Michael Ejercito
2017-10-11 17:15:07 UTC
Palestinian Normalization -- With Hamas, Not Israel
by Bassam Tawil
October 11, 2017 at 5:00 am
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11144/palestinian-normalization-hamas
The most widespread conspiracy theory, which has been floating around for
decades and can be heard in almost every coffee shop on the streets of
Cairo, Amman, Ramallah and Beirut, is that Zionist Jews, together with
American capitalists and imperialists, have a secret plan to take control
over the Arab and Islamic countries and their resources.
How exactly are the "Zionists and imperialists" trying to "undermine" the
Palestinian "national project"? And what, precisely, is this project? Is it
the project of Hamas and many other Palestinians that seeks the destruction
of Israel?
The corrupt Arab and Palestinian leaders spread such rumors to divert
attention from problems at home, such as corruption and dictatorship. These
leaders want their people too busy hating Jews and Westerners to demand
reform, democracy and transparency from their leaders. Those valuables, of
course, are what Arab and Palestinian leaders still refuse to offer their
people.
Why do many Palestinians prefer peace with Hamas? Because they identify with
Hamas's dream of destroying Israel and killing Jews. It may be an unpleasant
a truth, but that is the bottom line.
When Palestinian women took part in a march with Israeli women for peace
this week, they were condemned in the harshest terms by many other
Palestinians, who called for their punishment. The Palestinian women who
participated in the October 8 event, organized by a group called Women Wage
Peace, have been denounced by many of their own people as and "traitors" and
"whores."
Conversely, when Palestinian Authority (PA) officials held "reconciliation"
talks with Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip and Egypt during the same period,
many Palestinians praised them as "heroes" and "brave."
Judging from the reactions of many Palestinians, especially on social media,
they prefer peace with Hamas rather than with Israel.
The thousands of Palestinian women who participated in the march with
Israeli women are being accused of promoting "normalization" with Israel.
This, in the eyes of their critics, is an abhorrent and despicable act,
tantamount to "high treason" -- an offense punishable by death.
Palestinian and Israeli women from the "Women Wage Peace" group participate
in an event on September 30, 2017. (Image source: Women Wage Peace/Facebook)
Prior to the women's march, Palestinian activists waged an online bid to
stop the Palestinian women from taking part in the "shameful" event. It was
a vicious campaign that lasted for several days and that accused the
Palestinian women of treason for promoting "normalization" with the "Israeli
enemy." One group, The Women's Campaign for Boycotting Israeli Merchandise,
said in a statement that the planned march was "hurtful to Palestinian and
Arab and international efforts to boycott and isolate Israel." The group
pointed out that the march coincided with a "Zionist-imperialist onslaught
to undermine the Palestinian national project."
Exactly which "Zionist-imperialist" conspiracy these protesters are
referring to remains unclear.
Such rhetoric, however, reflects the mindset in the Arab and Islamic world.
The most widespread conspiracy theory, which has been floating around for
decades and can be heard in almost every coffee shop on the streets of
Cairo, Amman, Ramallah and Beirut, is that Zionist Jews, together with
American capitalists and imperialists, have a secret plan to take control
over the Arab and Islamic countries and their resources.
What does a peaceful march of Israeli and Palestinian women have to do with
Zionism and imperialism? How exactly are the "Zionists and imperialists"
trying to "undermine" the Palestinian "national project"?
And what, precisely, is this project? Is it the project of Hamas and many
other Palestinians that seeks the destruction of Israel? Is it the project
that still talks about a phased plan to destroy Israel by demanding a
Palestinian state next to Israel so that it would be used in the future as a
launching pad to eliminate Israel?
Palestinian and Arab leaders have long advanced anti-Israel, anti-Jewish and
anti-Western conspiracy theories. Why do these leaders do so? For one
purpose: distraction.
The corrupt Arab and Palestinian leaders spread such rumors to divert
attention from problems at home, such as corruption and dictatorship. These
leaders want their people too busy hating Jews and Westerners to demand
reform, democracy and transparency from their leaders. Those valuables, of
course, are what Arab and Palestinian leaders still refuse to offer their
people.
Back to the controversial women's march.
The abusive comments hurled against the Palestinian women who took part in
the march are frankly embarrassing to read. Even the PLO committee that
permitted the participation of the Palestinian women in the march is being
pilloried by many Palestinians, with some calling for holding the PLO
officials involved accountable.
