Amer is the former president of the United Arab Society.
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By Fadi Amer
With the seemingly endless violence in the Middle East, it has
become increasingly difficult for us to see this conflict for the
human tragedy it truly is. We have become progressively
desensitized to the daily images of death and destruction that have
befallen both the Palestinians and the Israelis.
Naturally, every side feels compelled to defend their actions
and place all of the blame on the actions of the other. But it is
not natural to systematically dehumanize the Palestinian people as
a whole. Consistently using the extremist factions in the
Palestinian society to depict the population as a whole can’t
be used to justify military actions against them.
The Palestinian people want the same things in life as any other
group of people: the right of self-determination, personal freedom,
and the opportunity to pursue happiness. The Palestinians are not
after the destruction of the state of Israel, they simply want
their fair share of what she has to offer.
I know this not only because I am Palestinian myself, but
because I am, first and foremost, a human being. The often-asked
question is whether or not Palestinian aspirations justify all of
the means that they deploy, like suicide bombings. The answer
here is clear and simple: Absolutely not. How can a human
being genuinely support terrorism, regardless of how it is defined,
either the killing of civilians or the occupation of an entire
people? It is true that the definition of terrorism is debatable,
but Palestinians’ human rights are not.
There are five points which, once acknowledged by the Americans
and the Israelis, will surely lead to a permanent alleviation of
the situation in Palestine.Â
First and foremost, the Palestinians need to be acknowledged and
treated like human beings with respect and dignity. Second,
the Palestinians are entitled to the right of self-determination
through the end of the occupation. Third, the Palestinians must be
given equal access to water (when today they only receive 15
percent while the Jews in Palestine receive 85 percent) and freedom
of movement.
Fourth, a negotiated resolution to the refugee issue must
genuinely be resolved as it is simply a matter that is not going to
magically disappear. Finally, the Palestinians and the Israelis
must agree on some sort of method, such as the Geneva Convention
guidelines, to deal with all of the political prisoners illegally
held. The existence of a conflict should by no means be used to
justify taking away human rights.
The most common and logical criticism of this argument comes in
the form of a question: “Why can’t the Palestinians
just pursue peaceful means in order to achieve their goals and
aspirations?” The simple answer is the Palestinian society is
just like any other society; it has extreme elements who strongly
believe progress can best be achieved through force or
coercion.
The problem however, is that such groups are presented
(especially by the American media) as representative of the
Palestinian society as a whole.
When was the last time you saw a peaceful Palestinian
demonstration on TV? Does that mean that they don’t occur?
Well I have news for you; they do, but they are never considered
newsworthy. Not only that, but the situation on the ground (e.g.
the Israeli occupation, unfair water allotment and restricted
freedom of movement) makes it tremendously difficult for the large
number of moderate Palestinians to fully express their views.
The United Arab Society’s event, “Let Peace Take
Flight,” not only attempts to advance the five points above
but is mainly focused on “Knowing the People, Not the
Myths.” A main component of the event endorses the view that
for peace to take flight it is necessary for America and Israel to
strengthen the moderate majority within the Palestinian society.
The Israelis must be made to understand that as long as the
Palestinians are collectively being deprived of their basic rights
as human beings, the extremists will continue to shape the
direction of Palestinian expression in both the political and
social spheres. Although it may be difficult at times, Israel must
take tangible steps to clearly signal to the average Palestinian
that it is genuinely interested in achieving peace.
Examples of this would include ending the settlement activity,
removing the restrictions on movement, giving the Palestinians
their fair share of water, and ending the inhumane curfews which
generally are arbitrarily imposed.
As far as the American media is concerned, they should truly
depict the Palestinians for who they are: people and not
terrorists. Instead of silencing it, the American media should work
to strengthen the large yet dormant Palestinian peace camp, which
is mistakenly believed to be nonexistent. A shift in
America’s coverage coupled with clear positive actions from
the Israelis will doubtlessly allow the Palestinians to do their
part to achieve greater peace.