Why 2014 was a
Game Changer in Palestine
By Ramzy Baroud
December 24, 2014 "ICH"
- In terms of losses in human
lives, 2014 has been a horrific
year for Palestinians,
surpassing the horrors of both
2008 and 2009, when an
Israeli war against the Gaza
Strip killed and wounded
thousands.
While some
aspects of the conflict are
stagnating between a corrupt,
ineffectual Palestinian
Authority (PA), and the
criminality of Israeli wars and
occupation, it would also be
fair to argue that 2014 was also
a game changer to some
degree—and it is not all bad
news.
To an extent,
2014 has been a year of clarity
for those keen to understand the
reality of the
‘Palestinian-Israeli conflict’
but were sincerely confused by
the contrasting narratives.
Here are some
reasons that support the
argument that things are
changing.
1. A
Different Kind of Palestinian
Unity
Although the
two leading Palestinian parties
Hamas and Fatah agreed to a
unity government in April,
little has changed on the ground.
Yes, a government was officially
established in June, and held
its first meeting in October.
But Gaza is effectively still
managed by Hamas, which has been
largely left alone managing the
affairs of the Strip after the
Israeli war in July-August.
Perhaps Mahmoud Abbas’s
authority is hoping that the
massive destruction would weaken
Hamas into political submission,
especially as
Egypt continues to seal shut the
Rafah border.
But while the
factions are failing to unite,
the Israeli war on Gaza has
inspired a new impetus of
struggle in the West Bank.
Israeli plans of targeting holy
sites in Jerusalem, particularly
the al-Aqsa Mosque, coupled with
the deep anguish felt by most
Palestinians over the massacres
carried out by Israel in Gaza,
are slowly reverberating into a
wave of mini-uprisings. Some
speculate the situation will
eventually lead to a massive
Intifada that will engulf all of
the territories. Whether
a third intifada takes place
in 2015 or not, is a different
question. What matters is that
the long-orchestrated plot to
divide Palestinians is breaking
apart and a new collective
narrative of a common struggle
against occupation is finally
forming.
2. A
New Resistance Paradigm
The debate
regarding what form of
resistance Palestinians should
or should not adopt is being
sidelined and settled, not by
international do-gooders, but by
Palestinians themselves. They
are opting to use whatever
effective form of resistance
they can that could deter
Israeli military advances,
as resistance groups have
actively done in Gaza. Although
Israel’s latest war
killed nearly 2,200 and wounded
over 11,000 Palestinians
that were mostly civilians,
nevertheless, it has still
failed to achieve any of its
declared or implied objectives.
It was another reminder that
sheer military strength is no
longer the only overriding
factor in Israel’s conduct
towards Palestinians. While
Israel brutalized civilians, the
resistance killed 70 Israelis,
over 60 of whom were soldiers;
this was also an important step
testifying to the maturity of
Palestinian resistance, which
had previously targeted
civilians during the second
intifada and reflected more
desperation rather than a
winning strategy. The
legitimization of the resistance
was to a degree, reflected in
the recent
decision by the European court
to remove Hamas from its
list of terrorist organizations.
Resistance in
the West Bank is taking on other
forms. Although it is
yet to mature into a steady
campaign of anti-occupation
activities, it seems to be
forming an identity of its own
that takes into account what is
possible and what is practical.
The fact is that the ‘one size
fits all’ modes of resistance
debate is becoming less
relevant, giving way to an
organic approach to resistance
devised by Palestinians
themselves.
3. BDS
Normalizes Debate on Israeli
Crimes
Another form
of resistance is crystalizing in
the Boycott, Divestment and
Sanctions Movement (BDS) which
continues to grow, gathering
steam, supporters and constant
achievements. Not only was 2014
a year in which
BDS managed to win the
support of numerous civil
society organizations,
academicians, scientists,
celebrities and to reach out to
people from all walks of life,
it did something else that is
equally important: It normalized
the debate on Israel in many
circles around the world. While
any criticism of Israel was
considered a taboo in
yesteryears, it has been forever
broken. Questioning the morality
and practicality of boycotting
Israel is no longer a
frightening subject, but is open
for debate in numerous media
outlets, universities and other
platforms.
2014 has been
a year that made the discussion
of boycotting Israel more
mainstream than ever before.
While a critical mass is yet to
be achieved in the US, the
momentum is constantly building
up being led by students, clergy
men and women, celebrities and
ordinary people. In Europe, the
movement has been hugely
successful.
4.
Parliaments are Feeling the Heat
While,
traditionally, much of the
southern hemisphere offered
unconditional support for
Palestinians, the West
conceitedly stood with Israel.
Following the Oslo accords, a
bewildering European position
evolved, where they flirted with
finding the ‘balance’ between an
occupied nation and the
occupier. At times, the European
Union (EU) timidly criticized
the Israeli occupation, while
continuing to be
one of Israel’s largest trade
partner,
providing weapons to the Israeli
army, who then use them to
carry out war crimes in Gaza and
sustain its military occupation
in the West Bank.
This debauched
policy is being challenged by
citizens of various European
countries. The Israeli summer
war on Gaza exposed Israel’s
human rights violations and war
crimes like never before,
revealing along the way EU
hypocrisy. To relieve some of
the pressure, some EU countries
appear to be taking stronger
stances against Israel,
reviewing their military
cooperation, and more boldly
questioning the rightwing
policies of Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A
spate of
parliamentary votes
followed,
overwhelmingly voting to
recognize Palestine as a
state. While these decisions
remain largely symbolic, they
represent an unmistakable shift
in EU attitude towards Israel.
Netanyahu continues to
rail against European
‘hypocrisy’, assured,
perhaps, by Washington’s
unconditional support. But with
the US losing control over the
tumultuous Middle East, the
Israeli prime minister might
soon be forced to rethink his
obstinate attitude.
5.
Israel’s Democracy Exposed
For decades,
Israel defined itself as both a
democratic and Jewish state. The
objective was clear: to maintain
Jewish superiority over
Palestinian Arabs, while
continuing to present itself as
a modern ‘western’ democracy—in
fact, the ‘only democracy in the
Middle East.’ While Palestinians
and many others were never sold
on the democracy charade, many
accepted the dichotomy with
little questioning.
While Israel
doesn’t have a constitution, it
has a ‘code’,
called the Basic Law. Since
there is no Israeli equivalent
to a ‘constitutional amendment’
- the Netanyahu government is
pushing for a new law at the
Israeli parliament, the Knesset.
This will basically put forth
new principals
under which Israel will define
itself. One of these
principals will define Israel as
‘the national state of the
Jewish people’, thus casting all
non-Jewish citizens of Israel as
lesser citizens. While, for all
intents and purposes,
Palestinian citizens of Israel
have been treated as an outcast,
and discriminating against in
many ways, the new Basic Law
will be a constitutional
confirmation of their
state-enforced inferiority. The
Jewish and democratic paradigm
is dying for good, exposing
Israel’s reality the way it is.
The
Year Ahead
Certainly 2015
will bring much of the same: The
PA will fight for its own
existence, and try to maintain
its privileges, bestowed by
Israel, the US and others by
using every tool available;
Israel will also remain
emboldened by American funds and
unconditional support and
military backing. Yes, the next
year will also prove
frustratingly familiar in that
regard. But the new, real and
opposing momentum will unlikely
cease, challenging and exposing
the Israeli occupation, on one
hand, and sidestepping the
ineffectual, self-serving
Palestinian Authority on the
other.
2014 was a
very painful year for Palestine,
but also a year in which the
collective resistance of the
Palestinian people, and their
supporters, proved too strong to
bend or break. And in that,
there can be much solace.