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Last update - 09:23 30/01/2008 Finally, a popular uprising By Amira Hass Tags: Israel, Hamas, Gaza The fall of the Rafah wall was a fitting combination of planning and the precise reading of the social and political map by the Hamas government, mixed with a mass response to the dictates of the overlord, Israel. Quite a few people in Rafah knew that "anonymous figures" had secretly been destablizing the foundations of the wall for several months, so that it would be possible to knock it down easily when the time came - but the secret didn't leak. The hundreds of people who began leaving Palestinian Rafah right after the wall was breached did so despite the risk, and the precedent of the Egyptians shooting at those who infiltrate through the border. The leadership and public of Gaza, as two elements of the occupied people, were partners in the courageous and necessary step of breaking the Israeli rules of the game. The breach of the wall is a clear manifestation of the conception and temperament of a popular resistance among the Palestinian people, which for various reasons, were dormant in recent years. Advertisement The Palestine Liberation Organization is concerned, and rightly so, that the collapse of the wall will provide Israel with an additional excuse to finalize the separation of Gaza from the West Bank. There is nothing new in this tendency: The Israeli siege of Gaza has been developing gradually and persistently since 1991, and intensified during the Oslo years. But the PLO leadership then did not have the necessary creativity to lay down in time a practical challenge to Israel's consistent, destructive and strangling policy of restricting Palestinian freedom of movement. No wonder. Then, like today, Israel worked to heap privileges on senior Palestinian Authority officials and their associates, granting them some freedom of movement. The officials publicly condemned the restrictions on the movement of the general public, while submissively accepting their privileges. Therefore, their political imagination was unable to provide practical plans of action against the separation of Gaza from the West Bank, and against the reality of incarceration faced by the majority of their people. The chance of using the achievement of having breached the wall as a way of moving forward and developing the tactics of a popular struggle is hampered by two primary obstacles. One is what's called the "armed struggle" - such as rocket fire from Gaza targeting Israeli towns, or a suicide bombing in Israel. The Palestinian mantra that an occupied nation has the right "to fight using all means" rings hollow, since what's at stake is not a right, but the effectiveness of the struggle. It has been proven that through popular disobedience, the Palestinians manage to break the Israeli rules of the game and bring their concerns back to the center of global attention - as well as intensifying criticism of Israel. The "armed struggle," especially when it is aimed at civilians, achieves the opposite: It presents the Palestinians as the aggressor, not as the occupied party under attack, thereby weakening their global standing. If the Gaza government does not want to lose the momentum of the wall's fall, it must not make do with just having its own militants desist from firing Qassams: it must make it clear to other organizations that they are hindering a successful move of resistance. The second obstacle is the Ramallah government's entrenched refusal to speak with Hamas. These are, after all, two quasi governments whose legality is questionable from the perspective of the Palestinian Authority's basic law. But both represent the same occupied people and the same tract of land subject to an accelerated process of colonization - and that overcomes all legal quibbling. Mahmoud Abbas met with Ehud Olmert without preconditions during the same weekend when Israel imposed the cruelest siege yet on Gaza, but Abbas can't speak to Ismail Haniyeh without the Hamas leader accepting his preconditions? This boycott contributes to the severance that Israel works so diligently to intensify. The longer the delay in direct talks between the two leaderships over practical ways of lifting the siege of Gaza, the greater the concern that indeed, as Hamas officials argue, the Ramallah government listens to the United States and to Israel - but not to the will of its own people. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Google N for Nakba Israeli town sues Google over claim it was built on ruins of Palestinian village. A Belgian treat U.S. Jew says he was kicked out of a Bruges cafe because he was wearing a skullcap.   