The verbal abuse is reminiscent of the experience of teenage Palestinian
girls who recently participated in a summer camp with Israeli girls in the
US. The Palestinian girls endured a massive smear campaign for attending the
summer camp, which was organized by Creativity for Peace, an organization in
Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Like the women from the march, the teenage girls were also cursed on social
media and dubbed as "sluts" and "traitors." The abuse reached the parents of
the Palestinian girls, for allowing their daughters to commit the sin of
dancing and mixing with Israeli (Jewish) girls. The girls, like the women,
were also accused of promoting "normalization" with Israel.
Sadly, only a handful of Palestinians have thus far dared to come out in
defense of the summer camp girls or the women who participated in the
October 8 march.
While many Palestinians may be opposed to the brutal and senseless attacks
on the girls and women, they are terrified of voicing their views in public.
No one wants to get targeted by the abusers, especially if some of these
people are affiliated with terror groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and
the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Palestinians have an unfortunate habit of allowing thugs and terrorists to
intimidate them, control the discourse and set the agenda. This is certainly
not new. Most Palestinians prefer to sit on the fence instead of speaking
their minds. This is what happens when you live under ruthless dictatorships
such as the Palestinian Authority and Hamas that suppress freedom of
expression.
Yet this most recent exhibit has an ironic twist. Just as the women were
shamed publicly for taking part in an event with Jewish women, many
Palestinians were celebrating the "reconciliation" between the Palestinian
Authority and Hamas. Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip took to
the streets to express their jubilation over the "accord," and when the PA
Prime Minister and his delegation arrived in the Gaza Strip from the West
Bank, scenes of kissing and hugging were easy to spot.
What does all this teach us?
First, that many Palestinians continue to consider any form of contact with
Jews and "normalization" with the "Zionist entity" an act of treason.
Second, that Palestinians do not hesitate to designate their own women as
prostitutes and traitors for engaging in the most basic activities with
Jews. Such disrespect for women is not, by the way, something that should
surprise us about conservative Arab and Islamic societies.
Third, that for many Palestinians, the priority remains making peace with
Hamas and not Israel. Why do they prefer peace with Hamas? Because they
identify with Hamas's dream of destroying Israel and killing Jews. It may be
an unpleasant a truth, but that is the bottom line.
Bassam Tawil is a Muslim based in the Middle East
by Bassam Tawil
October 11, 2017 at 5:00 am
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11144/palestinian-normalization-hamas
The most widespread conspiracy theory, which has been floating around for
decades and can be heard in almost every coffee shop on the streets of
Cairo, Amman, Ramallah and Beirut, is that Zionist Jews, together with
American capitalists and imperialists, have a secret plan to take control
over the Arab and Islamic countries and their resources.
How exactly are the "Zionists and imperialists" trying to "undermine" the
Palestinian "national project"? And what, precisely, is this project? Is it
the project of Hamas and many other Palestinians that seeks the destruction
of Israel?
The corrupt Arab and Palestinian leaders spread such rumors to divert
attention from problems at home, such as corruption and dictatorship. These
leaders want their people too busy hating Jews and Westerners to demand
reform, democracy and transparency from their leaders. Those valuables, of
course, are what Arab and Palestinian leaders still refuse to offer their
people.
Why do many Palestinians prefer peace with Hamas? Because they identify with
Hamas's dream of destroying Israel and killing Jews. It may be an unpleasant
a truth, but that is the bottom line.
When Palestinian women took part in a march with Israeli women for peace
this week, they were condemned in the harshest terms by many other
Palestinians, who called for their punishment. The Palestinian women who
participated in the October 8 event, organized by a group called Women Wage
Peace, have been denounced by many of their own people as and "traitors" and
"whores."
Conversely, when Palestinian Authority (PA) officials held "reconciliation"
talks with Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip and Egypt during the same period,
many Palestinians praised them as "heroes" and "brave."
Judging from the reactions of many Palestinians, especially on social media,
they prefer peace with Hamas rather than with Israel.
The thousands of Palestinian women who participated in the march with
Israeli women are being accused of promoting "normalization" with Israel.
This, in the eyes of their critics, is an abhorrent and despicable act,
tantamount to "high treason" -- an offense punishable by death.
