arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

The Policy of Sharon: The Legend of the Seven Walls
By
Nassar Ibrahim, Alternative Information Center
Dr. Majed Nassar, Health Work Committees
Palestine, 15.7.2002

After almost two years of continuous confrontation in a series of continuous Palestinian resistance activities against the Israeli occupation since 1967, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict seems to be locked in a vicious cycle. Sharon has led his government and his people into a direct and total confrontation.

The Israeli Prime Minister Sharon appears like the magician who can always pull a rabbit from under his hat. He thinks he has the answers to all questions. Sharon came to power promising the Israeli public that he would crush the Palestinian resistance movement (Intifada) in "one blow." Actually he did nothing but to continue with the same policies followed without exception by his predecessors. He unleashed the Israeli army, he continued assassinations, and he built more settlements. He arrested thousands and put two million under an extended curfew. And like his predecessors he has failed to crush the Palestinian resistance movement.

Since the beginning of the Intifada 21 months ago, more than 1700 Palestinians and almost 560 Israelis have been killed. Nevertheless Sharon continues to smile and pull rabbits from his hat. The quick final-blow strategy against the Intifada has failed. It is replaced by "the long-term war strategy against terrorism".

Many politicians have observed that Sharon has neither a plan nor a vision. By default his refusal to set a political agenda has set the agenda of war, and revealed his primary goals to be maintaining the occupation and building more settlements to further deny Palestinians' existence and legitimate rights. This policy is the starting agenda of Sharon, which aims not just to maintain the occupation and the benefits of the occupation, such as continuing the colonization of Palestine (building settlements), but also to secure a captive market for Israeli goods, to secure cheap labor, to maintain control over land and water resources, and finally to enter the Arab market through the Palestinian window. In other words the Israeli occupation is a political and economic project motivated by profit as much as politics. The notion of Israeli "security" has become another popular explanation for maintaining the occupation, and it also must be judged in the larger context.

But in order for Sharon to succeed, a huge amount of false information must be disseminated and many fundamental understandings turned upside down. The Palestinian resistance movement must be renamed "Palestinian terror." Israel has been exonerated by the statement of Mr. George W. Bush that "Israel has the right to defend itself." (Which country in the world does not have the right to defend itself?) According to Mr. Bush's testimony Israel is the victim and the Palestinians are the victimizers. Hence the basic problem is not the Israeli occupation but the Palestinian resistance movement against the Israeli occupation, which has been violently imposed for over 35 years. The slogan "Fighting Palestinian terror" has been invoked to demonize the legitimate Palestinian resistance movement for freedom and independence. The Americans and Israelis reinvent a kind of history that attempts to deny the morality of Palestinian resistance.

Sharon then introduced another item to the distorted understanding of the conflict and reality, which is "absolute security," a psychological-ideological tool used to gather the Israeli public under his flag. The slogan "Israel has the right to defend itself" stole all the limelight and was a precious and valuable present from George W. Bush to Israel. With the refrain of absolute security, Sharon thought he was invincible. Especially when the policy of self-defense, the alleged basis for absolute security, became synonymous to the continuation of the occupation.

In order to proceed with the realization of these policies, Sharon had to suppress the Palestinian resistance movement by waging a long, open war against the Palestinian people, making repeated invasions of Palestinian cities and villages, killing and arresting as many individuals as possible, inflicting an economical disaster on the Palestinian people, and destroying their infrastructure. This would eventually force Palestinian leaders against their own people and turn them into puppets of oppressors. Eventually a political settlement could be reached, but then according to Israeli wishes and US intervention to further those wishes.

Sharon succeeded in pulling the first rabbit from his hat. He succeeded in willing the support of most Israelis for his strategy, leading the Israeli society to become more radical and more racist than ever before. He succeeded in reducing support for the labor party to an unprecedented level. The leaders of this party (e.g., Shimon Peres) were given second-class public relations assignments. He succeeded in turning the lives of Palestinians to living hell and in manipulating the various Arab regimes to the position they belong: in the corner of weakness and indecision. And he thinks he succeeded in positioning himself with Bush as a defender of the world from international terrorism. After September 11th Sharon immediately embraced US rhetoric and declared himself devoted to the cause of the free world. Palestinians became terrorists and Sharon was given the right to deal with them as he wished with any accountability whatsoever.

At this moment Sharon brings out the second rabbit: a long-lasting war against "terrorist infrastructure." And because the Palestinian resistance movement is a comprehensive resistance movement supported by all Palestinians, then the Palestinian people with all their political parties, leaders, institutions, economic structure and infrastructure are the actual target for Sharon's destructive war machine. No matter what war crimes or crimes against humanity Sharon committed during this war, he was pardoned beforehand by Mr. George W. Bush. Even in the case of what happened in Jenin.

But what next?

As Sharon has proved his inability to crush the Palestinian resistance movement and his parallel inability to grant the Israeli public absolute security, he has started to encounter problems with his own community and among his constituents. The Israeli public's mind is distorted and his understanding is perverted. There is a loss of vision in general and a denial of the reality of the occupation in particular. The Israeli political mind has become fixated on tanks, F-16s, and Apache helicopters, as the only options for solving the conflict. The present Israeli rhetoric defies all logic and dismisses international conventions. The problems of Sharon have begun to surface and create serious waves: The main theme of this internal Israeli commotion is that Sharon has been unable to provide security for the Israeli public. In fact the security of the Israeli citizens deteriorated dramatically since Sharon came to power and the statistics show that the highest losses were during the Sharon time.

