Non-violent resistance for Palestinians?

By ⋅ April 19, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment
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As peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders continue to stall, Palestinian leaders in the West Bank have been trying out a new strategy. They’re advocating non-violent resistance to the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank. Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson just paid a visit to a West Bank village. But Daniel Estrin reports from Ramallah that talk of peaceful resistance leaves some Palestinians scratching their heads. Download MP3 (flickr image: Rusty Stewart)

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MARCO WERMAN:  I’m Marco Werman and this is The World.  There is a small but growing movement among Palestinians in the West Bank.  Some are advocating non-violent resistance to the Israeli occupation.  It’s modeled after the style of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. But Israeli officials say that the strategy could actually lead to more violence.  Reporter Daniel Estrin attended a conference last week that highlighted the non-violence strategy.

DANIEL ESTRIN:  At the opening of the non-violence conference in Ramallah, Palestinian government advisor Jamal Zakout gave an impassioned speech about something called the white intifada.  Palestinians have waged two intifadas, or popular uprisings.  The first which began in the late 1980′s was marked by civil disobedience and stone throwing.  The second brought with it a wave of suicide bombings.  The new white intifada is not yet clearly defined, but Zakout says it’s peaceful.  Not too long ago Palestinian leaders speaking about peaceful opposition to Israeli occupation wouldn’t have gotten very far.  When Martin Luther King, Jr.’s son spoke in Ramallah he acknowledged that non-violence is a work in progress here.

KING:  My father’s dream of peace and non-violence certainly, I believe, is alive and well even here in Ramallah.  And as I’ve been listening to the initial discussions today, I am very optimistic.  But I also know that we still have a long way to go.

ESTRIN: Palestinian leaders in the West Bank don’t think they’re too far off the mark.  Many are now publicly endorsing non-violent ways to oppose settlements and Israel’s military presence in the West Bank.  Here’s an example, Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad recently visited a small Palestinian farming village and tilled the soil.  He’s been appearing in other West Bank villages under Israeli military control, meaning not under his authority, and he’s been planting trees.  Fayyad sees these activities as putting facts in the ground, so to speak.

SALAAM FAYYAD:  As we endeavor to safeguard and protect our right to life on our land, I thought this would be an important location to be in here given that it is remote, it is as you can see, targeted by settlers who live nearby, the started to frequent the place.

ESTRIN: And Palestinian national economy minister Hasan Abu-Libdeh says the government will enforce a boycott of products made in Israeli West Bank settlements.  He says about 200 million dollars worth of these goods are sold in the Palestinian market.

HASAN ABU-LIBDEH:   Settlers, if they are sitting on our soil, consuming our land, our air, our everything, why should I consume their products?  As simple as that.

ESTRIN: Palestinian customs officials have already started rounding up settlement made products form shops in Ramallah.  Shopkeeper Hanna Yanni says official confiscated 42 bottles of liquor which were bottled in an Israeli settlement.

HANNA YANNI:  You know I have two children and I have my shop and I have two workers and I have to pay electricity and they came to take stuff from me like this.  It’s not fair.

ESTRIN: His customer, Maysa Khatib, didn’t see the point.

INTERPRETER:  If I don’t buy Israeli products I will gain independence?  That’s nonsense.

ESTRIN: Then there’s the growing number of weekly demonstrations taking place at the Israeli separation barrier.  They’re intended as non-violent marches, but often end in Palestinian youths tearing down parts of the barrier and lobbing rocks at Israeli soldiers.  While most Palestinians these days don’t condone armed resistance to Israel, many are still skeptical of the while intifadah.

FEMALE VOICE 1:  It’s very hard to see that you are being violated, your human rights, your dignity, everything and you just speak about non-violence.

ESTRIN: Do you think the non-violence can work here in the same way – -

MALE VOICE 1:  No.  I don’t think so.  I don’t think so.

ESTRIN: The Israeli government is also dubious.  Here’s spokesman Mark Regev.

MARK REGEV:  We think boycotting produce is not a serious political strategy.  On the contrary, it’s in many way, it’s political theater.

ESTRIN: But what Israel sees as theater, and Palestinian shopkeepers like Yanni see as inconvenience, Palestinian leaders in the West Bank consider practicality.  They’re on a deadline.  They pledged to create an independent Palestinian state by August 2011.  And the way they see it, ridding their shelves of settlement products is a step towards building up their own industry.  For The World, I’m Daniel Estrin, Ramallah.


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Discussion

2 comments for “Non-violent resistance for Palestinians?”

  • http://www.theworld.org/2010/04/19/non-violent-resistance-for-palestinians Edward

    Why are investigative standards so low when it comes to the Palestinian Occupied Territories?

    I listened with great sadness at this b minus report. The Palestinian Non Violent Movement desperately needs coverage as it is active and, contrary to the report, far from small and nascent. This report covers Non Violent protests in a vacuum without the mention of the conditions in which its proponents have to operate. Why was there silence on the number of Non Violent political leaders that like Martin Luther King have been arrested for peaceful protest but unlike MLK have spent years behind bars for their actions and are still there. It failed to mention that literally thousands of protests have occurred since the 2nd intifada. Take the village of Bil’in gather weekly as they have for 5 years to protest land appropriation http://www.bilin-village.org/

    From this report it would seem that organizing a march is the occupied territories is like organizing a fun run for the local orphanage. Marchers in Palestine might not face dogs and water cannon but they regularly face live rounds, tear gas and the timeless billy clubs. Every aspect of Palestinian life is regulated. Try to organize a Palestinian Million Man March and the coaches, as they have been so often, will be turned back from the first check point they meet.

    The topic is highly complex but your reporting was only worthy of a High School Paper. Common you normally do better than this.

  • Seth Greenwald

    One line used to discredit the need for Palestinian freedom is how they are violent, hateful terrorist. Violence against Israel is a waste of time. Hopefully this tactic will see more success although I could not bet on it. In this world some peoples needs count less than others.