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PALESTINIAN "INTELLECTUALS" STEP UP TO THE PLATE
TOO LATE? TOO LITTLE?
"...what
is being contrived is not peace,
but the seeds of future wars."
MID-EAST REALITIES - Washington - 22 March:
It's the bottom of the 9th inning. The Palestinians are behind
25 to 1.
They've discovered their only pitcher has a sprained arm, their catcher
has lost his glove, and their long-time coach has been on the take
for
some time, so much so that other side has not only been listening in
but actually calling most of the shots for both teams throughout the
game.
Now with what seems a kind of last gasp before drowning
"Palestinian intellectuals" are desperately trying to call a "time
out".
Problem is its awfully late in the game, they've got the address wrong,
and too many of those signing on have themselves been on the
gravy train and few take them seriously anymore.
There will be much more for MER to say about this whole predicament
and this recently published Statement by "Palestinian intellectuals"
in
the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz. But even with all these caveats
at least
the "intellectuals" have managed after all these years and all the
provocations to put themselves a small bit on the historical record,
however inadequately, however feebly, however late in the day
Much too little, much too late? Wrong place, wrong timing?
Sadly so it seems. The outlook is pretty bleak indeed.
But even so
this Statement is worth pondering and publicizing...as long as one
doesn't shrink from facing the whole bitter context and how we've
all come to this further tragedy:
MESSAGE TO THE ISRAELI AND JEWISH PUBLIC
We, the undersigned Palestinian intellectuals, address to the Israeli and Jewish public this message clarifying our point of view on the current peace process.
We are concerned that what is being contrived is not peace, but the seeds of future wars. The majority of Palestinians, including the undersigned, believed that the time was ripe for concluding with the Israelis a historic agreement that would allow us to live together finally in peace in one land, despite the injustice, suffering and dispossession inflicted on us over the decades by the Israeli side.
The majority of Palestinians believed that peace would be based on two
principles: justice and the requirements of a common future. What we are
witnessing in reality is far from these principles. One side believes the
present balance of power to be in its favour, and that it can impose
a humiliating agreement on the other side, forcing it to accept virtually
anything it chooses to enforce. The historic settlement is becoming a settlement
between Israelis themselves, not a settlement with the Palestinians. It
is a settlement that suffocates the Palestinians humanly, territorially,
security-wise and politically: humanly, because it does not recognize their
human and historical rights; territorially, because it isolates them within
confined areas in towns and villages while progressively confiscating their
land; security-wise because it places Israeli security in principle over
and above Palestinian rights, existence and security; politically, because
it prevents Palestinians from determining their future and controlling
their borders.
We believe we express the deepest convictions of our people when we
openly confront you with these realities. You will have to choose between
a settlement that is imposed by a balance of forces
overwhelmingly favouring your government and your military, and one
that is just, which will favour both Israelis and Palestinians, and which
will provide the basis for long-term coexistence on the same land. We are
placing the choice in your hands.
We state, in all clarity, that we see only two solutions for a just
settlement of the Palestine question. The first solution is based on the
establishment of a Palestinian state, with complete sovereignty over the
lands occupied by Israel in 1967 and Jerusalem as its capital, the right
of return for Palestinian refugees, and the recognition by Israel of
the historic injustice inflicted on the Palestinian people. The Palestinian
state will be established on the principles of democracy and human values
adopted by the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988.
The second solution is the establishment of one democratic bi-national
state for the two peoples on the historic land of Palestine.
It is clear that the Palestinian negotiator, whose hands are tied by
the overwhelming balance of power working against him, may be coerced into
accepting a humiliating and degrading settlement that will lead to neither
of these two solutions. History abounds with examples of nations
that were coerced into settlements they did not support and which ended
in catastrophe for all parties.
We address this message, first and foremost, to those Israelis who believe
in the values of justice and equity, and to all those who aspire for peace
the world over. We want to tell them that the settlement the Israeli leadership
is seeking to impose on the Palestinian negotiator
could not be a settlement with the Palestinian people. It will be a
fragile settlement bearing within it the seeds of its own destruction.
We will neither support nor accept it.
We extend our hand to you to make a real and just peace, not the militarist peace of coercion, the generals' peace.
