Are the Occupied Protecting the Occupier? by Amira Hass in Ha'aretz 4:21pm Thu Mar 14 '02 In recent days, the IDF and armed groups of Palestinians have displayed a common interest in presenting a distorted picture of reality. Both sides are greatly exaggerating when they talk about "Palestinian military resistance" to the IDF incursions into the refugee camps - and yesterday into Ramallah - referring to "battles" and "firefights." print article March 13, 2002 Are the Occupied Protecting the Occupier? By Amira Hass In recent days, the IDF and armed groups of Palestinians have displayed a common interest in presenting a distorted picture of reality. Both sides are greatly exaggerating when they talk about "Palestinian military resistance" to the IDF incursions into the refugee camps - and yesterday into Ramallah - referring to "battles" and "firefights." But in Qalqiliyah and Deheisheh, where a conscious and level headed decision was taken not to take part in the show called "resisting and repelling the military invasion," the military could not talk about a "battle" or "combat." Nonetheless, when it was reported that two Palestinians were killed in Qalqiliyah, there was an automatic slip of the tongue and it was said they "died in a fire fight." But there were no such battles in the town. That doesn't mean that in some of the camps, and now, in Ramallah, armed Palestinians did not try to respond with fire to the Israeli forces. But the heavy price paid by the families of those IDF soldiers killed in the recent raids helps erase the real picture - the IDF is not conducting battles in the territories. At most, the IDF, with all its sophisticated advanced weaponry, has encountered a few groups and individuals armed with much inferior weaponry and with only the most elementary military training in combat tactics. For the armed groups, it is important to present their actions as an "uprising." They confuse their desire to pick up weapons and die for what they are convinced is their war of independence, and the results of their readiness to battle one of the strongest armies in the world. For the IDF and the Israeli government it is important to speak about fighting, and to give the impression that both sides are equals, thus burying the fact that most of the Palestinian dead are civilians or members of the security forces, who, even if they were armed, stayed out of the fighting. And it is especially important for the army and government to bury the fact that the IDF in the territories is an occupying power. Only thanks to its far superior strength is Israel able to continue controling the lives of three million Palestinians, guaranteeing the existence of the settlements on the Palestinians' land. The gap between the bragging by both sides - the IDF's and the armed Palestinians - and the limited achievements, on the Palestinian side, of their guerrilla attacks on soldiers, is what pushes most Palestinians into support for the suicide bombers inside Israel and against Israelis. These lethal attacks are perceived as the only significant response to IDF actions deep inside civilian Palestinian populations. But they are also an admission of the limits of the armed resistance to the Israeli occupation. Most Palestinians know their youths are bragging. But apparently in Israel, the belief that the IDF is indeed involved in a war, in other words, in something "symmetrical," is based on the fact Israelis like to regard the Palestinian Authority as a sovereign political entity. That wrong impression has deep roots in the years of the Oslo process, and a distorted view of reality that was fostered in Israel during those years. Israel very quickly got rid of its civic duties to the occupied population, which remained occupied because the IDF remained the sovereign in all the 1967 areas. It was called "transferring civilian authority." The PA was given responsibility for civic affairs, like sewage, education, and road building, for three million Palestinians. Thus, the Israeli and Western public could believe there had been an "end to the occupation." But Israel - and the West - paid no attention to the fact, it was administrative control over people, without authority over most of the area in which they lived, and without any room for development, a requirement for every government. Israelis and the West also did not notice - or know - that nearly every administrative function by the PA required approval by the Israeli authorities. Israel and the world saw the outer trappings of sovereignty - a flag, an airport, jails, security forces, and show trials - as proof that Palestinian sovereignty had been established. Forgotten was the fact that Israel controled - and continues to control - all the external borders, the passages inside the West Bank and from it to Gaza and back, the water sources, the economy, the movement of population into the territories, and the registration of the Palestinian population. Like the partnership between the IDF and the armed Palestinian fighters who make claims of "battles" when there were none, so did the partnership between Israeli governments and the Palestinian leadership want to present the PA areas as politically independent, describing Area A as "free of occupation." The second intifada was a direct result of that false portrayal of reality. Continued Israeli control did not disturb and still does not disturb the Israeli public from regarding the "autonomous" areas of the limited, fragmented, cantonized, territory, which has been splintered into enclaves cut off from one another, as a "state." A "state" with equal responsibility - indeed more - than its "neighbor," Israel, but without equal rights. A "state" that is perceived as an aggressor. Thus, we've reached the point where the occupied are being told it is up to them to guarantee the peace and security of the occupiers. Amira Hass writes for the Israeli daily Ha'aretz. add your comments Source file

Rot in hell, bitch by Jew 8:02pm Mon Mar 18 '02 print comment Rot in hell, you piece of scum. It is not Israels superior power, it's Hashem, of whom you know nothing of. add your comments

bs by herzl 1:51am Tue Mar 19 '02 print comment haas got it wrong these are terrorists who target innocent jewish kids these are sick people they need medical tratment if no progress they need jewish hamas add your comments

A constructive voice by Steven 3:56am Wed Mar 20 '02 print comment 3/19/02 Amira Haas is a decent and high quality journalist. Do not attack the messenger. First, Israelis should analyze their own mistakes. The same for the Palestinian Arabs. Second, there is a need for a mutual respect. The Vietnam affair is lesson. The over the border forces are the source of most of the violence. The old Soviet Union trained the early Palestinian agents. These agents are bad servants of their people. Additionally, Orthodox Muslims are fueling the continuing hostility. On the Israeli side, the early Zionists opened the door to the born again Judaism. A huge mistake. Democracy should keep religious politics out of the public arena. The remaining decent Israelis and Arabs should unite to assure a future constructive peaceful coexistence without ugly fences. People compromise and do not kill! No one will go to heaven. There is no heaven! add your comments

Learn your facts by please 12:37am Mon Mar 25 '02 print comment The Palestinian people are a made up people sent from other arab states which make up the arab nation meant to destroy Jews and Israel. If the arabs did not kill so many jews their would be more in the the Arab Nations and if Jews were allowed to practice their religion in the Arab Nations thier would be more jews living in the Arab Nations. I think Israel should give the so called fabricated state of Palestine back to the Lebanese and let the Palestinians try to get their land back from them. Get your headline pieces which do not present the facts off of indymedia. Learn your history before you publish anti- israel pieces. Stop supporting Terrorists. You can not compare the south african situation to the israel situation. The palestians are terrorist and they are the ones killing teenage jews in their suicide bombings ect. Stop using Jews and Israel. Stop taking out your anger about your own horrible situation on Israel and Jews, who have been oppressed and used through-out history. add your comments