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Will More Israeli Force Really Bring Israel Peace?

By Sherri Muzher, for PalestineChronicle.com

Before peace talks start with the Palestinians, "they must first be hit hard... so that they understand terrorism will achieve nothing," roared Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

"Only after they are beaten will we be able to hold talks; and I want a peace deal," Sharon continued. But will more Israelli force result in even more Palestinian resistance, as has been demonstrated throughout the last 17 months of fighting? Israelis have besieged an entire people, bombed homes and police stations, as well as prevented food from getting through. Still, the Palestinian will has not been broken. Even Secretary Colin Powell told a congressional hearing, "Prime Minister Sharon has to take a hard look at his policies to see whether they will work. If you declare war on the Palestinians and think you can solve the problem by seeing how many Palestinians can be killed -- I don't know if that leads us anywhere."

Indeed, such rhetoric and bravado leads to more violence for one simple reason and it can be summarized in a conversation I had with a Palestinian friend of mine, originally from the Christian West Bank town of Beit Jala, which has bore an incredible amount of Israeli bombing.

"How are your parents?" I asked.

"They are OK. The Israelis bombed Beit Jala again, and the people ran from their houses to take cover

between the trees," said Dunya Khouri [not her real name]..

"God give them strength. How do they do it, Dunya?"

"Everyone expects to die [in this conflict], Sherri," she said quietly.

"And they figure if they're going to die anyway, they might as well die for something important."

As the tears welled up in my eyes, I knew that the "something" she was referring to was Palestinian freedom. People feel they have nothing to lose, and as this feeling intensifies, so the regard for their own lives decreases. This is what military occupation has done to the psyche of a population. As the old saying goes, there is no enemy greater than the one with nothing to lose. And if Ariel Sharon thinks that increasing the number of body bags on a desperate population is going to bring Palestinians to their knees, he truly learned nothing from his bloodthirsty days in Lebanon.

The solution is not more violence, but for Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian Occupied Territories and end its brutal military occupation of the Palestinians. Really. It's that simple.

Israel, the last remaining occupying force in modern history, has deprived another population of its liberty and right to live with dignity for 35 years. 'But the Palestinians make us continue this Occupation over their population. We don't want to do it, 'say the Israelis. Reminds one of the abusive husband who knows that hitting his wife is wrong, but "she's making me do this! If only she'd do what she's told!" Indeed, if Palestinians just did what they are told rather than to demand their place as human beings, all would be well.

Israel has chosen to occupy the Palestinians and to present justification after justification for interfering in the lives of Palestinians. From preventing people from seeking medical care during emergencies to maintaining checkpoints between every population center throughout the so-called peace negotiations, these have been Israel's choices.

But the Palestinians could have their own state if they just accepted Ehud Barak's plan the Israelis say. This may be among the most warped of justifications in maintaining the Occupation on Palestinians. The Palestinians didn't accept a plan, which would have made their future state look like Swiss cheese, and therefore, their liberties must continue to be deprived? Am I missing the logic here? Accept Israel's offer that goes against Palestinian interests or continue to suffer?

Israelis often say they are fighting for their existence in order to justify any military measure on a relatively unarmed civilian population. Palestinians in shanties have faced the wrath of F16s, Apache helicopters, Merkava tanks, and missiles. It can be argued that, in fact, it is the Palestinians who are facing the fight for their existence. Fortunately, history has shown us that no army has ever defeated a people determined to win their freedom.

So long as the Israeli Occupation of Palestinians continues, the Israelis cannot claim the moral high ground in this fight. The great American hero, Patrick Henry, once said, "Give me liberty or give me death." This expression has, in fact, been the theme of the 17-month old Palestinian Uprising.

Sherri Muzher, JD in International Law Writer for the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs