all Palestinian organizations with no organization demanding a simple majority. This anti-democratic demand has proven time and time again to be a disaster. We also believe that the issue of resistance should be the common denominator that unifies all the organizations and should remain so as long as there is one Israeli soldier or settler remaining in the occupied Palestinian territories of 1967. This coalition should be constituted and organized based on their effectiveness in promoting the national well being of the Palestinian people, both in and outside the occupied territories. We do not claim to know all of the details, or all of the solutions, but we strongly believe that we are at a juncture in our history that we as a people will either rise up to this challenge and produce a leadership that will advance our aspirations to the path of statehood and national independence or continue on this current downward spiral that will only lead to complete dispossession of what is left of our historic homeland and national aspirations.

Committee on Behalf of Palestinians Denied Entry

A New Political Program

Saturday, December 23, 2006

A New Political Program

The latest deadly confrontations between Hamas and Fatah are the culmination of an ongoing struggle over control of the so called Authority in the Palestinian Territories. Since their electoral victory in the last elections, the Hamas led government has been under siege by the US, Israel and the European Union and elements within the Palestinian Authority.

Hamas has taken its surprise victory as something greater than the reality on the ground suggest. The vote that propelled Hamas into this position was nationally recognized as a vote against Fatah and its corrupt legacy, not as a validation of Hamas’s tired rhetoric and sloganeering. While on the other hand, Fatah refuses to accept the results of the elections and has not only placed obstacles, such as strikes and protests, but has continuously worked to undermine the basic workings of the newly elected government. Fatah’s refusal to accept the results of the elections and Hamas’s refusal to work with other parties have led to a dual authority in the territories that are pulling in opposite directions. Both parties’ actions, directives, and public announcements are geared solely to consolidate and solidify their perceived authority while ignoring the national interests of the Palestinian people.

What is imperative on all parties to break from this impasse is the following:
Hamas has to understand that before calling for a national unity government there has to be a national unity political program. This program must include elements of all political positions forged into agreement by consensus. On the basis of that agreement the government is to be formed, and not on the basis of awarding ministries and bureaus based solely on allegiance to Hamas’s agenda. It is the duty of all Palestinian political leaders and patriotic independents to come together to draft this new Palestinian political program based on both internal and external realities. That political program must ensure unity and prevent the domination of any group or individual.

President Abbas’s demands that the Hamas government respect previous agreements (ie. Oslo 1 & 2 and the Wye River Accords, etc.) must be placed in the context of Israel blatantly ignoring dozens of international and bi-lateral agreements it has signed since its inception.

Furthermore, President Abbas's call for early elections must be recinded since there is no reason to undermine the democratic results of the elections no matter how objectionable the results are to the U.S., Israel and the Europeans.

Now is not the time to reflect in hindsight to the pre-Oslo days and dream of what could have been. Now is the time for all Palestinians to concentrate their energies in re-directing the misguided leadership, on both sides, to the true national struggle and national interests of the Palestinian people. Let us not be the generation that disregards the lessons of past national liberation movements. We must recognize that the Palestinian people, with or without this so-called authority, are still in their national liberation struggle phase, in which unity of all political stripes and all social and economic classes is paramount in order for liberation and independence.

In the Palestinian territories under the Israeli military occupation the true authority rests with any Israeli soldier who, at will, can trump any decision, law or act by the Hamas government or President Abbas’s office. Hence, the ongoing internal Palestinian conflict not only weakens what little authority the Palestinians may have, it strengthens exponentially the authority of the Israeli soldier.

Link of Interest

Hello All. I found this article on electronicintifada.org which speaks to the issue of Denied Entry. Check it out.

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article4859.shtml

Denied Entry Update

While the Israeli war machine expands its reckless adventures from the Gaza Strip into Lebanon, leaving in its wake death and destruction to the civilian population of countries, the more subtle and heinous racist policy of the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population in the Palestinian territories continues unchecked.

In an article by Amira Haas and published in the July 10^th issue of the Israeli daily Ha’aretz the magnitude of this racist policy crime is beginning to come to light. Three important points standout and should be addressed:

1. “…the ban has so far affected several thousand American and European nationals whom Israel has kept from returning to their homes and jobs and from visiting their families in the West Bank.” We believe that the truly affected numbers run into the tens of thousands since the overall impact goes beyond just the single denied entry individual.
   
2. “…applications for visitation permits be authorized by a low-ranking official from the Palestinian Interior Ministry, who is not affiliated with Hamas. The ministry refuses to comply with this condition. Now it turns out that this policy has been extended to U.S. and European citizens.” We believe that it is the responsibility of the Palestinian Interior Ministry to issue visiting permits regardless of political affiliation, since the Palestinian government was democratically elected under International auspices. Such a step, no matter how small it may seem, is a crucial building block in establishing Palestinian sovereignty. Furthermore, since the destination of all those Palestinian foreign nationals who are being denied entry is the Palestinian Territories (West Bank and Gaza) the Palestinians must have the sole right in issuing visitation permits.
3. “The U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv told Haaretz that no Israeli official informed them of a change in entry policy, and said that the United States cannot intervene in sovereign decisions of another country.” As U.S. citizens we view this parroted and biased policy with dismay, amazement and abandonment by our government. We as U.S. citizens have no interest what so ever in visiting the “sovereign” state of Israel. As we stated time and time again we are only interested in visiting the Palestinian Territories (West Bank and Gaza) where Israel enjoys no sovereignty at all.

