A Special Place in Hell / Israelis need a Gandhi of their own
There is nothing more threatening to the occupation than the specter of Palestinian non-violence.
By Bradley Burston Tags: Israel news Middle East peace Bradley BurstonThe more insoluble a conflict, it seems, the more durable the axioms that help keep a solution at bay.
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Israeli protesters in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan |
| Photo by: Oliveier Fitoussi |
All too often, the problem is not that the axiom is unhelpful or untrue, but that over time it has come, ploughshare into sword, to be adopted by one side or the other as a weapon.
So it is, that dyed-in-the-wool anti-Palestinians have long delighted in denouncing the Palestinian movement for having failed to produce a home-grown Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King.
Of course, the criticism is as disingenuous as it is self-serving, since over the years the pro-settlement right has been the primary, perhaps the sole, political beneficiary of Palestinian attacks against Israelis.
But the denunciation also tends to obscure a revolution gaining traction among Palestinians. The growing openness to the power of non-violence was the subject of Nicholas Kristof's thoughtful recent dispatch from the West Bank village of Bil'in, "Waiting for Gandhi."
The column follows an eyebrow-raiser from the Wall Street Journal. In pages largely unaccustomed to portraying Hamas and Hezbollah in terms other than that of armed groups locked in a to-the-death struggle with Israel, a recent report from Jerusalem opened by saying that the flotilla incident had moved the organizations to begin to "embrace civil disobedience, civil disobedience, protest marches, lawsuits and boycotts—tactics they once dismissed."
"When we use violence, we help Israel win international support," prominent Hamas West Bank lawmaker Aziz Dweik told the Journal.
"The Gaza flotilla has done more for Gaza than 10,000 rockets."
Through it all, the robust internal Palestinian debate over non-violence, underway abroad as well as within the territories, has gone largely unnoticed in Israel. Hereabouts, the problem goes beyond Seeing is Believing. All too often, the problem is the opposite: What you do not believe, you will refuse to see.
It may well be more difficult for Israelis to comprehend the idea of Palestinian non-violence than for Palestinians to do so. For many Israelis, the very thought of non-violent Palestinian protest goes so far against the grain as to be incomprehensible, lethally suspicious, a violation of a bedrock narrative.
In many cases, Israeli media have actively ignored or obscured non-violent Palestinian protest. Last month, hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians marched together through the streets of Silwan, East Jerusalem, protesting a plan by Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat to evict Arab residents and raze 22 houses for a settler-oriented tourism project.
Noting the demonstration in an evening newscast, Israel Channel 2 Television chose to show its viewers old footage of Muslims praying at the site, followed by youths throwing rocks at Israeli troops. The message was clear: Nothing new here. Nothing to see here, folks – move along now.
But there is very definitely something new here. The protest was not, as the brief news item hinted, one more example of radical Islamists inciting hotheads to violence against Israelis. Far from it. What actually happened was a march in which settlers stared in wonderment and a certain anxiety at a large and unified force of Jews and Arabs taking a powerful stand against occupation.
When one Palestinian youth picked up a rock to throw at the settlers, Arabs and Jews alike stopped him and distanced him from the march.
The fact is that Israel may need a Gandhi more than the Palestinians do. As the Jewish state begins to examine its own actions and decision-making in the flotilla disaster, it is becoming that much clearer that Israelis need, for their own sake, to begin to study non-violence.
Over the past decade, Israel has been moving farther and farther away from non-violent solutions to difficult problems. In wars in Lebanon and Gaza, the nation's leaders came down on the side of blunt military force over intensive, creative, confident diplomacy. In domestic politics, as well, the implied violence of racist discourse, the verbal Dahiya Doctrines of Avigdor Lieberman and Eli Yishai, have paid off handsomely in the ballot box.
Israelis suffer at least as much as Palestinians from the machismo ethic that fuels the resort to violence. Twenty years ago, it was that macho ethos which made it so constitutionally painful for the IDF to develop, train for, and employ non-lethal methods in the face of civilian unrest. Twenty years later, it was that same macho ethos which turned tear gas into a lethal weapon in countering demonstrators in the West Bank.
Today it is that same macho ethos which drives Benjamin Netanyahu and, especially, Ehud Barak, which gave rise to the colossally tragic - and entirely unnecessary – consequences of the flotilla raid.
Some Palestinian activists have complained that resort to non-violence has traditionally been seen as unmanly. That what was taken by force not only can be but must be returned by force. Palestinians are beginning to rethink this view.
