by
Hanan
Ashrawi
The
last few weeks in office, I understand, are hectic and
demanding. Hence I have chosen the epistolary form of address
(a literary genre of no mean merit) made popular in public
parlance by Tom Friedman and his ilk as they hammered Arab
leaders with one-sided unreciprocated didactic messages.
Unlike
theirs, however, my intent is neither to patronize
(should we coin matronize?) nor to admonish, but rather
to engage in what I hope to be an honest and forthright
dialogue. Should I wax homiletic or academic, kindly skip to
the more human and immediate passages.
It
has been our experience, Mr. President, that most American
public officials, once out of office, begin to suffer pangs of
conscience and inexplicable urges to express contrition in the
form of public confessions pertaining to the injustice
suffered by the Palestinian people.
With
an honest desire to spare you the fate of other high officials
who develop after-the-fact immaculate hindsight and a drive
for justice, I would like to point out that there is still
world enough and time to speak outbetter yetto ACT
now.
With
the presidential elections over (pregnant or dimpled or
hanging chads notwithstanding), with Hillary safely assured a
senatorial seat (her turn-about politics notwithstanding),
with the economy-stupid flourishing, and with
historical visits (e.g. Vietnam) proudly accomplished,
you have two obvious options.
You
can sit back and contemplate your legacy as a mathematical
exercise of columns of positives and negatives, pondering
issues of loyalty (whether vice presidential or marital),
contrasting Chappaqua, N.Y. vs. Palm Beach, Fla. as your
preferred retirement venue, or raising funds for your
Presidential Library while pouring over your notes for the
next best-selling Presidential memoir
On
the other hand, you can roll up your sleeves and take up the
challenge of history in medias res in our part of the world.
You still have an opportunity to embark on a penitential
(political) pilgrimage of the soul before midnight, January
19, 2001 and you turn into a chronicler rather than a shaper
of history.
To
do so, Mr. President, it is important that you shed (or,
better yet, shred) the briefs and talking points prepared for
you by State Department underlings who have made a career out
of the peace process (or vice-versa); discard the
preconceptions/misconceptions generated by the Israeli spin
machine; take a deep hard look at the peace process to discern
where things went horribly wrong as a first step towards
rectification; and try to listen to the Palestinian people
directly.
Yes,
there is such a thing as Palestinian public opinion held by
real flesh and blood Palestinians who have long been victims
of war and now find themselves victims of a flawed peace
process and dangerously short sighted policies.
These
are the people who, in 1948, were subject to the dual
injustice of dispossession, dispersion and exile on the one
hand and of occupation and oppression on the other hand.
These
are the people who were persuaded that a peaceful resolution
of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is not only possible but
also desirable.
These
are the people who painfully accepted the two-state
solution and the sharing of historical Palestine by two
states: Palestine and Israel.
These
are the people who made the historical compromise of
relinquishing 78% of mandatory Palestine to Israel and, by
accepting UN Resolution 242, agreed to establish their state
on only 22% of their original homelandi.e. that portion
which was occupied by Israel in 1967.
These
are the people who, after decades of revolutionary struggle in
exile and four years of popular resistance (intifada) under
the brutal Israeli military occupation, launched a peace
initiative and went to Madrid in 1991 to be part of a global
endeavor sponsored by the US to achieve a just and
comprehensive peace in the whole region.
These
are the people who accepted the American-formulated terms of
reference (UNR 242 and 338 and the land-for-peace equation),
only to be told by you and the Israelis that the goal posts
have shifted yet again.
These
are the people who were told that Israel can maintain its
illegal settlements and annex three major settlement clusters
that fragment the West Bank into three Bantustans; that Israel
can annex most of Arab east Jerusalem and maintain its illegal
sovereignty over the city; that the Palestinian refugees must
relinquish their right of return; and that what is possible is
only that which is acceptable to Israel.
These are the people whose lands were
confiscated, children murdered, houses demolished, towns and
villages besieged, economy destroyed, freedoms curtailed and
rights violatedeven in the course of negotiations.
These
are the same people who cheered you and waved American flags
when you came to Gaza to inaugurate the Palestinian airport
(now closed by the Israelis).