Name Position/Profession Signature
Signatories to the Message addressed to the Israeli & Jewish Public
Opinion:
Abdel Rahman Abu Gharbia, President, Arab Thought Forum, Palestine
Abdulla Mutawi, Centre for Economic & Social Rights, UK
Ahmad Benani, International Observatory for Palestinian Affairs, Lausanne,
Switzerland
Ahmad Khalifa, Editor, Institute of Palestine Studies Journal, Oxford
Ahmed Daoud, Journalist, Palestine
Ahmed Jaber, Beirzeit University, Palestine
Amal Ashrawi, Legal assistant, USA
Anita Grossmann-Abdullah, Institute of Community and Public Health,
University of Birzeit
Atallah Said, Vice Chair of the Association of the Palestinian Community,
UK
Ayub Mustafa, Center for Palestine Research and Studies-CPRS, Nablus,
Palestine
Azmi Shuaibi, PLC member, Palestine
Baker Abdel Munem, Ph.D.(Engineering), Ph.D.(Economics and Political
Science), Canada
Bassam Al Salhi, Friends School, Palestine
Bassim Al-Zubaidi, Lecturer, University of al-Najah, West Bank
Bilal Al-Hassan, Journalist and commentator, Editor of Al-Hayat Newspaper,
UK
Bishara Dowmani, Associate professor, Berkeley, USA
Camille Mansour, Director, Institute of Law, Birzeit University, Palestine
Eileen Kuttab, Director, Institute of Women Studies, Birzeit University,
Palestine
Eleine (Musallem) Hagobian, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Simons
College, Boston, USA
Fadwa al-Labadi, Lecturer, University of Birzeit, Palestine
Faisal Darraj, Literary critic, Syria
Faoz Khalifa, Professional, Palestine
Fawzi Asmar, Writer and journalist, USA
Fouad Mughrabi, Professor, USA
Ghada al-Karmi, Writer,UK
Gazi Al-khalili, Writer & journalist, Palestine
George Abed, Economist, USA
George Giacaman, Professor, Birzeit University, Palestine
George Sahhar, Professional, Palestine
Ghassan Abdullah, Information Analyst, Institute of Law, Birzeit University,
Palestine
Ghassan Abu Sitta, Centre for Economic & Social Rights, UK
Ghassan Faramand, Professor of law, University of Birzeit, Palestine
Gibreel Muhammed, Researcher, Palestine
Hadeel Rizq al-Qazzaz, Researcher, Palestine
Haidar Abd Al-Shafi, Head of Palestinian Delegation at Madrid Conference
Hanan Ashrawi, PLC member, and secretary-general of Miftah
Hani Alhouroub, Journalist, Palestine
Hani Al-Masri, Journalist, Palestine
Hassan Ladadwa, Researcher at Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute-MAS,
Palestine
Hassan Khader, Writer and journalist, Al-Ayyam newspaper, Palestine
Hisham Sharabi, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA
Ibrahim Muhawi, Lecturer, Edinburgh University, UK
Islah Jad, Women Studies Institute, Birzeit University, PhD candidate,
SOAS, London
Isma'eel Nashif, University Professor, Birzeit University, Palestine
Issam Manasreh, Professional, Palestine
Issam Nassar, Researcher, Institute of Jerusalem Studies, Jerusalem,
Al-Quds University lecturer
Izzat Abdelhadi, Director, Bisan Centre for Research and Development,
Ramallah
Izzat Darwaza, Senior Lecturer, University of Manchester IST, UK
Ja'far Khawaja, Professional, Palestine
Jamal Zakkout, Journalist and activist, Gaza
Jamey Al-Qaruoni, Writer, Palestine
Jamil Hilal, Writer and researcher, PNC member, Palestine
Jamil Toubbeh, Professional, USA
Jawad Ibrahim, Aritist (plastic art), Palestine
Jawdat Abu-El-Haj, Professor of sociology at the Federal University
of Ceara, Brazil
K. Husseni, Lecturer, Warwick University, UK
Kamal Boullata, Visual Artist, France
Kamal El-Sharafi, PLC member, Palestine
Khaled Hourani, Aritist (plastic art), Palestine
Khalil E. Jahshan, President, NAAA-ADC, USA
Khalil Hindi, Professor of Engineering Systems, Brunel University,
England
Khalil Mahshi, Educationalist & Director General in Ministry of
Education, Palestine
Lena Jayyussi, Senior Research Fellow, Muwatin-Palestinian Institute
for the Study of Democracy
Liza Taraki, University Professor, Birzeit University, Palestine
Magdi al-Maliki, Head of Sociology Department, Birzeit University,
Palestine.
