Palestinian factions and the gap between resistance and politics

Palestinian factions and the gap between resistance and politics- By Dr Ghazi Hamad
Date: 23 / 05 / 2009 Time: 15:16
[Ma'anImages]

Half a century has passed as Palestinian factions struggle. Half a century of tender sacrifice, martyrs, heroic operations and competition.

What we need to ask the factions now, is have they succeeded? Did they get what they hoped for from their sacrifices; are they satisfied with always giving and not taking?

The great challenge for these military wings is to fight against the occupation in a way that forwards real political gains. In the history of revolutions there are those that spend years waiting to get off the ground and never do. Why? Whose fault is it?

Among the Palestinian factions there are those who lack strategic political vision. There are those who believe it is their imperative to resist for the sake of resisting. These factions do not want to do political research and feasibility studies that take into account the international community. They think that is a waste of time. They believe the whole world is against them, weaving plots, so they must push forward on the same old agenda.

This vision is wrong in all conditions. The world doesn’t discriminate between white and black, and it doesn’t deal with preconceptions but with the logic of change, to break barriers and to open the closed boxes.

Through various confrontations and long political debates with members and factional leadership I have found that most lack a vision for the liberation of Palestine. The founding ideologies of all of these factions have remained the same for fifty some odd years. I was shocked when I asked one of the leaders about the relation between resistance and political work and if his faction has succeeded in achieving anything at the local level during thirty years. He could not give me an answer.

So I asked myself “can these leaders direct the national program; can they lead their people toward independence?”

The narrow vision of some factions turns them into “victimizers” rather than victors, because they lack the ability to turn sacrifices - the death of so many fighters - into real achievements. The resistance believes that any action is a political success; they are wrong.

We recognize here that we can’t end the occupation with one swoop because of the imbalance of power. But why can’t our achievements be drops in the same pool so we can collectively aim to a real achievement?

Even the eventual liberation of Palestine does not mean the end of resistance, the end of achievements on the political scale. Once we are free we must continue to fight for our political will and of establishing our daily routines and the pace of life in a liberated Palestine. Our inability to build a stable Palestine thus far has been overshadowed by occupation, but there is division beyond the political and intolerance. The sacrifices we made will equally go to waste if we fail to make our society work.

The resistance, much of which is thirty, forty or fifty years old now, is in a tight spot. If it changes tactics it risks sending the message that much of the earlier sacrifices were unnecessary. But it is not impossible and there are even precedents we can follow.

When he was in Gaza Irish leader of the Shin Fein said, about his resistance movement, ‘we fought the British for years but later we forced them to ask for peace.’ Nelson Mandela used to repeat the sayings ‘who makes war is the one who makes policy,’ and “the day will come when you will force your enemy to recognize your rights,” but he too saw there was a proper path.

Winston Churchill noted ‘it is true that you are fighting your enemy with weapons, but it is important to win politically, because politics is another kind of war.’ And he is right; we need to remind ourselves that it is we who give others the right to take our rights away when we sacrifice our people like donations to a blood bank.

The Prophet Mohamed fought, was hurt but survived and made real achievements from the sacrifices he made. He eliminated the infidels and hypocrites from the Arab Peninsula, organizing Islamic society with successors, an army and a government.

During this long march the prophet didn’t use one way to reach his goal but combined many. He fought, made peace, negotiated and held conventions; all were for the sake of Islam.

Whoever reads the biography of Omar Al-Faruq, Omar Al-Mokhtar, Salah Ad-din, Abd Al-Kader Al-Jza’ry and others will notice that these revolution makers used the same strategies the prophet used.

Palestinian factions must put their assets (be they money, support, people, lives) towards the same investment; they must invest in the national project and build infrastructure so we can use the investment to push forward without hesitation. Division threatens our national project and will result in a fractured infrastructure with no return on investment.

We don’t have to depend only on the theory of “tender,” to propose our solution or to hope we and our cause is selected by the Arab or international community. We should hesitate to transfer our cause to the future generations or apply the theory, “keep the rest for God.” We cannot blame the world, because it is an unacceptable political defensive that doesn’t solve the issue. Isn’t it enough that Israel’s age is 61 years? And still it builds settlements and walls, steals the lands, judaizes Jerusalem and raids Gaza and Beirut?

While Israel has birthday after birthday we have remained stagnant and invested in no real national programs to assert ourselves and our goal.

When will the Palestinians be convinced that the only hope for liberation is the existence of the resistance factions? When will they be convinced that they have to be a united? When will they be convinced that they have to work seriously and move forward and not backward?
A man could have a hundred thousand stones but they will remain stones if he does not pick them up and use them properly. But the experienced and intelligent man could make a castle, a University, a hospital or any other wonderful beautiful building from the same stones.

Immaterial achievements such as fortitude, patience and steadfastness have a great role in the encouragement of people, and they are cited often as the attributes of the Palestinians, but they are not enough. We must mix immaterial and material achievements.

Success

Unity among factions for a single goal is the key, and has been the key in dozens of success stories.

The Sinn Fein’s political savvy brought it the success in introducing itself to the world and in gaining the sympathy of the world. Good strategy and cooperation between its political and military wings allowed Sinn Fein to gain success in negotiations. Even though the Irish republican army suspended its armed operations, it did not put down its weapons and its members did not separate. Unity was its guarantee for effective negotiation. Though it did not say so publically during negotiations, the Sinn Fein believes that laying down weapons will destroy the political track.

South Africa, Vietnam and several Latin America examples provide yet more proof. Resistance is the way to achieve political gains but the vision has to be clear in terms of strategy, tactics, use of available means and opportunities and help in creating a good supportive atmosphere to take political rights.

Accomplishment is equal parts sacrifice

Hamas must not wait for international support and kind words from the media to move forward with its agenda. It must use political savvy and turn its decades of sacrifice into achievements.

It is even more tempting these days when Europe throws around suggestions to “engage Hamas” and the international press throws a friendly article their way. But Hamas must declare itself a major player.

Paradoxically, Hamas, the faction that struggled and scarified the most of late, accepted the Mecca conciliation agreement and the national accord document. But the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has all other sides aligned with it and Hamas has found itself stuck between resistance and politics.

The Palestinian factions have to be convinced that political action influences their strength as much as their military action does (as long as it is used properly).

It is wrong to say that the political action necessarily means abandoning resistance. Political action means standing confidently and demanding your rights with your supporter behind you. For Palestinians it will mean having land, finishing the age of occupation and the age of death; sacrifices and resistance can then move on to its task of bolstering a state.

Making history is different from making achievements

Political action achievements must be aligned in a national vision and not factional vision. While each faction has its strengths, they are fragmented and pulling their achievements in opposite directions, leaving the people in the gulf between.

Palestinian factions have to put in foundations and clear strategies for the management of conflict with the occupation and all the factions have to accept these strategies and apply them.
Those who talk in Cairo and disagree on the “program of the government” should put their efforts in the formulation of “the nation program,” because it is much more important than the government program which may change in a moment or another.

Our conflict with occupation dictates that we act as a unit, and as a unity we must find fill the gap between resistance and policy.


*** Ghazi Hamad is the former editor-in-chief of the Hamas weekly newspaper Ar-Risala, he currently works as an official in the Gaza crossings authority in the Gaza Strip.

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