Making threats, cultivating an image
DANNY RUBINSTEIN
Ha'aretz, 9 January 2004
Two prominent Palestinians, Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia (Abu Ala) and Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, gave expression last night to the prevalent mood that the frozen peace process has created among the Palestinian public.
Qureia's words in favor of establishing a single binational state echo statements that have recently been made in the Palestinian media by political activists and academics. Many Palestinians have come to understand that for Israel, the threat of a binational state is the greatest threat of all.
The first to raise this idea, during the first intifada (1987-92), was Professor Sari Nusseibeh, today president of Al-Quds University. He said that if Israel refused to withdraw from the territories, the Palestinians should demand annexation and full civil rights. For the Palestinians, the matter is simple: If there is no chance of two states for two peoples, the only other option is one state for two peoples - a binational state that, given the demographic reality, will quickly become another Arab state.
Against this background, there have been numerous Palestinian proposals over the last few months to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, thereby compelling Israel to reinstate full military rule, with all its attendant costs. Most advocates of this idea are intellectuals. They argue that the current situation allows Israel "a deluxe occupation" - occupation with no responsibility for the lives of the Palestinian population.
And as the date for implementation of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan draws near, Palestinian calls for a binational state can be expected to increase.
Yassin's statement - that if a Palestinian state were established in the West Bank and Gaza, he would accept a temporary peace with Israel and leave "the rest of the occupied lands to history" - also stemmed from concrete political circumstances, though he has made similar statements in the past.
Even Yassin, who is considered a pragmatist within Hamas, is not willing to concede the Palestinians' right in principle to all the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. A collection of religious rulings published by Hamas states that this land is all holy Muslim land that Muslims are not entitled to concede.
However, Yassin is aware of the likelihood that the diplomatic freeze will lead to the PA's collapse, which, in turn, could enable his movement to present itself as an alternative government. And this requires Hamas to cultivate a serious and responsible image.
Three weeks ago, Hamas celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding. In Gaza, the event was marked by marches that resembled formal military parades more than rallies by a collection of ragtag militias. Palestinian commentators have said recently that the relative lull in Hamas suicide bombings is also connected to the movement's attempt to create the image of a political party that is both suitable and capable of leading the Palestinian people.