Moreover the following is evident:

* Increasing deterioration of the Israeli economical situation due to lower investments, devaluation of the Shekel (once the Shekel goes beyond 5 NIS per US dollar, there is no way to predict how low it may go thereafter), catastrophes for the tourist branch, increased cuts from the social budget, and increased unemployment
* Increased budgets for the military and security apparatus (without output), despite a current deficit in the Ministry of Defense budget for fiscal 2003
* Increased number of Israeli soldiers refusing to serve in the occupation army
* Increased number of those leaving Israel and not returning, compared to the shrinking number of new immigrants
* Increased tension between the various political parties especially between the Labor and the Likud
* Increased confusion within the Israeli public where 65% support dismantling the settlements and a high number also support the policies of Sharon as a direct result of his intimidating polemics
* Restructuring and rise of the Israeli peace movement that dwindled after the assassination of Rabin
* Increased trend to boycott Israel and Israeli goods in Europe and the United States. A taboo theme of the past was broken.
* Increased international criticism toward the policy of occupation

These are the direct results of the occupation on the Israeli public. But the indirect results are already being given mutilated birth by the womb of the Sharon policy, such as:

· Increased racism and chauvinism of the Israeli state vis-a-vis the Palestinian Israeli population (20% of the total population). Long before the State of Israel was created the Palestinian workers at that time (Jews, Christian and Moslem) were unified in their struggle for a better standard of living. Today the suspension of the two Palestinian members of the Israeli parliament, Mr. Azmi Bishara and Mr. Ahamad Tibi, and their prosecution reflect a worsening state of affairs. In addition to increasing racism, Israelis' morals and basic respect for human rights are plummeting, as evident by the recent prevention of non-Jews from owning land in Israel. Further there is increased tension between Israel and the neighboring people on the regional level as well as on the International level. (Here comes the question: Is Sharon defending the good of the Jewish people, or is he calling for the bad spirits against the Jewish people?)

· Being under pressure from inside the Israeli community as well as from the international community to finally reach a political settlement, Sharon found himself on the defensive again. The commotion from inside the Israeli public was getting louder. Many are doubting his ability to reach a conclusion to this war that is breaking the budget of the Israeli Ministry of Finance and is already leading to severe cuts in the future, even in the budget of the Ministry of Defense. The experience of Lebanon in 1982 does not make a pleasant memory for most Israelis.

Exactly at this stage Sharon introduced the third rabbit; the Palestinian leadership has to be changed. Reforms are necessary now and they are essential prerequisite for "Israel." Not only that, but the Palestinian society as a whole has to be changed and suddenly become receptive to the Israeli occupation. Again we find the total support of Bush in his speech of 24 June 2002.

Employing the distorted logic of Sharon, he introduced his guidelines for a (non) political settlement:
* No negotiations with the current Palestinian leadership
* No negotiations on the permanent settlement of the conflict
* The establishment of a Palestinian state should be postponed as much as possible, that is, indefinitely.
* The negotiations on the Palestinian state are based on 48% of the occupied territories.
* The proper management of the crisis inside Israel vis-a-vis the Palestinian resistance movement is more important and more urgent than its resolution
* No settlements should be dismantled
* To seize Palestinian cities and villages for a longer time but at the same time avoid the reintroduction of the so-called "civil administration" as long as possible.
* The Palestinians must be pushed harder to accept Israeli terms for a long-term agreement.

It is certainly up to the Palestinian people to accept or reject this fantasy. But it is also up to the international community to support Sharon or not. We believe that any policy based on so many inconsistencies and distortions of history cannot lead to a possible solution to the conflict. The policy and tactics of Sharon have nothing to do with the fight against terrorism, and everything to do with maintaining an illegitimate and inhumane military occupation. As long as Sharon and his ideas represent Israel, a just and peaceful solution remains a distant goal.

In the very near future, we will witness the transformation of the hills and fields of Palestine into a magnificent fantasy-land of dividing walls, reminiscent of the Dark Ages. Palestinian cities and villages will be surrounded by seven walls and behind them seven seas. Eventually crocodiles will be posted as underwater guards to devour anyone bold enough to dare to swim to the other side. A solid concrete wall, barbed wire, electronic fences and cameras, land mines, and an additional wall of bypass roads will add a surrealistic touch (worthy of Salvador Dali) to the scene. Nothing should be spared to realize this fantasy of eternal occupation...

However:

Those who think that the Palestinian resistance movement is a mere whim or simply the notion of a few individuals that can be easily crushed by assassinating some leaders or destroying homes or putting people in prison are sorely mistaken. The entire Palestinian people are rebelling against constant injustice and oppression. Even though there may be times of quiet and silent sadness, the resistance activities will continue. Ghassan Kanafani once wrote to his niece in 1972: "We will pay the price of our instability for your stability. And when the time comes, my dear, we will step down and you, the younger generation, will take over."

P.S. This article is a sample from the monthly magazine "News from Within" a publication of the Alternative Information Center. For further details, please contact: nfw@alt-info.org