At a time when use of overwhelming force has cost Israel dearly in its world standing, what will it take for Israelis to rethink the idea that what they have can only be maintained by force? A new kind of leader. A Gandhi, a Dr. King.
Cynics will note that the Israeli whom Israelis called Gandhi, was a man of war, a general, and the Israeli politician most closely identified with advocating "transfer" of Palestinians to facilitate holding on to the territories forever.
Rehavam Ze'evi was also the man who said shortly after the 1967 Six Day War "I am afraid of peace. I think that from the standpoint of the Israeli people and the Jewish people, peace in the coming decade poses many dangers."
Can there any better proof that we need a different Gandhi? A real one this time.
While we wait, the macho in us keeps us crippled. The macho in us keeps us incapable of response to reason. The macho in us makes it necessary to see boycotts as terrorism, peaceful protest as terrorism,
Yes, there is something counter-intuitive in the idea of non-violence as a threat.
There is nothing more threatening to the occupation than the specter of Palestinian non-violence. And there is nothing more hopeful for Israel's future, than the prospect, distant as it still may be, that Israelis and Palestinians can work peaceably together to bring that occupation to an end.
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Israelis try to promote the notion that the source of the conflict is some irrational Palestinian tendency towards violence. In fact the overwhelming majority of Palestinians are peaceful, even if their lives are difficult. It is Israel that controls the land and needs to find a real leader, like Ghandi, rather than this endless stream of political opportunists, like Netanyahu et al.
I think this is one of the misconceptions that is holding back the Middle East from acheiving a Peace Settlement. What the heck is wrong with Jordan that Jews can't buy land (or live over there; I'm not too sure about this point so I enclosed it). What the heck is wrong with Queen Rania that she won't allow a Hebrew edition of her book? See? That's what's wrong with this whole thing. That stuff about Gandhi was romanticized by Hollywood. There are parts of Zionism, I don't adhere to like the purity stuff. It's even getting Israel in trouble with the Reform and Conservative Jews over here. People have manipulated both the Jews and the Muslims. The Muslims are a unreformed lot but we're not encouraging them to reform with our own extremism. If we are going to have any impact on improving our relations we are going to have to be Super Smart. If we want Israel to last forever, we also are going to have to be Super Smart. We want to live together. We want our children to live in peace. We want our nations to be strong. But look you guys. This offshore drilling thing has exposed the USA as a beached whale. So until the USA shuts down all those platforms as a danger to our security and sovereignty, Israel can't totally depend on us to help. The Oil Companies and dependence on Gasoline have compromised the security and sovereignty of the United States. Shucks! So Burston, "You know what you gotta do. It's not just going to take Jewish Brawn. It's going to take Jewish Brains to allow us to survive through what appears to be a long intermediate period of time before the USA can be Number One again. Anyway, stick with Dr. King, not Gandhi. What did Dr. King do a lot of? He talked to Lyndon Johnson a lot. So what needs to happen is this. Both you and Erekat need to get in there somehow and tell Barak and Netanyahu what they need to do so the whole place doesn't tear itself apart! Iran is another story. I just hate the midget!
It is so true that Palestinian non violence is a threat for the too many Israelis who support keeping the lands and I hope that the Palestinians will not be dragged again back into violence by us and by frustration and despair. Still I am not optimist: we are not mature enough yet to become wise and prefer non violent means in order to end this conflict. And it is also possible that we do not want to end it: the dream of a Greater Israel is too luring to be renounced. It is painful to say, but we may need some more bloodshed to understand that it is not worth it. And even then it is most likely that it will not help either. We simply do not get it.
German troops entering his native WW2 Romania.. He couldn't forgive the Allies for using violence to defeat the Nazis and he has passed his dissatisfaction to you.
Baruch Kimmerling was a courageous Zionist, who had the guts to criticize Israel, didn't let anyone brainwash him and had only the well being of Israel in his heart and mind . Israel situation would have been much better if it had more people like him. That's for sure.
Whatever else Ghandi is noted for, let us not forget that he was hostile to Zionism. We have plenty of those. Secondly, he was a victim of an assassination; we had one already.
Israel had Rabin for a Gandhi. Remember what happened; an Israeli psycho assassinated him. Not Hamas, nor Hezbollah.
The author's absolutely right. There's nothing more threatening to Israel than non-violent protests which is why people who peacefully protest the occupation on the West Bank are met with clubs, tear gas, and rubber bullets. African-Americans faces fire hoses and dogs, which is obviously far less lethal. I don't know how you win against people willing to resort to all out barbarism to crush whatever spirit you have.