These
are the same people who gave you (and Hillary) a standing
ovation when you addressed them in Gaza (now under complete
siege and isolation) and asked for their continued commitment
to peace.
These
are the same people who welcomed you in the manger of the
little town of Bethlehem (now being shelled relentlessly every
night) and who sang Christmas carols when you lit up the
Christmas tree in manger square.
These
are the same people whose children appealed to you for the
release of their fathers from Israeli jails (now being filled
by even more Palestinian prisoners).
These
are the same people who are now grieving through several
funerals every day, crying silently (away from the sight of
American media) as they lay to rest their sons and daughters
(more than 272) murdered by Israeli sniper fire, high velocity
bullets, and lau missiles.
These
are the same people who have to live with the permanent
injuries suffered by their sons and daughters (more than 7000)
who were wounded by the same Israeli military machine that is
funded by billions of your American tax money (given that
Israels per capita GDP is US$ 18,300).
These
are the same people who are running out of fuel, medicine, and
basic food supplies while their towns, villages and camps are
besieged by Israeli tanks and army checkpoints, and while
their skies are being violated by Cobra and Apache gun ships
relentlessly shelling their homes.
These
are the same people to whom you promised freedom,
dignity, and the fulfillment of their political
rights, but who are now languishing in collective
incarceration, in abject humiliation, and in total
deprivation.
These
are the people, Mr. President, on whom you are now calling to
stop the violence while their lives, rights, lands, and
very humanity are being systematically violated.
These
are the people whose entire security, in every aspect, was
totally annihilated while you are pursuing the guaranteed
security of their Israeli occupiers.
Do
you think, Mr. President, for one moment that we relish the
idea of our own victimization, pain, death, and
destruction?
Do
you think, Mr. President, that the systematic military
violence of the occupier is commensurate with the oppressed
peoples will to resist and reject their subjugation and
enslavement?
Do
you think, Mr. President, that the peace process which you
have so assiduously pursued can achieve a just and lasting
peace if it continues to victimize the weak and accommodate
the powerful?
Do
you think, Mr. President, that with persistent dehumanization
of the Palestinian people and total disregard of their minimal
rights any peace can be achieved (no matter how much pressure
you put on their leaders)?
Do
you think, Mr. President, that such a moral outrage can
persist had it not been for Israels lack of accountability
and preferential treatment as a country above the law and as
your very own strategic ally?
Do
you think, Mr. President, that the racist policy of blaming
the victim with persistent Arafat and Palestinian bashing
will succeed in breaking the will of the Palestinian
peoplewhen the most violent Israeli military assaults
failed to pound us into submission?
Do
you think, Mr. President, that the Israeli policy of
brutalization and victimization against a captive Palestinian
population will not reverberate among the peoples of the
region (and throughout the world) leading to further regional
destabilization and erosion of US standing, influence, and
interests?
It
is time, Mr. President, for the US to discontinue at this
fatally flawed peace process, to draw the proper conclusions
from these tragic conditions on the ground, and to launch a
daring and fair initiative capable of achieving a peace that
can lay claim to justice, morality, and permanence.
It
is time for an inclusive sponsorship and participation in the
peace process to allow for the UN, the EU, and representatives
from the Arab world to be active partners in this global
investment in peace.
It
is time for international protection for the Palestinians and
accountability for Israel.
It
is time for the respect and implementation of all relevant UN
resolutions, in particular 242, 338, and 194.
It
is time for Israel to return to the Palestinians all the lands
that it occupied in 1967 without further manipulation or
prejudicial unilateral measures.
It
is time to recognize that Palestinian statehood (with
Jerusalem as the capital) is a right as well as an essential
requirement for peace.
It
is time to assure the Palestinians of their right to freedom,
dignity, and security in an even-handed pursuit of peace.
It
is time to think big, to act strategically, and to abandon the
damage control, crisis management, reactive policies that
respond only to the latest violation or eruption.
It
is not too late, Mr. President (lame duck status
notwithstanding).
Use
your freedom from election constraints, special interest
pressures, and personal agendas to intervene and change the
course of history.
Your
legacy may yet be in the making.
