Right To Self-Determination & Int’l Law
There was no shortage of Wars of Liberation in the 20th Century. Independent Bangladesh was born on March 26, 1971 after the end of the Liberation War in erstwhile East Pakistan. In Africa, armed Liberation Wars took place in the Portuguese colonies of Mozambique and Angola. The coloured people joined the struggle against the apartheid White rule in South Africa. Perhaps, the most exciting War of Liberation happened in Vietnam where peasant guerrillas defeated the world’s largest military power in 1975.
Another War of Liberation strongly shook the global community in the 20th Century. Stories of Nazi brutality against the Jews of Europe spread widely during the Nuremberg Trials, following the end of the Second World War. As a means of atonement, European leaders allowed the Jews to colonise British-ruled Palestine. It is mentioned at times that when the end of colonial rule in Asia and Africa became inevitable in the mid-20th Century, a new colonial settlement of sorts, comprising mostly of white Europeans, was established in West Asia. Thus, the State of Israel was born on May 14, 1948. As a result of this, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had to pay the price, as they were forced out of their centuries-old dwelling places. The majority of them arrived at refugee camps in neighbouring Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Egypt.
The Palestinians soon started the Resistance Movement with the support of the Arab World. On behalf of Palestine, Egypt and Syria declared a war against Israel. The war continued for nearly two decades, and coincided with the Cold War between the US and erstwhile Soviet Union. Sometimes the balance shifted to the Arab side, and sometimes to Israel backed by the US. The Israeli Air Force destroyed almost all of the military aircraft of Egypt in a surprise attack in 1967. Within six days, Israel captured the West Bank of the Jordan River, Golan Heights of Syria and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, including Gaza. The Egyptian Army invaded Israel in a counter-attack in 1973. Although the Sinai Peninsula came back to Egypt on the basis of the 1978 Peace Treaty, Israel retained the control of Gaza and the West Bank, including Jerusalem.
The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), led by Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini (popularly known as Yasser Arafat; August 1929 – November 11, 2004), emerged as the main political resistance organisation of the Palestinian nation on May 28, 1964. At that period of time, the PLO was a left-wing secular organisation. The chief spokesperson of the PLO at the global stage was a Christian lady, named Hanan Daoud Mikhael Ashrawi (b. October 8, 1946), while the main proponent was Edward Wadie Said (November 1, 1935 – September 24, 2003), a Palestinian American academic, literary critic and political activist. Many are not aware of the fact that one of the oldest Christian groups in the world is the Arabic-speaking Palestinians. They read the Bible in Arabic and still take care of the birthplace of Lord Jesus in Bethlehem.
Partha Chatterjee, the Professor of Anthropology at Columbia University and the former Director of the Kolkata-based Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, has said that the PLO’s resistance had no chance of being peaceful, as the Israeli military officers did not tolerate gatherings or demonstrations in Palestine, namely the West Bank and Gaza. The PLO and other Palestinian organisations used to oppose the Israeli occupation through various illegal means. Their main aim was to attack the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and administration by acquiring weapons through secret channels. Fatah, the PLO’s militant wing, pioneered the idea of hijacking planes as a means of freeing fellow fighters imprisoned in Israel.
After various overt and covert diplomatic efforts, the Oslo Accords of 1993 recognised the Palestinian people’s Right to Self-Determination. While the PLO recognised Israel as a legitimate state, Israel accepted the PLO as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. It was also recognised at the international level that the people of Palestine were going to get their own State. Unfortunately, no independent Palestinian State has been formed even three decades after the so-called Palestinian Authority led by the PLO signed the Oslo Accords.
According to Professor Chatterjee, Israel’s stubborn attitude on multiple issues has deprived the Palestinians. He has explained that Israel claims Jerusalem, although the city is located in Palestine. The UN has already made it clear that Jerusalem is actually divided, as its western region belongs to Israel, and the eastern region belongs to Palestine. However, Israel has ignored the international opinion, and taken full control of Jerusalem. It has also built the Parliament, and the residences of the President and the Prime Minister in one of the oldest cities in the world. Former US President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and his successor Joe Biden is yet to change that decision.
The Israeli Jews are still building new settlements on the West Bank of the Jordan River. Multiple UN fora have declared these settlements illegal. However, Israel continues doing so. In fact, the right-wing Government of Israel has accelerated the construction of illegal settlements. Conflicts between Palestinian villagers and Jewish immigrants have become common phenomena because of this.