1.   ARMED STRUGGLE AND POPULAR DISOBEDIENCE 09:47  |  indrajaya 30/01/08   2.   Twisted & Confused 10:10  |  Noah 30/01/08   3.   WINOGRAD 2ND ON RAFAH PLEASE 10:17  |  indrajaya 30/01/08   4.   They are blind and only see USA and Israel empty promisis 10:18  |  Khalil Ishabib 30/01/08   5.   Armed resistance 10:27  |  M 30/01/08   6.   # 2, NOAH 10:35  |  indrajaya 30/01/08   7.   more of amira and more of humpty dumpty the pa 10:39  |  v hardman 30/01/08   8.   To put it simply: Abbas fell for the US dollar and ... 10:39  |  Dutch Dirk 30/01/08   9.   Amira = Hamas?Hamas staged an armed coup in Gaza honey!! 10:43  |  arthur 30/01/08   10.   a brilliant Trotskyst analysis 11:10  |  Leon Rosgarten 30/01/08   11.   Yes, but, Amira... 11:14  |  Esther 30/01/08   12.   AMIRA Hass Hello Egypt goodbye Gaza 11:53  |  Gil 30/01/08   13.   Admit it, Leon, YOU wrote this article... 12:06  |  nina 30/01/08   14.   article by Amira Hass: Finally, a popular uprising 12:06  |  Helga Baumgarten 30/01/08   15.   Lessons for lackwits 12:21  |  Natallie Durson 30/01/08   16.   Hamas Covenent: All Jews Worldwide Must Die Under Islam 12:59  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 30/01/08   17.   loyalties 13:06  |  David 30/01/08   18.   #10 a brilliant Trotskyst 13:08  |  Yaacov 30/01/08   19.   Indra, why don`t you... 13:15  |  Linichka 30/01/08   20.   AMIRA from Ramallah.A publicity stunt.Gazans are back 13:19  |  PETER SM 30/01/08   21.   Amira`s twisted logic and Indrajaya`s vile 13:32  |  Ariel 30/01/08   22.   Arthur wake up 13:39  |  Truth 30/01/08   23.   Leon R,Amira is a true revolutionary,she has armor-plated her 13:41  |  Absolute Sweden 30/01/08   24.   Gaza not occupied territory 13:56  |  Jo Jo 30/01/08   25.   On ..Rule and Divide....! 14:11  |  Stephen. 30/01/08   26.   A fifth column, but for who? 14:39  |  Buzaglow 30/01/08   27.   And the Wall Came Tumbling Down 14:46  |  Yaakov Sullivan 30/01/08   28.   One problem, Yaakov # 27 15:14  |  Clickfool 30/01/08   29.   Gaza is Egypt 16:16  |  Herbert Kaine 30/01/08   30.   the writing on the wall 16:47  |  ravi 30/01/08   31.   Hamas wants money 16:55  |  Josh 30/01/08   32.   The wall falling down a godsend for Israel 17:02  |  Jo 30/01/08   33.   Gazans not wanted in Egypt and now also not in Ramallah. 17:08  |  avigdor 30/01/08   34.   Leon Rosgarten 17:32  |  Mimi 30/01/08   35.   It is about time, never understood why it did not happen before? 17:45  |  El-Birawi 30/01/08   36.   Gaza Uprising ? 17:55  |  Reid 30/01/08   37.   Well, Hamas did stage a coup in a way 18:09  |  Natallie Durson 30/01/08   38.   to Mimi #34 18:14  |  Leon Rosgarten 30/01/08   39.   Thanks Amira - 1st try 18:31 HT 18:31  |  BBSNews 30/01/08   40.   A riot? - No, A 200 MIL EURO SHOPPING SPREE 18:39  |  Pharaoh 30/01/08   41.   Ramallah = Vichy 18:46  |  Chanalau, Tova 30/01/08   42.   Amira Hass & her uprising 18:53  |  Nathan from Rehovot 30/01/08   43.   "armed struggle,"...aimed at civilians, achieves the opposite 19:07  |  Tom 30/01/08   44.   Re Natallie #15 19:10  |  Esther 30/01/08   45.   Amira Hass & Ahmadinejad, her idol 19:12  |  Am Yisroel Hai, 30/01/08   46.   #44 Esther 19:19  |  Natallie Durson 30/01/08   47.   Natallie 19:32  |  Alan 30/01/08   48.   Amira Hass : bla, bla, bla ! 19:39  |  Stephanie C 30/01/08   49.   Yaakov 19:40  |  Simone 30/01/08   50.   Amira- Egypt should absorb Gaza - period! and this is why. 19:44  |  Elham 30/01/08   51.   Falling of wall could be blessing in disguise 19:46  |  Simone 30/01/08   52.   #21 Amira`s twisted logic 20:04  |  Maureen S 30/01/08   53.   Amira should go live in Sderot 20:07  |  Oiy va Voiy 30/01/08   54.   For Jo # 32 20:11  |  Clickfool 30/01/08   55.   Amira you are the 20:14  |  pal 30/01/08   56.   TO CLICKFOOL #28 20:17  |  Steve Beikirch 30/01/08   57.   Amira # 55 20:47  |  Mordechai BinNun 30/01/08   58.   While Israel is thinking, let Abbas waste everybody`s time 20:55  |  Tosefta 30/01/08   59.   Amira makes us proud go 2 Darfur ! 21:09  |  Alberto Cohen 30/01/08   60.   " Finally " , for Amira Hass !! 21:11  |  Abe C 30/01/08   61.   Amira`s article 21:16  |  naomi 30/01/08   62.   palestine israel 50 -50 21:20  |  sev 30/01/08   63.   re #48 `Amira Hass bla bla bla` 21:22  |  Colin Wright 30/01/08   64.   The Hamas smokers, "Matrix" and virtual reality 21:54  |  Scientist 30/01/08   65.   #55 your princess Amira 21:54  |  for real 30/01/08   66.   Amira mahe him proud, please # 59 22:02  |  Magnolia 30/01/08   67.   