POSITION PAPER ON THE UPRISING IN THE PALESTINIAN OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
WCLAC News - http://www.nisaa.org/wclac
NOVEMBER 2000
Since 28 September, violence has engulfed our region. Israeli troops have employed not only rubber-coated or plastic-coated metal bullets and tear gas, but high-velocity live ammunition, helicopter gun- ships, tanks and heavy artillery against largely defenceless Palestinian protesters and bystanders. Even people within their homes have been targeted by Israeli gunfire and have suffered casualties. The death toll stands at over 225 and is rising daily, with more than 7000 people injured.
Numerous human rights observers have recorded a high child casualty rate, as well as a 'shoot to kill' policy, evident in the frequency of upper body wounds. As of 8 November, LAW, a Jerusalem-based Palestinian human rights organisation, reported that Israeli military personnel or settlers had killed 49 children (under the age of 18) and had injured approximately 1,700. Of the 49 killed, more than half died from bullet wounds to their heads. The Palestinian Happy Child Centre has reported that 18% of injured children are either clinically dead or in critical condition and that 20% are likely to suffer from a permanent disability. Defence for Children International (DCI) - Palestine Section reported after the first month of violence that about half of the injured children had suffered upper body wounds. In recent weeks, observers have noted that the incidence of upper body wounds has risen to over 80% of cases, while the frequency of live ammunition injuries has risen from less than a quarter of the cases to over 80%.
At the same time, medical personnel have been impeded from performing their life-saving duties and have, in certain incidents, been directly targeted by Israeli gunfire. In its report on the current uprising, Human Rights Watch recorded a pattern of Israeli violation of medical neutrality through "…the repeated use of lethal force against Palestinian ambulances, medical personnel, field hospitals and clinics engaged in treating or evacuating injured civilians. The use of live fire against medical personnel interferes with the prompt treatment of wounded, and may in some instances have resulted in additional deaths." This type of interference is a blatant violation of UN principles as well as the Fourth Geneva Convention.
In addition to violating the civil and political rights of Palestinians, Israel has also infringed on economic, social and cultural rights. Israel implements a two-tiered policy of closure: general closure has been in place since 1993 and prohibits Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza from entering Israel and East Jerusalem unless they obtain a permit. Since the beginning of the current uprising, all of these permits have been revoked, causing high unemployment as thousands of Palestinians are unable to reach their place of work inside Israel. Meanwhile, general closure impedes Palestinians from travelling freely within the Palestinian territories by slicing the territories into three detached areas: the Gaza Strip and two parts of the West Bank - north and south - cut in two by Israeli-controlled Jerusalem and its surrounding settlements.
At the same time, a policy of internal closure has been periodically invoked over the past several weeks to seal Palestinian villages and towns, prohibiting movement between urban centres and literally imprisoning entire communities in their villages or towns. Most cruelly, the Palestinians of Hebron have been under total closure and curfew since the beginning of the uprising, completely barred from leaving their homes.
Israel has made clear its intention to 'punish' the Palestinian Authority for 'failing to contain the violence' by economic strangulation, a policy which serves to collectively punish the entire Palestinian population. This policy will continue to have a disastrous effect on the Palestinian economy and seriously impedes access to schools, medical care, medicine and food. These conditions make it impossible for many Palestinians to continue with their lives and deprive them of fundamental economic, social and cultural rights; for children to attend school and play outside, for people to work and support their families, and for parents to rear their children in a safe and healthy environment. All forms of collective punishment are strictly prohibited under Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Israeli Provocation and Excessive Use of Force
There is an international consensus that the recent events in the Palestinian occupied territories were ignited by Israeli provocation and have been exacerbated by the excessive use of lethal force by Israeli security personnel. According to an Amnesty International report of 19 October, Israeli troops have violated not only international standards for law enforcement officials, but also Israel's own internal rules of engagement for the occupied territories.
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights most recently affirmed this in its resolution of 19 October condemning the "disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force" by Israel against Palestinian civilians - actions which it determined constitute 'war crimes' and 'crimes against humanity'. This reinforced UN Security Council Resolution 1322 of 7 October calling for Israel to "abide scrupulously by its legal obligations and its responsibilities under the Fourth Geneva Convention…" and condemning "the excessive use of force against Palestinians…."
Despite the consensus that Israeli actions against the Palestinian civilian population constitute grave violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, to date the international community has failed to take concrete steps to ensure the security of Palestinian civilians. This has been a serious shortcoming of the states of the world and may indeed constitute a violation of their own obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention to "ensure respect" of the Convention.
