-Caveat Lector- Middle East Times 8/31/01 Israel's delusional politics require international intervention By Hanan Ashrawi http://metimes.com/2K1/issue2001-35/methaus.htm This is the second and final part of an analysis of Israeli political self-delusion. The first part, published last week, listed four major areas of this delusion. This piece adds six more. Fifth - The Israeli fictional world of politics has spun numerous myths and imaginary versions to deal with the "reality" of negotiations. The most prevalent version is that of the "generous offer" that the previous Israeli prime minister, Ehud Barak, made to the Palestinians - probably having been inspired by the pastoral American Camp David setting and the irresistible charm of the then American president Bill Clinton. Unfortunately, the Palestinians proceeded to behave like "ungrateful natives," biting the hand that feeds them, with no appreciation of the white man's burden of Barak (and even Peres) who had been trying to teach them the rudimentary elements of statehood. By refusing to fragment the West Bank and accommodate settlement clusters, by insisting on "territorial contiguity" (the DOP, or Oslo Agreement) instead of fragmented native reservations, by maintaining their commitment to international law and U.N. resolutions, by refusing to relinquish the Palestinian refugees' right of return, and by not handing occupied Jerusalem over to the Israelis on a silver platter, the Palestinians proved to be "unrealistic and inflexible." After all, Barak knew not only what was best for Israel, but also what was good for the Palestinians. The "unprecedented Israeli concessions" that sought to maintain Israeli control while annexing Palestinian land and resources and devaluing Palestinian rights were somehow "inexplicably" rejected by Arafat (the archetypal villain) who all along had harbored evil designs for the "destruction of the state of Israel" and had never mended his "terrorist" ways. The debate then shifted as to whether Arafat was a "suitable" Palestinian leader or not - i.e. whether he met the Israeli definitions of proper Palestinian leadership or whether he failed the "test of legitimacy," Israeli-style. Hence the sixth delusional symptom that finds its expression in Israel's god-given right to shape not only Palestinian territoriality, but also the requirements of leadership legitimacy and suitability. The "seal of approval" syndrome is a typical expression of power intoxication, particularly applicable to situations of colonization. By extension, it applies to a whole people as well. Seventh - national Liberation movements can be "crushed" and "subdued" if sufficient force is used. Concomitant with this delusion is the myth that the escalation of Israeli violence and brutality will not only "teach the Palestinians a lesson," but will also bring them to their knees in search of respite and Israeli approval. The perception of the Palestinians as "inhabitants of the territories" rather than a nation with inalienable rights, particularly in the exercise of their nationhood, lies behind Israeli military efforts at subduing the 'restless natives'. Thus the lessons of history are never part of the delusional mindset. The fact that no colonized people has ever been brought to their knees or forced to abandon their quest for freedom, dignity and independence s a result of increased violence and oppression skips notice altogether. More specifically, throughout decades of occupation, Israel has persistently attempted - and failed - to subdue the Palestinian people by brute force, succeeding only in generating more volatility and aggravating existing conditions of instability and conflict. The will to resist subjugation and the yearning for freedom and dignity have never been broken or defeated. Such a willful blindness to history and experience is also indicative of a serious rift between reality and awareness, producing dysfunctional and dangerous policies. Eighth - many of these policies can be traced back to another disconnection from reality. According to the Sharon lexicon, the situation is one of "war" rather than occupation, hence all Palestinians are potential "combatants" - i.e. legitimate targets for his policy of "targeted killings" - hence the objective is to achieve a state of "non-belligerency" rather than achieving peace by withdrawing from the occupied territories and recognizing Palestinian rights. In plain language, the Palestinians must not express any hostility towards their occupiers and must reconcile themselves to a perpetual state of enslavement by coercion. While Israel must be left unhampered in its fire-shell-assassinate at will policy, the Palestinians must maintain "zero violence" leading to a "cooling off period" that would prepare the way for "confidence-building measures" and ultimately award the Palestinians the coveted "prize" of resuming negotiations with their occupiers. Rarely, if ever, has the world witnessed such an aberration whereby the victim is placed "on probation" and asked to demonstrate "good behavior" in order to be granted the "privilege" of negotiating with the oppressor. The racist, patronizing attitude of the Sharon government constitutes yet another set of blinders that distort its perceptions of reality. Ninth - once delusional concepts take over, both discourse and policy enter the realm of the absurd. The issue of Jerusalem is one of the most glaring examples of such an incongruous condition. On the one hand, Israel claims to have "liberated" (rather than occupied) Jerusalem in 1967 and to have guaranteed full "access" to the city while assuring members of all three monotheistic faiths their "freedom and right to worship." In reality Jerusalem under occupation is a city under siege, totally closed off to all Palestinians - both Christian and Muslim - who do not carry the blue ID cards issued by Israel to Palestinian Jerusalemites. At times, even those are classified by gender and age where men (only) who are 40 or older are allowed into the Aqsa Mosque. West Bank and Gaza Palestinians can no more attend services in the churches and mosques of Jerusalem than they can fly to the moon. They are banned from their capital, and are forbidden to conduct any kind of personal, social, economic, cultural, educational or any other type of human activity there. Religious tolerance and all manifestations of freedom have gained a surrealistic significance in their application by Israel. Tenth - while such a warped mentality may find endless expressions, the most 'creative' forms are those that are used to distinguish between Palestinians and Israelis. Among these is the depiction of every Palestinian victim of Israel's state terrorism as a "ticking bomb," thereby rendering his/ her assassination as a dispassionate and impersonal exercise tantamount to the "dismantling" of an explosive device. The 48 "dismantled" Palestinians so far (along with the "unfortunate bystanders") are part of Israel's policy of "interception" and "self-defense" that has gained approval even from such high western officials as the American vice-president himself (who found it "justifiable" or "reasonable"). On the other hand, all Israelis are "civilians," including vigilante settlers who are armed to the teeth and who regularly terrorize whole Palestinian communities, often with Israeli army cover and protection. Settlements are, of course, harmless and defenseless "Jewish neighborhoods" that deserve "protection" and require more Palestinian land for "natural growth." Ancient Palestinian villages and towns not only do not require room for natural growth" on their own land. The strangling siege does not give them room to breathe since they are inhabited by potential "terrorists" and non-human "objects" that occupy "structures" that can be "surgically" removed by an equally impersonal missile fired from an American Apache gunship. Their crops and trees are, by that logic, entirely superfluous and Israel is entirely within its rights to destroy them. Otherwise known as "military mania," when delusions of unbridled power and control are transformed into actual policy, the need for protection becomes paramount. If this is Israel's policy of "restraint," as Sharon boasts publicly and often, then many policy makers in Israel need to be "restrained." In this context, "International protection" gains a new meaning and an added urgency. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