Even if the State of Palestine is formed, there is no guarantee that millions of Palestinians who are still living in refugee camps in different countries shall be able to return home. Israel shall never accept an Independent State of Palestine. In that case, the Arabs will outnumber the Jews in and around Israel. Furthermore, the idea that Israel is a Jewish State shall receive a huge blow. Israel has hinted that even if an Independent Palestinian State is established, it would not have full sovereignty and its own Armed Forces, as Tel Aviv would protect the Palestinian State. As expected, Palestine has refused to accept such a proposal. Hence, the so-called Two-State Solution remains elusive.
The main tactics of the 1987 Intifada or Resistance Movement were to hold mass rallies, as well as to lock horns with the Israeli Armed Forces. The PLO was the main Palestinian force during Intifada. After the signing of the 1993 peace accord, the PLO abandoned the path of armed struggle and concentrated on the development of the Palestinian territories under Israeli supervision. With the aid of Europe and the US and the mediation of the UN, the Palestinians got access to food, health and education. Like the majority of the freedom fighters in other parts of the globe, the PLO leadership gradually sank into the abyss of corrupt apathy. With this, the prospect of the formation of an Independent Palestinian State through diplomatic negotiations became slimmer. It was difficult for the Palestinians to accept this pathetic situation.
There was a massive resistance in 2000… the Second Intifada. This time, the PLO was not in control as militant organisations, such as Islamic Jihad, led the Second Intifada. The systematic Left-Wing Politics no longer held any appeal for the Palestinian youth force. Then the march of self-sacrifice began, as the Palestinians started carrying out suicide bombings to destabilise Israel. As a result, many innocent people perished, and the graveyards filled with bodies of young martyrs.
Meanwhile, Israel strengthened ties with the First World, and developed industry, commerce and other sectors. Gradually, it became one of the major global suppliers of modern weapons, and also a nuclear power. The Western leaders have always maintained silence on this issue. Instead, they claim that Israel has the right to defend itself! At the same time, Israel tightened its military control over the region with the increase of Jewish settlements in the West Bank of Jordan River. The Israelis also started controlling every aspect of the Palestinians’ daily lives – their movements, livelihood, food supply, entertainment, etc. The PLO was rendered practically useless, as it lost power to make decisions.
Incidentally, Israel handed over the administrative responsibility of Gaza to Hamas in 2005. Perhaps, Tel Aviv thought that Hamas, like the PLO, would abide by Israel’s instructions. At least, the PLO-Hamas rivalry would disrupt Palestinian political unity. However, Hamas did not abandon its militant Islamist resistance. In reality, the Palestinian Movement had nothing special to do as far as administrative issues were concerned. Under Israeli control, the people of Gaza (still) live like prisoners.
In a way, it may be said that the global importance of Israel as an industrial and defence hub, and the suffering of the Palestinian people made the Israeli leaders increasingly reckless. They abandoned the Two-State Solution, declaring that there would be only one state in the region… Israel. Jews will settle all over the Palestinian territory and the Arabs will be there as labourers. They will have no political existence. According to the Israelis, Arabs are uncivilised and barbaric. The cruel irony of history is that Jews, who were tortured in 20th Century Europe, are treating the Arabs in a similar manner.
Israel recently planned to normalise its relations with various Arab nations through the mediation of the US. The Jewish nation signed a treaty with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2020. Israel was all set to sign a trade pact with Saudi Arabia, too. It seems that the sympathy of Muslim World for the Palestinians has faded over time mainly because of their business interests. In such a situation, the Palestinian Hamas Movement launched rocket attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. Whatever artists and authors say, rebellion has never been pretty. Today, the entire world sees atrocities in West Asia through live videography. While Hamas fighters are brutally killing old Israeli women and children, the Israeli soldiers are killing innocent Palestinians, including children. Perhaps, the Arab World has realised that Israel’s impenetrable armour could be penetrated, and the Zionist Regime is not invincible.
It is heard that a mass uprising is about to begin on the West Bank of the Jordan River. Nearly 0.2 million Palestinian refugees live in Lebanon. Reports suggest that Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shi‘ite Islamist political party and militant group, is stronger than Hamas. The Hezbollah fighters will try to protect the Palestinians with all their might. Maybe West Asian politics would take a new turn after the events of the past few days. Israel should know that the Right to (Political) Self-Determination of oppressed people cannot be denied for a long time.
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Boundless Ocean Of Politics 