WCLAC welcomes the pronouncements of the international community on Israel's wanton and excessive use of force against Palestinians, including many children. However, we urge international bodies to expedite the processes of investigation and intervention mandated by their pronouncements, and implore the states of the world to take immediate action on behalf of Palestinian civilians to stop the killing and ensure the security of our people.
Smear Campaign - Muting the Voices of the Victim
Of particular concern to WCLAC during the course of the events of the past two months has been the media's portrayal of the conflict. Much of the western media has adopted the language and terminology of the Israeli leadership, which seek to blame the victim (the Palestinians) for the recent round of violence.
This has been manifested in the use of such code words as "provocation", "cross-fire", "Palestinian terror", "Israeli defence", "cease-fire" and "siege". Through the use of these and other terms, the Palestinians have been presented as the aggressors, besieging Israel, destroying the peace process and stubbornly refusing to cooperate with Israeli and American attempts to restore calm to the region. In reality, the use of deadly force has been almost exclusively unilateral and the casualties overwhelmingly one-sided. Israeli forces have responded to demonstrations and civil disobedience with lethal force, while claiming that its actions are guided by the principle of 'self-defence'.
The status of the Palestinian victims in this political context is not without parallels in gender based violence and power relations. It has been well studied that crimes against oppressed groups have the effect of increasing the pain and suffering of the vulnerable within that oppressed group. This leads to double victimisation of the latter. It is more convenient to manufacture reasons why the victim was the cause of her own victimisation than to examine causes that might undermine the vested interests of the powerful. As a result, the voice of the disempowered victim is effectively silenced leading to further victimisation of the victim.
As with gender violence, Israeli power and international (particularly American) interests have succeeded in placing the blame for the killing of Palestinian civilians squarely on the shoulders of the Palestinians themselves. In doing so, Israel has sought (and succeeded) to divert attention from the real issues and focus solely on the Palestinian leadership, who have been repeatedly blamed for orchestrating the events as an attempt to achieve political objectives through the use of violence.
The acceptance of the Israeli interpretation of the conflict by many states, particularly in the West, has resulted in criticisms of the Palestinian leadership for not taking effective steps to halt the uprising. However, what is being demanded of Palestinian leaders is essentially to silence dissenting voices and the public will, and to return to negotiating within a 'peace process' that is inherently unbalanced and which can only lead to a settlement that favours the more powerful of the parties: Israel. Meanwhile, all but overlooked are the plight and suffering of the Palestinian people and their frustrations over the Oslo process, which has failed in its seven years to achieve a just solution to the conflict.
This Intifada is a direct message from the Palestinian people to the political power brokers that the people demand to be heard. Indeed, any resumption of 'peace talks' will have to seriously consider what Palestinian people are saying. However, by adopting the Israeli narrative, diverting attention from the real issues and focusing on the role of the Palestinian leadership in the violence, the western media have been for the most part complicit in this distraction tactic which silences the voices of the Palestinian people and prolongs their suffering.
The crux of Palestinian frustration is the failure of Oslo to ensure the realisation of their internationally recognised rights. Israeli policy and action throughout the 'peace process' indicated that Israel was not serious about reaching a balanced peace with the Palestinians. Israel consistently failed to adequately implement many of its commitments, while increasing settlement construction and intensifying efforts to Judaise Jerusalem. A similar pattern has emerged in this latest round of violence, as Israel (with the tacit support of the U.S.) has succeeded in marginalising international humanitarian law, UN resolutions and human rights, while obfuscating the just claims and grievances of the Palestinian people. In this absurd tragedy, the victims (the Palestinians) have ended up as the 'aggressors', while the assailant (Israel) has emerged as the 'only remaining peace partner'.
Palestinian Women - Demonised and De-humanised
The most disturbing aspect of the Israeli public smear campaign against the Palestinian uprising has been its attack on Palestinian women, who have been accused of urging their children on to death. This accusation is superficially supported by video images of Palestinian women remaining defiant at their sons' funerals, seeming to refuse to mourn and, in some cases, seeming to 'celebrate' the death. The picture as it is painted, however, fails to consider all of the factors and makes no attempt to truly understand the local culture and what these mothers are going through - psychologically, emotionally or socially. The image is constructed to dehumanise and demonise Palestinian women, and fits into the broader propaganda campaign to portray the Palestinians as irrational, obstinate, vindictive and simply, inhuman.
The fact is that Palestinian mothers are indeed human, and like all mothers, do not wish to see their children murdered. This proposition seems rather self-evident, but in the face of the rather insensitive statements of such prominent 'women' and 'mothers' as U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright and Her Majesty Sylvia Beatrice, Queen of Sweden, the point cannot be stressed enough.
