Two Paths Ahead for the Palestinians: Nonviolence vs. Violence

Throughout history, most people have achieved liberation and freedom through violence. The French did so via the French Revolution and ditto for the Cuban revolution, the Romanian Revolution and the American Revolution. Others today are trying the same techniques including the Tamils in Sri Lanka and currently, the Palestinians in Gaza led by Hamas' militant wing.

However, there is a different method of achieving liberation and freedom and that is through nonviolent methods. This method is best represented by India, the Philippine Revolution, the Revolutions of 1989 in Cold War satellite countries like the Singing Revolution in the Baltic States and the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, and more recently, the 2000 Bulldozer Revolution in Serbia, the 2003 Rose Revolution in Georgia and the 2004 Orange Revolution in Ukraine.

Other nonviolent movements include Martin Luther King's nonviolent movement to win civil rights for African Americans, Cesar Chavez's nonviolent movement to protest the treatment of farm workers in California, the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon following the assassination of Rafik Hariri in 2005 that led to the ousting of Syrian troops from Lebanon, what were equated to peaceful nonviolent movements in several South American countries for change including Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Dominican Republic and another one in the Philippines.

Not all movements, whether violent or nonviolent, work, but a people have to decide, based on the current situation, whether they want to pursue a peaceful or violent means of achieving an end.

In the case of the Palestinians, there are two rival factions with two distinctly different ways of thinking represented by the two parties sharing power, Fatah and Hamas. Starting in the early 90's, Fatah, the leading member of the PLO, made the decision to abandon violence as a way to achieve freedom and participated in the Oslo accords. Around the same time, Hamas created the Al Qassam Brigades, which is its military branch that conducts suicide attacks on Israel.

From there, the two factions went their separate ways. Fatah decreased its role in supporting the Al Aqsa Brigades, renounced terrorism and agreed to recognize Israel. Hamas continued to represent violent resistance to Israel and capitalized on the indecisiveness of the Palestinian people and the lull in international pressure on the Palestinian Authority and Israel to increase their power and promote violent resistance over peaceful nonviolent actions.

As is apparent these last few days, Israel will not succumb to violent methods of revolution and resistance. If there is anyone on either side that is not convinced that Israel will never let itself be bullied or attacked without repercussions, then they are living in la-la land. Israel has demonstrated time and time again that they are willing to defend their right to exist and their people by any means necessary, even if it means they lose face internationally and even if it means they lose clout in the long term. The Holocaust has taught the Israelis that acting sooner, no matter the consequences, is the only way to guarantee survival.

There are only two paths ahead, one for Hamas and one for the Israelis, that each must take in order to solve this conflict once and for all. All of us in the international community must band together to push both of these actors to take their respective paths.

Hamas

Hamas must realize that there are only a few ways to gain freedom via violent resistance:

1) You are militarily stronger than your enemy
2) There is a stronger state that has influence on your enemy that backs your bid for freedom
3) Your enemy is no longer interested in controlling you; either through a change in national interest or atrophy in the enemy's will to control you

Most terrorist organizations target Western Democracies because of the 3rd key point. They believe that it is easy to wear down the will of Western Democracies with extreme spectacular violence and they have been proven right in the past. Hamas also believes this. The only difference with Israel is that they are not a Western Democracy. They are a Zionist nation determined to exist. You will never wear down their will to fight. No nation has any influence that will trump their survival and they are extremely powerful. Therefore, a violent resistance to gain your freedom will never happen. Period.

So do you give up? No, but you must change strategies. You must go the nonviolent route. Only when you give up violence will you force Israel to recognize your right to exist. In defending themselves, Israel only sees red. They don't see your plight. You must begin to rethink your strategy because it is not working, nor will it ever work. If you continue to advocate revolution via violent means, I fear that you will be fighting with Israel forever and you will isolate yourself and lose power with the Palestinian people.

Israel

Israel must realize that they need peace with their neighbors and the only way to do so is to accept and implement the full Arab Peace Initiative offered in 2002 by the Arab League and signed by every member of the Arab League (of which 18 out of 22 do not recognize Israel) and the Muslim World Summit. This peace initiative has not received much press, but it offers the only peaceful solution to the wider problem and this specific conflict within that wider text.

Every single member of the Arab League and Muslim World Summit endorsed this plan. Even Hamas agreed to the initiative.

Israel must look to normalize relations with its neighbors and this olive branch offers the greatest chance. In exchange, the EU and America should guarantee that they will protect Israel's right to exist and its right to Zionism.