Mahmud Shukair, Novelist, Palestine
Mamdouh Nofal, Writer & Journalist & member of PCC, Palestine.
Manuel Hassassian, Executive Vice-President, Bethlehem University,
Palestine
May Jayyussi, Executive Diector, Muwatin, Palestine.
Mazen Qumsiyeh,Assoc. Prof. USA.
Mudar Qassis, Lecturer, Univ of Birzeit, Palestine
Muhammed Ghadia, Professional,Palestine
Muhammed Hallaj, University lecturer, Palestine
Muhammed Sulaiman, Writer, Palestine
Muhammend Ali Khalidi, University Lecturer, Lebanon
Muhammend Al-Msawalma, Film Director, Palestine
Muhannad Abd Al-Hameed, Journalist, Palestine
Muna Abdullahad, Middle East Broadcasting Center, UK
Muna Tamimi, Lecturer, Birzeit University, Palestine
Muneer al-Qazzaz, Lecturer, Birzeit University, Palestine
Mustapha Karkouti, President of the Foreign Journalists Association,
UK
Muntasir Al-Gabir, MD, Nablus, Palestine
Nabeel Anani, Art painter, Palestine
Nadhmi al-Juba, Lecturer, University of Birzeit, Palestine
Nadim Nahhas, Journalist, UK
Naseer Aruri, Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, USA
Nawaf Al-Tamimi, Journalist, UK
Nimir Sarhan, Writer, Palestine
Nizar Sakhnini, NECEF, Canada
Omar Al-Qattan, Film maker, UK
Jamey Nassar, Chair of Political Science Department, Illinois State
Department
Raja Bahloul, Lecturer, Birzeit University, Palestine
Raji Sourani, Director, Palestinian Center of Human Rights. Palestine
Rami Bathish, Miftah, Palestine
Randa Nassir, Professor, Birzeit University, Palestine
Rima Hammami, Professor, Birzeit University, Palestine
Rimone Kare', Consultant engineer, UK
Rudaina Hamouri, Tutor, UK
Sa'da Al-khateeb, Professional, Palestine
Salah Hania, Miftah, Jerusalem, Palestine
Saleh Abdel Jawad , Lecturer, Birzeit University
Salim Tamari, Director, Institute of Jerusalem Studies, Jerusalem,
Birzeit University lecturer
Samih Farsoun, Professor, American University, Washington DC, USA
Samir Abdullah, Chief Executive, PalTrade, Palestine
Samir Awad, Ph.D Candidate, USA
Sharif Nashashibi, Journalist, UK
Shukri Nabulsi, Engineer, Jordan
Suha Masoud, Artist, UK
Suhair Azzouni, General Director, Women's Affairs Technical Committee,
Palestine
Sulaiman Mansour, Art painter, Jerusalem, Palestine
Tahir Al-Masri, Researcher, Center for Palestine Research and
Studies-CPRS, Nablus, Palestine
Tal'at Harb, University of Birzeit, Palestine
Talal Als'adi , Project manager, Nortel Networks
Talib Awad, Researcher, Palestine
Tawfeeq Abu Baker, Journalist and columnist, Jordan
Taysir Barakat, Art painter, Ziryab Gallery, Palestine
Wael Gharbiya, Professional, Canada
Yasir Shalabi, Researcher, Palestine Economic Policy Research
Institute-MAS, Palestine
Yusif Abu Samra, Professor, Birzeit University, Palestine
Yusif Daoud, Professor, Birzeit University, Palestine
Zahi Damuni, Professor, USA.
Zahira Kamal, Technical Women's Committee, Ramallah
Zakaria Muhammed, Editor of Al-Karmel, poet and journalist
Ziad Abu-Amr, PLC member, Palestine
Zuhair Sabagh, University Professor, Birzeit University, Palestine
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