Palestinian and Israeli women from the "Women Wage Peace" group participate
in an event on September 30, 2017. (Image source: Women Wage Peace/Facebook)
Prior to the women's march, Palestinian activists waged an online bid to
stop the Palestinian women from taking part in the "shameful" event. It was
a vicious campaign that lasted for several days and that accused the
Palestinian women of treason for promoting "normalization" with the "Israeli
enemy." One group, The Women's Campaign for Boycotting Israeli Merchandise,
said in a statement that the planned march was "hurtful to Palestinian and
Arab and international efforts to boycott and isolate Israel." The group
pointed out that the march coincided with a "Zionist-imperialist onslaught
to undermine the Palestinian national project."
Exactly which "Zionist-imperialist" conspiracy these protesters are
referring to remains unclear.
Such rhetoric, however, reflects the mindset in the Arab and Islamic world.
The most widespread conspiracy theory, which has been floating around for
decades and can be heard in almost every coffee shop on the streets of
Cairo, Amman, Ramallah and Beirut, is that Zionist Jews, together with
American capitalists and imperialists, have a secret plan to take control
over the Arab and Islamic countries and their resources.
What does a peaceful march of Israeli and Palestinian women have to do with
Zionism and imperialism? How exactly are the "Zionists and imperialists"
trying to "undermine" the Palestinian "national project"?
And what, precisely, is this project? Is it the project of Hamas and many
other Palestinians that seeks the destruction of Israel? Is it the project
that still talks about a phased plan to destroy Israel by demanding a
Palestinian state next to Israel so that it would be used in the future as a
launching pad to eliminate Israel?
Palestinian and Arab leaders have long advanced anti-Israel, anti-Jewish and
anti-Western conspiracy theories. Why do these leaders do so? For one
purpose: distraction.
The corrupt Arab and Palestinian leaders spread such rumors to divert
attention from problems at home, such as corruption and dictatorship. These
leaders want their people too busy hating Jews and Westerners to demand
reform, democracy and transparency from their leaders. Those valuables, of
course, are what Arab and Palestinian leaders still refuse to offer their
people.
Back to the controversial women's march.
The abusive comments hurled against the Palestinian women who took part in
the march are frankly embarrassing to read. Even the PLO committee that
permitted the participation of the Palestinian women in the march is being
pilloried by many Palestinians, with some calling for holding the PLO
officials involved accountable.
The verbal abuse is reminiscent of the experience of teenage Palestinian
girls who recently participated in a summer camp with Israeli girls in the
US. The Palestinian girls endured a massive smear campaign for attending the
summer camp, which was organized by Creativity for Peace, an organization in
Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Like the women from the march, the teenage girls were also cursed on social
media and dubbed as "sluts" and "traitors." The abuse reached the parents of
the Palestinian girls, for allowing their daughters to commit the sin of
dancing and mixing with Israeli (Jewish) girls. The girls, like the women,
were also accused of promoting "normalization" with Israel.
Sadly, only a handful of Palestinians have thus far dared to come out in
defense of the summer camp girls or the women who participated in the
October 8 march.
While many Palestinians may be opposed to the brutal and senseless attacks
on the girls and women, they are terrified of voicing their views in public.
No one wants to get targeted by the abusers, especially if some of these
people are affiliated with terror groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and
the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Palestinians have an unfortunate habit of allowing thugs and terrorists to
intimidate them, control the discourse and set the agenda. This is certainly
not new. Most Palestinians prefer to sit on the fence instead of speaking
their minds. This is what happens when you live under ruthless dictatorships
such as the Palestinian Authority and Hamas that suppress freedom of
expression.
Yet this most recent exhibit has an ironic twist. Just as the women were
shamed publicly for taking part in an event with Jewish women, many
Palestinians were celebrating the "reconciliation" between the Palestinian
Authority and Hamas. Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip took to
the streets to express their jubilation over the "accord," and when the PA
Prime Minister and his delegation arrived in the Gaza Strip from the West
Bank, scenes of kissing and hugging were easy to spot.
What does all this teach us?
First, that many Palestinians continue to consider any form of contact with
Jews and "normalization" with the "Zionist entity" an act of treason.
Second, that Palestinians do not hesitate to designate their own women as
prostitutes and traitors for engaging in the most basic activities with
Jews. Such disrespect for women is not, by the way, something that should
surprise us about conservative Arab and Islamic societies.
Third, that for many Palestinians, the priority remains making peace with
Hamas and not Israel. Why do they prefer peace with Hamas? Because they
identify with Hamas's dream of destroying Israel and killing Jews. It may be
an unpleasant a truth, but that is the bottom line.
Bassam Tawil is a Muslim based in the Middle East