We, as Americans, need to recognize that these global conflicts have repercussions on our daily lives. We need to take an active role in resolving these conflicts by not taking sides and being objective. We know that no conflict is resolved solely by the mediator. The conflicts will be resolved only by the participating parties, but it is our duty, and it is in our national security interest, to take on these conflicts one by one around the globe until we solve them all.

Israel/ Palestine. Kashmir. Sri Lanka. Chechnya. Congo. Somalia. Uganda. Taiwan. Cyprus. Darfur. Chad. Eritrea. Nigeria. We ignore each of them at our own peril.

Comments

[kyizom]

Nonviolent Resistance is forceful and Tibetans are the living example who have continued nonviolently resistance against the illegal occupation of Tibet by China since 1949.

Violence will not work and Hamas should find alternative nonviolent strategies to tackle the power based on truth and justice. MLK said " Ruler cannot rule if people do not obey". Nonviolence resistance can change the power balance. Hamas should rethink its strategy as Sean Gilfillan mentions.....

[hlim431]

Problem is MLK was Christian, "forgive your enemies and turn the other cheek" is just NOT the Jewish way. What Israel is doing is just shameful not worthy of people who are supposed to be the "light of the world". Alas Jews, an ancient peoples really do live by "a tooth for a tooth" or in the case of Lebanon-Hisbollah and Gaza-Hamas it was more like "a hundred teeth for a single tooth". Without ANY reprimands by THE Stronger State (i.e. USA) Israel think they can do "Nazi-style atrocities" with impunity, like shooting 100 villagers for a single death caused by a French partisan.

Kicking Palestinians like dogs for 60 years has long-lasting, negative effects and let's face it, Muslims aren't Christians and historically they don't do "turn the other cheek" either. Perhaps the only way Israel will recognize the rights of Palestinians is to have a more equal fight, not home-made rockets & suicide bombers versus modern jet aircraft & tanks.

Unfortunately, I think these peoples culturally are unable to treat others who are different as equals? And I am NOT only talking about Jews (who think they are chosen) but Muslims too (who think non Muslims are infidels). My tears for PM Rabin were so prophetic, "now millions more will have to die"! I think we should ALL pray for another Yitzhak Rabin with the Wisdom of Solomon, not Benyamin Netanyho, who might harbor ambitions of "The Final Solution" for the troublesome Palestinians.

[Magenta]

Michale32086, it is not the Hamas are the issue. It is the Israelis who are putting roadbloacks to peace.

"... new poll jointly by the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah, revealed that two-thirds of Palestinians support the Arab Peace Initiative, a plan that offers Israel full recognition by Arab countries in return for withdrawing from occupied lands, and nearly two-thirds of Israelis oppose it. .."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamal-dajani/palestine-israel-waiting_b_152338.html

Israel does not recognise the right of palestinians to real statehood beyond a prison camp existence like in Gaza Strip where the Israelis can withhold supplies, electricity and tax dollars as Israel control all entry points to the Gaza Strip.

Famed Israeli Journalist Decries Civilian Casualties in Gaza
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-mitchell/isareli-journalist-decrie_b_154219.html

"... In a radio interview she described life in Gaza: "It is complete isolation, I feel it's like a black hole. Everybody, this isolation, this blockade reduces people's lives in to basic concern. Will there be electricity? Will there be water? Will we find candles in the shop? Is there gas for cooking?" She also pointed out: "Hamas is not unhappy with the isolation right now because it enables it to establish its own regime in this small part of the world."...

[ballsmuch]

this article is the only huffington post piece that addresses the political reality of the middle east conflict. Jews and Muslims are never going to agree on who the land belongs to; we are way past that point in history. even if one side has a rightful claim to the land, right now, Israel is the only actor operating from a position of power. for the powerless palestinians, the only way to acheive liberation and address historical greivences from the past 50 years is to honestly sit at the peace table.

Israel will fight because its mindset is about survival. As long as it sees a threat to their existence, they will respond with force--somethings overwhelmingly. Someone or some country within the Arab world with influence must say to the Arab people they need to accept Israel's existence. They need to say we Arabs will no longer view the Jews as enemies in our land, but neighbors. Along with the sincere words, actions such as Hamas and Hezbollah renouncing their mission statement and becoming strictly political organizations (like Sinn Fein). From there, the ball is in Israel's court to remove its presence from the territories and engage in dialogue about permenantly dismantling settlements and returning land.

