[IPCRI-ELIST] Surrealism or Realism? Israelis and Palestinian
Gershon Baskin
Understanding and Peace
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
Yesterday after the assassination of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, as the eyes of the
entire world were glued to the television screens watching the scenes from
Gaza, Jerusalem, the West Bank and the entire Arab world, we in IPCRI were
sitting together, Israelis and Palestinians planning the work of our Strategic
Affairs Department. In the surroundings from outside of our office on the
Jerusalem-Bethlehem border we hear the continuous banging of the heavy
machinery constructing the separation wall, ten meters high just 200 meters
away from our window. Yesterday morning the noise of the machinery was
interspersed with noise of gun fire coming from the Israeli army against
demonstrators inside of Bethlehem near Rachels Tomb.
As we worked yesterday, taking periodic breaks to catch up on developments, we
witnessed together with the whole world the continued calls by Israelis and
Palestinians alike for more death, violence and destruction. One Israeli
cabinet member after the other praised the assassination refusing to answer
the questions regarding the likely aftermath of this violent act. Virtually
the only criticism coming from within the Israeli government was the voice
that said it wasnt enough and now the other Hamas leaders and even Yasir
Arafat himself were next in line. From the Palestinian side we heard the
voices coming from mosques calling on every Palestinian to go kill Jews the
Gates of Hell have been opened we were heard from Hamas leaders. There are
dissenting voices in Palestine against violence, but we didnt hear them
yesterday.
Through all of this we labored on discussing our upcoming meetings of our many
Israeli and Palestinian working groups. We discussed our plans for our
Israeli-Palestinian policy conference to be held in November. Our discussions
were interrupted several times by journalists who wanted to interview us and
get our opinions and analyses on the developments. As the day progressed and
background noise calling for death and destruction became for me intolerably
loud, I could hardly hear myself think. I kept thinking about all of the phone
calls I have to make today to invite people to come to our working group
meetings. I was imagining the responses: Are you crazy? Now you want us to
come to a meeting with them? There is no one to talk to! What do you expect us
to talk about? There is absolutely no chance to make peace with them! Didnt
you hear what they said on television? I cant find the inner resolve to sit
with them now! Etc. etc. etc.
9:00 - I am almost afraid to pick up the phone this morning to make those
calls. This morning most people here are waiting for the next blow where
will it be, who will get hit, how many people will die? Most people, Israelis
and Palestinians want the next blow to come quickly and with as horrendous
consequences as possible they must pay for their crimes! I look around me
and I honestly dont know which reality is real and which is surreal mine or
theres? Is it sane or insane in these circumstances to refuse to accept
violent death as a natural daily event? Is it sane or insane not to hate the
other side? Is it sane or insane to believe that we can still talk to each
other, that we have something in common to talk about, that we can actually do
something together to change this reality?
9:30 am - One of our staff from Bethlehem just arrived to the office. She is
a religious Muslim. I greeted her with surprise thinking that she wont be
able to get to work because of the tight closure enforced by the Israeli
Border Police around the compound of our office. I greet her with the
traditional Arabic greeting al humdul-illah salame literally meaning -
blessed is your peace. She responds what peace ya Gershon, the entire world
is in ruins! She lives in a refugee camp inside of Bethlehem just half a
kilometer away from my desk.
This must be the only place in this land today where Israelis and Palestinians
are sitting together, working together, thinking together, caring together,
worrying together all out of clear, coherent and rational choice. In between
my thoughts and fears about the impending news of more violence, I am
disturbed by the thought that we might remain the on}ly group of Israelis and
Palestinian sitting together in peace. I expect that our work will become
increasingly difficult. It will become more and more complicated to find
significant mainstream Israelis and Palestinians who will agree to participate
in joint meetings or joint activities.
The continued Israeli attempts to weaken Hamas by assassinating the Hamas
leadership is backfiring as Hamas public strength grows from attack to attack.
Yesterdays assassination of Sheikh Yassin may actually be the final blow to
the Palestinian Authority in Gaza. As the Palestinian Authority continues to
lose its legitimacy in the eyes of the Palestinian public, it will become next
to impossible to bring Palestinian officials to participate in any meetings
with Israelis. As this trend continues, more and more Israeli officials will
also shy away from talking with Palestinians. The second intifada has been
until now characterized as an armed uprising as opposed to a public popular
uprising. Now popular Palestinian resistance to the occupation is likely to
experience a sharp rise. Israeli responses are likely to be more
assassinations and more attacks and hardships placed on the Palestinian
civilian population.
In the backdrop to all of this is a new generation of Palestinian and Israeli
young people living in fear and breeding hatred. The collective memories and
stories of this new generation of young Israelis and Palestinians is being
filled with anger and deep desire to see the other side suffer.
11:00 am - We just now received word from the Israeli army that our requests
for permits for Palestinian teachers to come to our office for a two day
working meeting on peace education has been rejected. We were told that we
should not expect any permits to be issued in the near future. Demonstrations
are marching all over the West Bank and Gaza now. Hamas has insisted that
Palestinian schools be opened and not included in the three days of strike and
public mourning. Palestinian students are attending schools today and
certainly learning about Sheikh Yassin. Israeli students went to school this
morning despite their parents great trepidation about their security. All of
Israel is on high alert against Palestinian revenge. Everyone knows the bombs
will explode where? When? How many people will lose their lives and how many
others will be forever maimed?
In every corner of our office our people are busy at work, yet there is a deep
sadness that lingers all around us. In one room they are working on our joint
water conference to be held in October. In another room a joint team is
working on the terms of reference for several new public policy joint working
teams. In another room work is being done on the peace education curricula.
For a very brief moment, it all seems so normal.
Gershon Baskin, Ph.D. and Zakaria al Qaq, Ph.D.
Co-Directors, IPCRI
P.O. Box 9321, Jerusalem 91092
Tel: 972-2-676-9460 Fax: 972-2-676-8011
Mobile: 052-381-715
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I think the idea that it is possible to continue keeping 3.5 million
Palestinians under occupation - yes it is occupation, you might not like the
word, but what is happening is occupation - is bad for Israel, and bad for the
Palestinians, and bad for the Israeli economy. Controlling 3.5 million
Palestinians cannot go on forever. You want to remain in Jenin, Nablus,
Ramallah and Bethlehem?"
Ariel Sharon, May 26, 2003
The love of one's country is a splendid thing. But why should love stop at the
border?
Pablo Casals
I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends.
Abraham Lincoln
If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy.
Then he becomes your partner.
Nelson Mandela