Free advice for Hamas 22:04  |  Scientist 30/01/08   68.   Gaza is no "occupied territory" 22:43  |  Joseph 30/01/08   69.   to the author 22:47  |  mark 30/01/08   70.   Amira Hass v The President of the Supreme Court 22:59  |  Linette 30/01/08   71.   amira ha ha hass 23:17  |  Ellis 30/01/08   72.   `less pure` semites killing pure semites and 23:27  |  bozhidar balkas 30/01/08   73.   Amira, look, the sewers in Gaza are up and rising ! 23:58  |  too much food to eat 30/01/08   74.   Indrajaya #6 23:59  |  Neal 30/01/08   75.   Excellent analysis, Amira! 00:30  |  Ben Alofs 31/01/08   76.   Clickfool ... 00:44  |  Paradox 31/01/08   77.   #52 Maureeen S. There is nothing "fair and unbiased`... 01:14  |  Maureen Ann 31/01/08   78.   "POPULAR" uprising??? A Hamas co ordinated 2 day wonder !! 01:22  |  PETER SM 31/01/08   79.   #a16 pathetic liar 01:26  |  donnie 31/01/08   80.   Amiras Legacy 01:30  |  Daniel 31/01/08   81.   btw i like amira hass(whoever she is) 01:32  |  donnie 31/01/08   82.   Read with an open mind 01:45  |  Jew, not a Zionist 31/01/08   83.   CLICKFOOL & INDRAJAYA 01:46  |  John Ish Ishmael 31/01/08   84.   GAZA AND ABBAS THE IMPOTENT 01:52  |  John Ish Ishmael 31/01/08   85.   Hass has years and years of unhappiness ahead of her 01:55  |  akiva (zionist) 31/01/08   86.   amira ha ha ha ! hass # 71 02:04  |  Peter Sharmann 31/01/08   87.   Isn`t This Idiot Overdue for An Award From Muslim Jew Haters ? 02:04  |  Tod Zuckerman 31/01/08   88.   # 65 re your princess in no 55 02:09  |  Lamont N 31/01/08   89.   REMEMBER MOHAMMED HARB 02:39  |  JH 31/01/08   90.   #78 Do you even bother to read the articles, PETER SM 04:55  |  Johnboy 31/01/08   91.   Style of German papers celebrating march into Poland, Sept 1939 05:06  |  I 31/01/08   92.   The popular uprising is not as powerful as in Victor Hugo`s ... 05:30  |  Smadar 31/01/08   93.   Hopefully Hass will be placed on the frontline of any war in gaz 05:33  |  bernard ross 31/01/08   94.   #70 Amira Hass v The President of the Supreme Court 07:24  |  Linette 31/01/08   95.   sorry amira; while i agree in part to what you say 07:52  |  eric 31/01/08   96.   Neurotic poltical evaluations 07:52  |  AbuAlia 31/01/08   97.   #75 dr ben diagnoses without the egyptian medicine 08:17  |  v hardman 31/01/08   98.   #95 the morning sun blinds eric in occupied mexico 09:25  |  v hardman 31/01/08   99.   JOHNBOY vivid,panting imagination and Pal child sacrifice. 09:35  |  PETER SM 31/01/08   100.   For Johnboy, again # 90 09:44  |  Clickfool 31/01/08   101.   #99 Yes, PETER SM is not a deep thinker 03:17  |  Johnboy 01/02/08   102.   #100 Oh, I suspect the same thing will happen again, Clickfool 03:28  |  Johnboy 01/02/08   103.   #70 Linette, Re : Knowing the facts 09:50  |  Dutch 01/02/08   104.   # 98 i got news for you, victor harris 09:58  |  eric 01/02/08   105.   By all means keep the revolutionary spirit going! 10:22  |  Dutch 01/02/08   106.   #75 Ben Olofs, RE : Seriousness verses a farce 10:57  |  Dutch 01/02/08   107.   #1; indrajaya, you have it backwards 12:18  |  Doc Holliday 01/02/08   108.   Amira = Hamas?Hamas staged an armed coup in Gaza honey!! 08:43  |  REDZUAN BIN TAHAR 12/02/08

Today Online Bradley Burston: Sderot as Stalingrad, Hamas as Samson Responses: 10 Akiva Eldar: Netanyahu could be the peace candidate Send response Ahmed Yousef: Palestinian revenge was inevitable Send response Town sues Google over claim it was built on Arab village Responses: 89 More Headlines 09:05 Mayor: Won't let J'lem be turned into illegal outpost 09:41 Hamas: Israeli attempt to overthrow our rule doomed to failure 09:41 Gaza, Iran on agenda as Olmert meets Merkel in Berlin 08:37 ANALYSIS: Hamas banks on IDF invasion to deliver final blow to Abbas 09:32 Krakow church holds service slamming 'kikes who spit on us' 09:43 Palestinian PM: Israel has failed to keep 'road map' promises 06:28 Police arrest 5 Palestinians who petitioned against IAA digs under their homes 05:59 Barak tells Knesset U.S. unlikely to attack Iran's nuclear installations 04:26 Peki'in house rented to Jew set on fire as deterrent to other Jews 06:36 Indian community in south Israel town enjoy Hindi play funded by U.S. Jew 03:46 Ashkenazi: IDF ready to widen Gaza actions as much as needed 00:17 U.S. Congressman, Holocaust survivor Tom Lantos dies at 80 21:49 Israeli town sues Google over claim it was built on Arab village Previous Editions Select Day 11 feb 10 feb 08 feb 07 feb 06 feb 05 feb 04 feb 03 feb 01 feb 31 jan 30 jan 29 jan

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