Most of them murdered or imprisoned by Israel. There are some Israeli Gandhis too, demonized and ostracized by settlers and the right. Israel thrives on war and victimhood; it wouldn't know how to handle peace.
The Palestinian goal is still the destruction of Israel. Should I be happy if they do it "non-violently"?
Burston’s article is a poignant reminder to us all of the ‘bankrupt’ stance re: “what could not be achieved by force will be accomplished by using even more force”. For anyone to think that there could be a clear one-sided winner in this conflict, is to perpetuate the cycle of violence / hatred. At what cost a ‘win’ is worth living for?
if we gave them Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and everything else and we jumped into the sea, they might still be shooting at us from the shore?
Nobody's even talking about that. For a non-violent solution to be taken seriously, at a bare minimum, Hamas would need to: 1. stop all armed conflict with Israel, and 2. recognize its right to exist. First peace, then land. Not the other way around. Land for peace was always a ransom arrangement at its heart. No wonder it never worked. Once Palestinians learn to apply pressure on Israel by peaceful means, we might actually see a resolution to this conflict.
Can anyone imagine a Ghandi on the Arab side?
Arab violence is called Palestine.
He remains a universal inspiration. As such, it would be nice to spell his name correctly ! That's GANDHI. The "no taxation without representation" resistance of business leaders in Beit Sahour (inspired by the American Revolution) in the first Intifada was a brave attempt at non-violent resistance. They met brutal repression.
We need someone like Attila the Hun or Genghis Khan.
Look no farther.!
i don't get it, pls expln
...it would be for *everyone* to have a Gandhi. Problem is, he happened in India in the early 20th century. What form would such a figure take today in the mid-east? Any thoughts?
I agree with the substance of your article and must admit you are right that non-violent protest perhaps threatens Israelis more than violence. Finally the Palestinians have gotten smart and realize that their tactic of suicide bombings has played right into the hands of those Israelis who use Palestinian terrorism as an excuse not to give up any territories. And THAT is rather unsettling (so to speak). But I think Burston hasn't read Kristof's article carefullly enough. Kristof's article is entitled "Waiting for Gandhi." He says Palestinians have a long way to go before they really internalize the concept of non-violence.. I quote: But then a group of Palestinian youths began to throw rocks at Israeli troops. That’s the biggest challenge: many Palestinians define “nonviolence” to include stone-throwing. Soon after, the Israeli forces fired volleys of tear gas at us, and then charged. The protesters fled, some throwing rocks backward as they ran. It’s a far cry from the heroism of Gandhi’s followers, who refused even to raise their arms to ward off blows as they were clubbed.
but still feel anger rising when Palestinians are chastized for throwing rocks, when they are up against one of the strongest armies in the world. And Gandhi's indians were never confronted with massive waves of British settlers who threw them off their land. It may be that they would have been a bit more violent in that case...
"Not by might nor by power, but by My spirit" - Zechariah 4:6 Israel seems to have forgotten this piece of wisdom. Nowadays, the principle is the familiar, "Every problem can be solved by force, and if force is not enough, use more force". The change in mentality seems to have occurred with the Six Day War. PM Eshkol's hesitation forced him out of the Defense Ministry, which was taken by Gen. Moshe Dayan (who was actually the rare General-Statesman, unlike his successors). Israelis must have concluded that Generals should be responsible for security, and that was more or less followed. I will bring a contemporary example: Hizballah poses a threat to Israel (but a non-existential threat). We have gone to two wars in Lebanon and today the Generals anticipate another war. Why? The problem can be solved PEACEFULLY. Just make peace with Syria. This will bring an end to military Hizballah by dchocking off their arms supply, and also bring peace with Lebanon. Syria's close alliance with Iran is not natural. Syria is secular, Iran fundamentalist. Syria is an Arab state, Iran Persian (long time no friends). Syria is mostly Sunni, Iran Shiite. Syria used to be friendly to the US, since they joined the coalition against Saddam in the 1991 war. Jim Baker visited Syria 15 times. After the 9-11 attacks, Syria helped the US in hunting al-Qaida, even to the extent of torturing some on behalf of the CIA. But Syria continued to support Hizballah as pressure against Israel. Syria is interested in friendship with the US and peace with Israel, but the Israeli mindset prefers "forceful" solutions.
It needs a de Klerk.