Palestinian mothers grieve over the loss of their children. They grieve even harder when they have to witness their child bleeding to death or lying stiff with a bullet in his head. How these women express their grief is not entirely important. Finding consolation in the idea that their child is safe in a better world, that he died for a cause, or even that his blood may be redeemed with the blood of the enemy may ease the pain for some, but can never fill the empty space in their home, or heal the gaping wound in their heart.
The Future of Palestinian Society: Double Victimisation
In recent weeks, hundreds of Palestinian women have had to absorb the loss of children, brothers and fathers. The emotional and psychological trauma of this will carry with it effects well into the future. For every child that has been buried in recent weeks, gone with him are the dreams and hopes of a young human being, and those of his entire family. Women bereaved by the loss of a loved one must cope with more than just the loss of life, but with the loss of spirit and hope - things that require much effort and support to rebuild.
While it is important to offer support services for women who have suffered a loss, it is equally crucial to ensure that adequate services are made available to entire families, including principal breadwinners, who have been exposed to and traumatised by political violence. A failure to meet these needs immediately will hinder the healing process and facilitate the emergence of problems in the future. Particularly dangerous is that, without proper treatment, people will internalise the violence. As a result, Palestinian society will be forced to pay the price of the recent events twice; first, now with the suffering and death, and later, with the long-term social implications of untreated trauma. It is likely that women will become prime targets for male frustrations and internalised violence within the domestic sphere, becoming the ultimate victims of the recent uprising.
In a well-received recent development, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1044 on 31 October,2000. The resolution holds governments accountable for the protection of girls and women in times of armed conflict, calls for gender sensitivity in all UN missions (including peace-keeping) and demands equal participation of women at all processes of peace negotiation. The resolution recognises that "…women and children account for the vast majority of those adversely affected by armed conflict, including as refugees and internally displaced persons, and increasingly are targeted by combatants and armed elements…." Moreover, the Security Council called on political actors, when negotiating and implementing a peace agreement, to adopt a gender perspective, particularly in taking account of the special needs of women and girls, and ensuring the protection of their fundamental human rights.
This resolution reflects a reality that is well known to the women of Palestine. During the first Intifada (1987-93) and in the period thereafter, the political violence profoundly impacted on the lives of women. It has been well documented how the violence directed at the Palestinian people as a whole by the Israeli occupation was correlated by a sharp increase in the level of violence directed against women within the home.
The implications of this trend continued long after the Oslo Accords were signed and the Israeli and Palestinian leaders became 'partners in peace'. Without an adequate social service sector in the Palestinian territories, many men who had experienced trauma were left without proper necessary treatment. Women ultimately bore the brunt of much of this suffering, becoming targets for untreated, disturbed male family members and lacking access to support services to deal with their own suffering.
For this reason, it is crucial that we do not allow ourselves to be victimised twofold by the Israeli aggression. We cannot fall into a similar pattern as in the past, watching our progress recede, while allowing the violence that has been carried out against our society to be re-directed against women and girls within our homes.
Conclusion
A political solution must be found for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. This solution will not be reached through war, but rather through negotiation. Any final settlement, however, must be premised on the complete withdrawal of Israel from the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 and the full implementation of all relevant UN resolutions. This must include the establishment of a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem, the dismantling of Jewish settlements and the recognition of the right of return for Palestinian refugees. In addition to reaching a final political settlement, it is essential for the fostering of sustainable peace, that there be a process of reconciliation between the peoples of Israel and Palestine, Jews and Arabs. Only by reconciling ourselves with the past and recognising historical legacy of suffering and injustice can we hope to build a stable and secure future for all peoples of this land.
As a women's legal and social work service and advocacy institution, we firmly believe that the social ills within Palestinian society cannot be solved without a permanent, just political solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The cycle of violence that revisits our region at regular intervals has a devastating impact on development in all spheres. Indeed, working for social development is impossible under the current circumstances. For this reason, we insist that a just political situation is the only basis upon which a viable Palestinian state can be established in which the rights and freedoms of all citizens, both women and men, are respected and the rule of law upheld.
For now, people need to deal with their grief and trauma immediately. We must provide services addressing issues of death, loss, violence and crisis management. Not only must we bury our dead and heal our injured; there are emotional, psychological and social wounds which must be tended to as well. Indeed, this is our great challenge if we are to gain something from this crisis and attempt to lay the foundations for a better, stronger future for our people.