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A Better
Intifada
By BASSEM EID
JERUSALEM - The conflict
between Israelis and Palestinians grows increasingly violent,
and Israel seems to be heading toward a unity government that
may strengthen Ariel Sharon's political hand.
One wonders how Yasir
Arafat will deal with this situation - one that he has at least
partially inflicted on himself. During the Israeli elections,
Mr. Arafat and others warned of the danger that faced the Middle
East if Ariel Sharon were to be elected. But in the end,
emotions overwhelmed logic and Mr. Arafat found that he was
unable to provide Ehud Barak the prop - a peace agreement - he
needed to remain in office.
The pressure on Mr. Arafat
is considerable. And it is by no means certain that he will be
able to meet the challenges of retaining control of the intifada
and avoiding a war.
Mr. Sharon has pledged
never to make a compromise on Jerusalem, and it is highly
unlikely that Mr. Arafat will be able to settle without one. The
Sharon government's 100- day plan to stop the violence tries to
lessen the suffering of Palestinians by ending the crippling
closures in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and to increase the
suffering of the Palestinian Authority by ending the privileges
of its leaders and by continuing to assassinate Palestinians it
finds threatening. Mr. Sharon may also try to strike a deal with
one of ambitious challengers to Mr. Arafat.
Mr. Arafat must now decide
whether to escalate the violence or try a different tactic. He
undoubtedly knows escalation won't work; Mr. Sharon's use of
force is likely to be even less restrained than his
predecessor's. But if there is no intifada, Mr. Sharon will
appear to have succeeded where Mr. Barak failed. His policy of
the firm hand will be vindicated.
What should Mr. Arafat do?
He must shift the focus of the uprising from armed resistance to
unarmed, civil protest - from clashes to demonstrations, as some
prominent Palestinians have suggested. Nonviolent protest was
the original character of the intifada. Although Mr. Sharon
might still respond with bullets and tanks, unarmed resistance
stands a better chance of influencing international and Israeli
opinion, which is the only way to convince Mr. Sharon to return
to the negotiating table.
The future of the entire
region will be determined not by the intifada but by the peace
process. In the end, we must remember that while both Israelis
and Palestinians have suffered during the intifada, Palestinians
have suffered more property damage and more lives lost.
Hasty decision-making will
cost the Palestinian Authority expensively in the coming four
years, especially if the government of Mr. Sharon lasts for the
whole period. We must work toward peace.
Bassem Eid is the
founder and the director of the Palestinian Human Rights
Monitoring Group.
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