Non-Violent Resistance Maybe a Miracle Recipe

By MIFTAH: http://www.miftah.org 

December 17, 2004

The Palestinian uprising or Intifada entered its 4th year on September the 29th 2004. This Intifada was sparked by a controversial visit by the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to the Haram al-Shareef in Jerusalem’s old city. Unlike its predecessor this Intifada has been considerably different. Frequent suicide bombings and unprecedented Israeli violations have given this Intifada the violent character it so embodies.

Undoubtedly the death of President Arafat has affected the course of this Palestinian uprising, in addition to recent developments in the area such as the visit by Mahatma Ghandi’s grand son Arnun Ghandi as well as the recent calls by the Palestinian presidential candidate and former Prime Minister Abu Mazen for both the demilitarization of this Intifada, as well as, the pursuit of non-violent resistance as a means to achieving independence and freedom from occupation.

On Tuesday the PLO Chariman Mahmoud Abbas made some very sensitive statements concerning the Palestinian uprising, that have been greeted with positive feedback by many Palestinians including the US and Israel, however, have been rejected publicly by many Palestinian factions. In his tour of Middle-Eastern states to rally support for the newly emerging leadership in the post Arafat era, Abbas called for the demilitarization of this Intifada by saying, “Using weapons has been harmful to our cause and has got to stop.” However, Abu Mazen reiterated that the Palestinian people have the inalienable right to resist, but should keep arms out of the uprising, “keep the use of arms out of the uprising, because the uprising is a legitimate right of the people to express their rejection of the occupation by popular and social means.”

There is almost universal consensus that this uprising has not born the fruits as its predecessor did. The results of the first Intifada in comparison to this one were remarkable yet very humble at the same time. Many factors contributed to the fact that the first Intifada was universally recognized as a legitimate form of resistance. The first Intifada was characterized mainly by two attributes that made it irrefutable. Firstly it constituted an uprising involving a ‘levee en masse’ popular uprising. The first Intifada was a show of national discontent with the occupation involving most of Palestinian society. Secondly the main characteristic that stuck in everybody’s mind, were the children and elderly people throwing stones at the occupier which constitutes an unarmed yet violent resistance, as stipulated in the fourth Geneva Conventions. Bearing in mind that under the chapter of The rights and duties of the occupied population, Palestinians are granted the right to armed resistance.

Abu Mazen went on to say that, “We, at this stage, are against the militarization of the Intifada (uprising) because we want to negotiate. And because we want to negotiate, the atmosphere should be calm in preparation for political action.” Such moves by the PLO Chairman with his willingness to upset the Palestinian groups, has won him praise from Israel and its key ally the United States. However, praise is not enough. At a time like this deeds are important as well as tangible results for Palestinians. This time around the US must pressure Israel to become a constructive partner in upcoming peace negotiations and more importantly it is up to Israel this time round to honor any upcoming truce.

However, seen as this Intifada has had more negative than positive results, it should be worth pondering for Palestinians to peruse a unified and concentrated strategy of non violent resistance with all that it includes. Maybe at a time like this, with all the developments that have taken place, a strategy of non-violent but highly concentrated resistance, could prove to be a miracle recipe for ending this unjust and prolonged occupation.

http://www.miftah.org