Articles
WRMEA, August 2010, Pages 55-56
Arab-American Activism
Palestinians in Their "Deepest Crisis Since '48"
HEATED arguments dominated the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee's [ADC's] June 6 panel on Palestine titled "17 years after Oslo, What's Next?" Palestine's Ambassador Maen Rashid Areikat, Dr. Karen AbuZayd, retired U.N. under-secretary-general and commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and Haifa University political science professor Dr. Asa'd Ghanem discussed the current state of Palestinian affairs in a passionate discussion moderated by Dr. Elizabeth Campbell, senior advocate at Refugees International. Among their rare points of agreement was the general consensus that the Oslo accords had failed, as well as their uncertainty of Israel's commitment to finding a just solution to the Arab-Israeli dispute. The harmony ended there, however, reflecting the divided nature of Palestinian politics today.
Attempting to explain the Oslo agreement's many shortcomings, Ambassador Areikat stated that one of the PLO's major negotiating errors was the recognition of Israel in return for Israel recognizing the PLO—rather than an independent Palestinian state. Offering advice for future peace talks, he said that new agreements should consist of "either all or nothing"; in other words, that no agreements should be signed until all issues are resolved. The ambassador underscored the need for a solution, however, stating that Palestinians are the ones paying the highest price for no peace in the region.
Focusing on the Oslo accord's effect on Palestinian refugees, Dr. AbuZayd concluded that their condition had worsened steadily, due, among other factors, to the increased number of checkpoints and the infamous wall cutting through the occupied Palestinian territories. Reciting an excerpt from "Counterpoint," poet Mahmoud Darwish's homage to Edward Said, she summed up the dilemma of two incompatible narratives, which make the refugees' future appear bleak: "Will they tell me that two dreams cannot share a bed?"
From describing the Oslo accords as "a lesson on how not to sign an agreement," to claiming that the two-state solution is an "Israeli way to control Palestine," Dr. Ghanem delivered many powerful jabs at the PLO, to extended applause from the audience. Criticizing the PLO's lack of democracy and charging that his and other Palestinian voices do "not count for Abu Mazen" (President Mahmoud Abbas), he called for an alternative, secular Palestinian leadership, arguing that only a democratic leadership could lead Palestine forward. According to Dr. Ghanem, the two-state solution is "over," and one should work toward a one-state solution, with equal democratic rights for all citizens.
Interestingly, Ambassador Areikat met Dr. Ghanem's critique with a promise that the Palestinian Authority will present any deal with Israel to Palestinians within and outside the occupied territories. He concluded by denouncing violent resistance, to great applause, saying that the use of violence only leads to Israel having the upper hand in the conflict. "They would like to see our efforts fail rather than succeed," he reminded the audience.
—Imaan Ali
