Palestine's suffering and the misery of Yasser Arafat

The following is an interview with Dr. Azzam Tamimi, director of the Institute of Islamic Political Thought, on the recent suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. He spoke to The Jakarta Post's Santi Soekanto in London.

Question: The Israelis are outraged over the recent suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. Will there be an open war as the western media have predicted?

Answer: If "open war" means involving other countries in the region, this is unlikely in the foreseeable future. The Arab countries bordering Palestine -- Egypt, Jordan and Syria -- are not ready for war and have been avoiding direct confrontation as they feel ... far more inferior to Israel's military position.

However, as far as the situation inside Palestine is concerned, the prospects of peace have never been more bleak ... The Palestinians have learned the tough way that the Israelis would be willing to give them back the land occupied in 1967 only if forced to do so by causing them pain and suffering, just as Hizbollah did in Lebanon. So the uprising is likely to continue and that will mean more bloodshed on both sides.

Q: What will be the impact of Israel's plans to intensify the siege of Palestinian cities in the West Bank and Gaza, and to close the airport in the territory?

A: This is not the first time the Palestinians have suffered due to Israeli restrictions and siege. Although such measures increase the hardship Palestinians' hardship, (the measures) definitely fail to solve Israel's problems ...

Many Palestinians are willing to offer their lives for their cause; and by making life more miserable for the population as a whole, the number of those willing to sacrifice themselves to kill those who live a lavish lifestyle in their own homes and lands will only increase. The Israelis, by virtue of the blind support they receive from the United States and Britain, have been acting most unwisely. It is the Israelis who are pushing more and more Palestinians to rage and explosion.

Q: What do you think of Yasser Arafat's stance?

A: Arafat is a very miserable person. He bet on peace and there is no peace on the horizon. His entire history of national struggle and patriotism has been wasted. Many Palestinians feel this man has deceived them or at least let them down. Such feelings are shared by many of his own movement's members (Al- Fatah) who insist on keeping the intifida going.

Arafat is expected by the Israelis to control his own people for the sake of Israel's peace and security but clearly neither he nor anybody else can provide such service to Israel without causing a civil war among the Palestinians themselves. Arafat has one last chance to repent and tell the Israelis that unless they withdraw from all the areas occupied in 1967 there is nothing he can do. He can add, should he have the courage to say so, "if the Israelis do not like it let them go to hell."

Q: Some scholars have predicted that following Sharon's election and growing discontent over the Palestinian Authority, Palestinians are now more supportive of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Will that also mean support for open violence against Israel?

A: More and more Palestinians today believe that only jihad is the way forward. Hamas and Islamic Jihad are no longer alone in this. Most Fatah members led by Arafat believe so, too.

Q: What avenues or solutions are available for both sides?

A: In the short term, only full Israeli withdrawal from all the areas occupied in 1967 and total evacuation of all Jewish settlements built in this area, may bring some peace -- for a while -- to the region.

However, in the long term, Israel has no future, and the Jews who support Israel and Zionism, and especially those who have chosen to migrate to Palestine to occupy the lands and homes of the Palestinians, should reconsider their positions. Eventually, Palestine will return to the Muslims as it did after more than a century of occupation by the Crusaders about 10 centuries ago.

Q: What should other Muslim communities do?

A: The Zionist project is an imperialist project directed against Islam and the Muslims in the first place. Palestine is holy to all Muslims and does not belong to the Palestinians nor to the Arabs. Therefore, Muslims around the world have a religious duty to stand up to aggression and oppression and to do all they can to liberate this dear Muslim land.

Until it is possible for Muslims to participate directly in the jihad of liberation, they can pray for their brothers and sisters in Palestine so that Allah may provide them with courage and steadfastness and the willingness to sacrifice more and more.

Muslims should also donate generously to the cause of taking care of the victims of Israel, the orphans, the widows and the impoverished families. Muslims should also seek to change public opinion of what goes on in Palestine.

The world media, including CNN and BBC, are very biased toward the Zionists and they usually report half of the truth ... Hamas and Islamic Jihad should be recognized as national liberation movements, not as terrorists.

Finally, the Muslims, especially those in Indonesia, should demand their governments stop all covert as well as overt communication with Israel. It breaks the heart of Palestinians to see leaders such as Abdurrahman Wahid of Indonesia boast about their friendship with Zionist leaders.