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The Occupation of the Palestinian Mind

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FrontPageMagazine.com October 12, 2005
http://www.meforum.org/article/773
 

In May of 2000, the Lebanese-based Hezbollah terrorist group faced an unexpected challenge. Israel's unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon has threatened to pull the raison d'etre for its existence out from under its feet. After all, what can an organization that dedicated its life to fighting the "Israeli occupation of Lebanon" do after the last Israeli solider shut the border gate and the UN announced that Israel is in full compliance with Security Council resolution 425, recognizing the Israeli-Lebanese permanent border in the north? How about fighting for Jerusalem?
Organizations have a life of their own – and certainly "vision" driven groups like Hezbollah will not falter on technicalities. Nasrallah, Hezbollah's leader, was quick to announce that the group will not lay down its arms until Israel leaves the Shaba farms, Syrian land that is located at the Golan Heights under Israeli control. Since then, Hezbollah, a group responsible for the killing of more than 800 people in the Middle East, Europe and South America, has only increased its activities. It did so not only in Lebanon, but also in the Palestinian Authority-controlled areas and in Iraq.
Likewise, many Palestinians have found themselves baffled facing the successful completion of the Israeli disengagement from Gaza. Although much of this move was coordinated with the Palestinian Authority (PA), the reality of Israeli-free Gaza appeared to have taken many by surprise. The fact that the Israelis are no longer there was evident by the launch of a week of "festivities" that included the burning of synagogues, factories and other public buildings that could otherwise have been put to use for the emerging Palestinian state. But again, the fact that the last Israeli solider shut the Gaza gate for the very last time is nothing but a technicality. As in Lebanon, this should not mean that the occupation is over.
The occupation is something that many Palestinians are unwilling to see as over. Civil Affairs Minister Mohammad Dahlan stated "Israel is deceiving itself if it believes that occupying Gaza Strip has now ended." PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas added that "the legal status of the areas slated for evacuation has not changed."
More importantly, Hamas, whose latest action was the launch of over 30 rockets toward Israeli communities surrounding Gaza, was quick to announce that the occupation is not yet over. Hamas, which is looking to participate in the upcoming Palestinian elections, equates the end of the occupation with the end of Israel.
As long as Palestinians cling to the notion of being "occupied," and Israel remains the "oppressor," we are destined to see more of the dynamics of the past and less of the possibilities of the future.
President Bush is considering calling for a "provisional" Palestinian State, a term that will grant official stature to the Palestinian Control over Gaza. It will also help push the Roadmap for Peace, a plan that calls for the Establishment of a Palestinian state in Gaza and the majority of Judea and Samaria. Palestinian leaders have expressed reservations that can be better understood on the background of the above-described dynamic. Provisional State status means an added layer of responsibility – one that the PA may still not be ready to take. On the other hand, the occupation offers a greater degree of flexibility, since if (and when) things go wrong, there is always Israel to blame.
The "occupation" will end only when the Palestinians have more to look forward to than sending their children to become suicide bombers. Moreover, the PLO covenant still calls for the destruction of Israel. This only underscores how insincere the Abbas leadership is when it comes to taking serious steps towards reform.
In a moment of frustration, following a deadly terrorist attack in Tel Aviv, Shimon Peres, the former Israeli prime minister once called his co-recipient of the Nobel Prize, Yasir Arafat, in an attempt to convince him to act against the network of terror that was growing under his control. The conversation did not go well. Then Peres asked a question that the Palestinians have not answered until this very day. "Mr. Arafat", he asked, "what do you want more: a Palestinian State or a Palestinian struggle?" As long as the Palestinian choice remains one of struggle, the occupation will continue forever regardless of the location of border passes. The occupation in Gaza is over. It is now time to end the self-imposed occupation of the Palestinian mind as well.

Nir Boms is the Vice President of the Center for Freedom in the Middle East. Asaf Romirowsky is a research fellow at the Middle East Forum.

You may freely forward this information, but on condition that you send the text as an integral whole along with complete information about its author, date, and source.

Russian version
An introduction to MAOF
Haim Goldman

Dear Friends,

Would you believe that the undersigned has anything in common with

-- Professor Victor Davis Hanson (Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University),
-- Dr Charles Krauthammer, (Washington Post, Time, The Weekly Standard),
-- Caroline Glick (Deputy Managing Editor of the Jerusalem Post),
-- Jonathan Tobin (Executive Editor of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent).

Amazingly, the editors of the MAOF website decided that the missives of the undersigned are worthy of translation and posting along the articles written by these distinguished authors.

The first letter was published without the consent of the undersigned.
However, after thorough examination of the laudable attitude of MAOF and of the excellent contents of the website, the undersigned had most graciously granted his permission for publication of his missives in both English and Russian.

“Analytical Group MAOF” [1] is an organisation founded about ten years ago by Russian-speaking Jewish intellectuals. The attitude of MAOF is definitely pro-Zionist -- unambiguously and unapologetically.

One of MAOF’s primary purposes is providing information and analysis about Middle-Eastern and world affairs as well as about Israel’s history, values and dilemmas. In addition to extensive publication activity in various media, MAOF also organises excursions and seminars. While the vast majority of the contents of the MAOF website is in Russian, texts originally written in English are provided in the original [2] as well as in Russian.

There are arguably about 250 millions of Russian-speakers worldwide and many of them do not read English. The indisputable motivation for the author’s permission was to grant those millions of disadvantaged people the grand benefit of reading the author’s ruminations. If the author is ever maliciously accused that his tacit motivation for authorising the publication was his craving to be listed along with the above-mentioned distinguished writers, his plea will definitely be “nolo contendere”.

The editors of MAOF expressed their gratitude by granting the undersigned a privilege that no other author got – the opportunity to review and correct the Russian translation before publication. The original letters of the undersigned are at [3] and their Russian version is at [4]. At of today, only two letters are posted but several other letters are pending translation.

You are kindly ENCOURAGED TO RECOMMEND the MAOF website to your friends and colleagues worldwide, particularly those who speak Russian. Those who do not enjoy the benefit of proficiency in the exquisite Russian language can find many thought-provoking and inspiring articles about Middle-Eastern and world affairs in the English section [2].

Sincerely,

Haim Goldman
28.10.2006

REFERENCES:

[1] http://maof.rjews.net
[2] section.php3? sid=37&num=25
[3] authorg.php3? id=2107&type=a
[4] authorg.php3? id=2166&type=a