Weaker Victims are easier to Pressure more than Powerful Aggressors

11 October 2007

Hamas took the world by storm with the thorough victory in the Palestinian Legislative elections. Prior to the elections, Hamas was expected to be a tough opposition comprising, at most, one third of the Palestinian Legislative Council. The region seemed set to continue along the path set 12 years ago: the Oslo Accords.

24 hours after the elections, Hamas emerged the uncontested majority in the Council, entitling the movement to form the next Palestinian government, without needing any help from other parties. Hamas won 74 seats in the 132-seat Council. In addition, 4 independents backed by Hamas won seats in the Council.

Immediately after the win was announced, international pressure was applied against Hamas to give up its principles and act as if it were a copy of the previous Palestinian Authority leadership. The two main pressure points are: 1) recognizing Israel’s right to exist; and 2) disavowing violence and disarming. The pressure took different forms of “demands,” “blackmail,” and “threats.”

However, Hamas has refused to bow to international pressure, and insisted on its position.

The “peace” process that has taken hold of politicians in the region reached a dismal stage. From the Palestinian and Arab point of view, the sequence of events is extraordinary in how many rights were forsaken for nothing but false promises.

The 1992 Madrid peace conference started with UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 as the reference for peace. The general principle was “return of Arab land in exchange for peace.” But 14 years removed from Madrid, 242 and 338 don’t factor into the equation. No Arab land was returned. Only unilateral Israeli moves, dictated by the interests of the Zionist entity, accounted for the return of southern Lebanon and, partially, the Gaza Strip.

The US has sided with Israel in voiding the right of return of Palestinian refugees, and in giving Israel permission to annex occupied Jerusalem and parts of the occupied West Bank. The pretext for this monumental shift, and total disregard for the most basic concepts of international law, is that the “facts on the ground” dictate that no refugees are to return to their homes, and settlements should be annexed to Israel.

Gone from the equation are legitimate Palestinian rights, set by international law and not the whims of Palestinians, and the integrity of the international community, represented by Security Council Resolutions 242, 338, and 194.

Despite the great divide between the rights Palestinians are entitled to and the actual situation on the ground, the international community insists on blaming Palestinians. It is true that Palestinians shoulder some of the blame. But the blame is for capitulating repeatedly in front of Israeli and American negotiators. The Israelis have become spoiled by how easily Palestinian negotiators give up Palestinian rights.

Hamas campaigned on a platform of change and reform. This includes internal and external reform. On the external front, the time of dictation by the occupation and its allies must come to an end. Israelis must be weaned from sucking Palestinian rights dry to the bone. And so the international community must understand that blaming the victims, no matter how easy and convenient it is, will not solve the problem. The international community must learn to take on the powerful aggressor, and check its hunger for devouring Palestinian rights.