It was refreshing to read Amira Haas’s article in that it touched on some of the issues in depth and we hope that other journalists can also address this issue in a substantive format.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtVty.jhtml?sw=Israel+Bars+palestinian+Americans&itemNo=736349

Israel's latest Incursion

Israel’s current heavy-handed incursion into the Gaza Strip comes on the heels of a two week bombing campaign that killed at least 22 Palestinian civilians. Under the guise of rescuing a captured Israeli soldier, Israel continues to commit blatant and gross violations of international laws and norms. There have been at least two recent precedents where Israel negotiated prisoner exchanges – one with Hezbollah and the other with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command. The Palestinians holding the Israeli soldier have made a humanitarian demand for the release of 372 Palestinian children and 122 women who are languishing in Israeli prisons. The holding of juveniles in a prison system with adults is a grave violation of laws concerning the treatment of children. The underlying objective of this invasion of Palestinian areas is to destroy any chance of a negotiated settlement with the Palestinian Authority, especially when it comes less than 48 hours after all major Palestinian organizations, including Hamas, reached an important understanding that calls for a two state solution which, in essence, recognizes Israel’s right to exist. By continuing its criminal and racist militaristic approach in dealing with the Palestinians, Israel’s true intent is clear. Whatever the “final outcome” the reality on the ground will be the total Israeli control of the entire West Bank and Gaza Strip (borders, air space, water resources, and energy). Proof of Israel’s real intentions is the “Apartheid Wall” that Israel is continuing to build, in spite of international opposition. This “Wall” has effectively dismembered the Palestinian areas into small, fragmented, and economically and socially non-viable communities. Therefore, if Israel is allowed to continue on this same destructive path, the Palestinian territories will be devoured by a “Greater Israel.” Anything short of total Palestinian sovereignty in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem will be meaningless. The Palestinians have internationally recognized rights to a sovereign state that is geographically united and secure. Until this solution is reached, all efforts must be made to help Palestinians to withstand the continuing Israeli onslaught and not to loose sight of their legitimate rights.

Committee on Behalf of Palestinians Denied Entry

But we don’t want to go to Israel!

Israel has enacted a policy of denying entry to American citizens of Palestinian origin.

· Palestinian-Americans who have been denied entry to Israel visit the region strictly to go into the “Palestinian Authority Areas (West Bank and Gaza).” These Americans, who have no interest in visiting Israel proper, are effectively being cut off from relatives and friends in the Palestinian Authority Areas as defined by the “Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements of September 13, 1993 – Oslo Accords.”

· The current political situation offers no alternate point of entry into the Palestinian Authority Areas other than through Israeli controlled entry points.

· Palestinian-Americans, along with other Palestinians with foreign passports, are being denied entry by Israel even though Israel is not their destination. By turning these Palestinian-Americans away at Ben-Gurion International Airport and the two official Jordan River crossings, the Israeli government is in direct violation of the Oslo Accords – Article VI, Section 2, “…authority will be transferred to the Palestinians on the following spheres: education and culture, health, social welfare, direct taxation, and tourism …”

Allowing Palestinian-Americans into the West Bank and Gaza Strengthens the Palestinian Social Fabric and Economy and Is Not a “Security Threat” to Israel

• Because of the political and economic situation in the Palestinian Authority Areas many families are separated, with one or more family members living and working in the United States. Often, this is the only way a family can survive financially, and family members go months at a time without seeing each other. When Israel denies entry to these Americans, the entire fabric of Palestinian society suffers, with children being raised without fathers, mothers, siblings, etc. Prolonged separation eventually leads to entire families leaving the Palestinian Areas to the U.S. (or other countries) to be reunited. Israel is in effect implementing a policy of de-populating Palestinian Areas in direct violation of all international norms and agreements, particularly Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

• Israel denial of entry to those it claims to be a “security risk” is false. Numerous reports and first-hand accounts detail the denial of entry of young children and the very old. The practice of denying entry to those who explicitly state that they are only visiting the Palestinian Authority Areas refutes the Israeli “sovereignty” position. According to the United Nations Resolutions 242 and 338, which clearly state that lands occupied in war must be returned at the end of armed conflict. The Oslo Accords and subsequent agreements gave control and eventual sovereignty over these Palestinian Areas to the Palestinian government. Therefore, Israel has no sovereignty in the Palestinian Areas (West Bank and Gaza).
  
  
• With the current poverty rate in the West Bank and Gaza at 46%, visiting Palestinian- Americans infuse desperately needed funds into these poverty stricken areas. By denying entry to these visitors, the Israeli government is preventing hundreds of thousands of tourism and infrastructure funds from entering the fragile local economy.

What Needs to be Done

• Call your congressional representative immediately to protest Israel’s treatment of Palestinian-Americans and demand that it is not right that the U.S. State Department issues a “Travel Warning” dated June 1, 2006, that simply parrots Israel’s position. Our government must put pressure on Israel to allow Palestinian-Americans an entry point into the Palestinian Authority Areas without suffering Israeli harassment and arbitrary denial of entry.

• On behalf of our families and friends in the Palestinian Authority Areas we call on the Palestinian government (President and Prime Minister) to address this important issue of Palestinian sovereignty and human rights with their Israeli counterparts.

• We call on the U.N. Secretary General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to use their good offices to ensure that Israel abides by international norms and agreements vis-à-vis in regards to travel to and from the Palestinian Authority Areas.

• We call on all local, national and international human rights organizations to support our efforts to end Israel’s arbitrary and cruel treatment of nationals of Palestinian origin.

Committee on Behalf of Palestinians Denied Entry