The Israeli peace movement, aka the left, is strewn to the winds, castrated and hurting. But, as anyone knows who takes the trouble to google a little, there are tens of Israeli NGos and other Israeli organizations devoted to peace. Look for Palestinian NGOs for peace, you will find them without difficultly as well. What peace groups are missing in this land of curdled milk and soured honey is an umbrella organization in order to increase coordination and therefore add the political muscle so sadly missing. In addition his great ethical teachings, Ghandhi was a master organizer. Lacking Ghandhi, the different heads of the organizations for peace should meet, amalgamate their programs and choose a board of governors. The locality and internal decoration are of no consequence; let them enter and work together until a hopeful white smoke rises into the strife torn Israeli/Palestinian sky.
,so they "would achieve a moral victory over Hitlet" Just google "Ghandi on Jews" .. Go ahead Burston ,follow Ghandis directions ...
Go ahead and finish the deduction. It'll show everyone how meaningless a comparison that is. Should Palestinians all kill themselves? Israelis? Is there anyone there throwing people into ovens? Are you expecting the Second Coming of Gandhi, or should we be looking out for something more home-grown and authentic? Peace is possible. But as they used to say, fighting for peace is like f-ing for chastity.
He would have no followers. He couldn't get elected as dog catcher. Nobody would listen to him. He may get some small media coverage as a curiosity. In the extremely unlikely that he got some traction and became important, he would get the Rabin treatment. I don't mean to disparage Judaism, but it is a religion of entitlement and revenge. Ghandi would not have a chance in such an environment.
South Africa, and India) it does seem more likely for such a figure to emerge from the Palestinians. The danger for Israel isn't so much its annihilation as what ends up written about it in the history books.
South Africa, and India) it does seem more likely for such a figure to emerge from the Palestinians. The danger for Israel isn't so much its annihilation as what ends up written about it in the history books.
Looking at what happened to Rabin (and arguably the history in South Africa, and India) it does seem more likely for such a figure to emerge from the Palestinians. The danger for Israel isn't so much its annihilation as what ends up written about it in the history books.
..Even a Prohet coming from 7th skies will not be recognized by zionists. What has been taken by force , can only be retaken by force.
Arabs conquered the middle east and N.africa by force. Are you going to give it back to the jews,kurds,assyrians,greeks and armenians who controlled it before the arab conquest?
Of course Jerusalem's been taken by force how many times? 32? What a meaningless expression. Just a hackneyed excuse for more violence.
Shimon Peres ! He devoted his life for peace with the Palestinians. He did every thing just like the Mahatma with exception of lying down on railway tracks !
but ultraorthodox creeps killed him....
Has he stopped the land theft, the occupation, the discrimination, the executions, the humiliations, the kidnapping, the imprisonments, the economic disruption, the disruption of education, the collective punishment. Are even the Israeli Arabs fairly represented in public employment. Sorry, Peres who !!!!!
The guy who offered nuclear weapons to Apartheid South Africa? You have to be kidding.
Shimon Peres is proud to be the father of Israel's nuclear weapons, and its arms industry. I NEVER heard him proclaim nonviolence, or advocate it for Israel
Shimon Peres is proud to be the father of Israel's nuclear weapons, and its arms industry. I NEVER heard him proclaim nonviolence, or advocate it for Israel
You mean the same Shimon Peres who sold weapons to the apartheid regime, who was responsible for countless atrocities in the Occupied Territories and Lebanon, who offered a most repulsive justification for the slaughter of Palestinian women and children in Operation Cast Lead, and how laid the foundations for Israel's nuclear weapons. Is that really your idea of a non-violent leader? Tell me your joking please Akram.
Akram, I guess you need help. Real help for your delusional mind. And, please never even try to say this in frotn of an Indian. You migth get sued for it.
you really cracked me up I 'll tell it to my friernds today at the dinner party.... cheeers
By far the most thought provoking article I have read recently. A must read for Israelis and Palestinians.
Drag yourselves away from the beach for a bit and you can see a non violent protest at Bil'in every week. Usually dispersed with tear gas and rubber bullets. There is the Tel Rumeida project in Hebron. I met a 70 year old Australian grandmother who was assaulted by a settler there, for accompanying a Palestinian kid to school. Anyway which Gandhi do you guys want? The general strike of 1919 that brought half of India to a halt, the salt tax march of 1928 or his boycott of Brittish clothing imports?
I think the Arab world need one too!
There would never have been an occupation if the Palestinians were non-violent. I'll believe non-violence from them when I actually see it sustained. The problem is that they want Israel to fall and will then use violence to send the Jews home to Russia, Poland and Germany.