Once again, the political reality is the Palestinians and Arab world, to a degree, can bring about peace in the region if they forsake violence means. Israel was born in frustration and desperation, and they deserve the right to fight for their survival.

[Sean Gilfillan - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks Ballsmuch. I see no reason to speak on idealistic visions and not in realistic terms. Israel will never cease to exist and Hamas is here to stay. Period. Now once both sides accept those two facts, we can move on.

[Michale32086]

Until Hamas recognizes Israel's right to exist and quits lobbing missiles blindly into Israeli neighborhoods, nothing will change.

Hamas is in complete control of the actions of the IDF.

Hamas could stop the attacks in a minute and live in peace side by side with the Israelis if they would just agree to live in peace side by side with the Israelis..

Michale....

[Sean Gilfillan - Huffpost Blogger]

True. Hamas must do that and Israel must achieve peace with the rest of the Arab League or else the rest of their existence will be miserable, full of violence, death and destruction.

[Magenta]

It is Israel who has since 1947 failed to obey UN edicts i.e. unilaterally declaring the state of israel and occupaying Arab lands when the UN still waited for the Arab confirmation, as well as occupying lands it has taken which it has to return in accordance of international law.

This is the facts of the matter that the israeli supporters fail to address. Kindly produce your documentation for your points and your critics will provide theirs for a real debate.

[Sean Gilfillan - Huffpost Blogger]

Magenta, that is great to point out, but that is not reality on the ground. The reality is that Israel will continue to do what Israel does no matter who tries to talk them out of it. They could care less what the UN resolution says if they deem themselves threatened. Once we recognize that and the fact that Hamas represents a significant sector of the Palestinian population we can move on towards a peaceful resolution. Everyone needs to do their part, including Israel, Hamas, Arab Nations, the UN, US, EU and the rest of the international community to resolve this conflict.

[Magenta]

Sean, sadly I agree...

[usedtowander]

The Arab Peace Initiative would seem to be a non-starter.

The Arab nations have shown themselves to be, over and over again, utterly incapable of honoring a peace agreement of any kind - particularly with Israel.

There is not the slightest reason to believe that they will maintain their agreements. And, there is certainly no reason to believe that the U.N. will act on behalf of Israel.

If Israel agreed to the Arab Peace Initiative they would be agreeing to a second holocaust.

[Sean Gilfillan - Huffpost Blogger]

I'm not sure what elements of the API would lead to a 2nd Holocaust, usedtowander. In fact, I would say that Egypt, Jordan and Fatah are doing a pretty good job honoring their peace agreements with Isreal.

I also said that the US and the EU should guarantee Israel's existence and right to Zionism.

[TheBaffler]

The Palestinians still get beat upon by the Israelis even when the Palestinians are lying down like dogs. Non-violence has sadly gotten them nowhere in the past, because Israel attacks them simply for existing. The Palestinians' resistance, while ultimately futile, at least let's them feel something other than a sense of complete hopelessness, if only briefly. The only obstacle to peace is Israel's intransigent sense of entitlement and their monopoly on victimhood. Until the Israelis recognize the Palestinians as humans with rights, nothing will change.

[Sean Gilfillan - Huffpost Blogger]

I would really like to see Hamas change strategies and peacefully demonstrate like Martin Luther King and Ghandi did in their nonviolent movements. MLK believed that dedicating yourself to a nonviolent resistance­/revolutio­n was the only way to win. Here are his 6 points:

Nonviolent Resistance is Not Cowardly

Nonviolent Resistance Awakens Moral Shame

Nonviolent Resistance is a Battle Against Evil

Nonviolent Resistance Requires Suffering

The Nonviolent Resister is on the Side of Justice

Nonviolent Resistance Rests on the Power of Love

Here is the link to read more: http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/martinlutherking/a/mlks_philosophy.htm

[Michale32086]

Did you ever read Tom Clancy's SUM OF ALL FEARS???

There is a way for the Palestinians to "defeat" Israel. If only the Palestinians would stop the terrorism and think about it..

Michale.....

[TheBaffler]

You're blaming the victims for their own plight. It's up to the Israelis to set things straight, since they wield all the power and are the ones mostly in the wrong.

The Palestinians have taken a non-violent approach for years at a time, only to still be mercilessly battered by the Israelis. After a while, they get to feeling hopeless and we see acts of desperation like suicide bombing after the non-violence tact yields no results. This has been they cycle for decades.