october 2004
I would like to say that the Palestinian case is not a negotiation dispute, and it is not a case of a dispute between two parties that can be described as equal parties; this is a struggle for self-determination. The Palestinian struggle has become the foremost national liberation struggle in this world. It is like the case of India when it was struggling for independence. It is like the case of Algeria , the case of South Africa, and with such a struggle people must stand with justice and support the right of the people to be free and dignified. Israel is not the victim in what is going on, although all who are killed whether Palestinians or Israelis are both victims of the policy of occupation; but in this time it is the mighty Goliath against the weak David, and the weak David in this case is Palestine and the Palestinians.Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi speaking in Canada.
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This statement above has caused a big debate on the Internet; the focus on both non-violence and equality being the two most prominent arguments for the attention of all observers, commentators and participants.There follows some other comments made by Dr. Barghouthi in an interview with Samah Sabawi, from Gaza, a writer and activist with Canadian Friends of Sabeel who lives in Ottawa.
What is the Palestinian National Initiative's (PNI) position in regards to suicide bombings?
We promote and advocate mass popular nonviolent struggle. We believe that at this very important point in time, it is crucial for Palestinians to engage in such a struggle, which could be part of an important strategy of Palestinian resistance combined with working with the International community. At the same time we say that Palestinians must remain unified, and that's why we call for a Unified national leadership which would be able to decide in a collective way the political strategy and the struggle strategy that would serve the interests of the Palestinian people. We have to be very clear here about one specific point, which is, we do not accept the approach where factional politics should prevail above national common interest. I'll give you an example, when Palestinians were about to initiate the ICJ hearing on the wall, the attack in Jerusalem definitely didn't serve the interest of the Palestinians. So while we say that Palestinians have the right to resist occupation, it is very important for Palestinians to rationalize their resistance in a way to make it most productive and to maintain the Palestinian struggle and the moral integrity of the Palestinians as people who are struggling for freedom and dependence.
.............................to me the important issue is how to reactivate the Palestinian national movement as a movement of the whole of the Palestinian people, and this is what the PNI is about and this is why I am here with you in Canada. We want to re-establish the connecting social fabric of the Palestinian people everywhere in Palestine and in the Diaspora around the legitimate Palestinian goals of freedom, independence and dignity. It is important to build for the future and provide the people with a vision of how to build a future. It is more important than the dispute of who is occupying which position, where, because it is clear to me that the whole of the Palestinian authority is now, like the rest of us, under occupation.
Where is the Palestinian Opposition today in terms of political structure? In particular, how far has the PNI gone since its launch in 2002?
I think we have done quiet well. I think young people, women, and grassroots groups are becoming more and more responsive to PNI. If we haven't been able to reach so many people up till now it is only because of the obstacles and obstructions we are facing, but wherever we manage to reach the people and explain our vision, the people's reaction is just tremendous. I have had fantastic interactions with the people in Rafah, Nablus, Beirut, London and here in Canada, and I think we're on the right track. Our idea is that we should provide the people with a clear vision and our vision says that the Palestinian struggle should be based on five pillars:
Popular mass struggle across the country.
The build-up of a strong international solidarity movement with the Palestinian people.
Internal democratization and strong, serious internal reform.
Supporting the steadfastness of the people.
Building up a huge mass popular power that would push the Palestinian struggle into the right direction and would echo the voice of the silent majority of the Palestinians.
Our strategy is to make the cost and the price of the occupation much bigger than its benefit.
What if we were to hold a Palestinian election, and have a radical extremist group win the majority? Some would argue that Palestinian society is not ready to embrace democracy due to their support of the activities of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
That is a racist approach. It is racist to say Arabs or Palestinians are not ready for democracy. Only colonialists would say these things. Palestinians are capable of making the right choice if they are given the right circumstance and if they are given the right conditions to practice democracy. And I believe all the Palestinian groups - Islamic or non-Islamic - should be allowed to participate in the democratic process. All the groups must respect the democratic choice of the majority of the people. And that's what democracy is about after all.
Rape in Gaza. The headline warns of a rise in lawlessness in Gaza. Are we sinking into lawlessness, have we lost our moral compass?
No, we have not, and we are not sinking into lawlessness; and this is an Israeli approach to make Palestinians look like gangsters fighting with each other. After all, the whole Israeli strategy is about fragmenting the Palestinian people and separating their communities. That's why we have so many checkpoints, and that's why we have the wall. And that's why there is so much pressure from outside to dissolve the Palestine leadership and create a police or intelligence gang leader that would function as Israeli sub-agent for the Israeli protection, and this is the Israeli plan. We have problems like Israeli society, but it would be a total mistake to accept this vision of Palestinians simply as a corrupt society that is dismantling. The truth is that we are not; we are a lively society. We are a very powerful civil society, and we must do everything we can to stop the fragmentation from taking place.
.......................many other countries, can play a very important role by supporting justice and by supporting the right of Palestinians to live in peace and independence, and by resisting the pressure that is trying to prevent countries from taking a firm stand through a campaign of what I call psychological terror. Sharon has initiated such a campaign, and the supporters of extremism in Israel are trying to prevent people from taking a position. It is really amazing that the same racist and extremist General who was totally neglected by the International community in 1982 has become a man that is capable of terrorizing the whole world to prevent them from interfering with us. It is quiet astonishing that pro-Sharon propaganda has reached a level of claiming that those who don't support Sharon are either terrorists, anti-Semitic or self-hating Jews.
How did you find our(Canadian) media coverage of what is really happening in Palestine?
It is not enough. I think the press has a problem, and it is the duty of the press to bring truth and reality to the people. When Israel conducts an assassination attack in Gaza killing 3 people and injuring 15 using F-16 jet fighters and this does not get reported in the press, it means that the ordinary Canadian citizen is deprived of his or her right of knowing the truth. I am not saying that the press should take a stand with us or against us. I'm saying that the press has a duty, and their duty is to allow people to judge by themselves through providing a balanced approach and by providing information to everybody. The truth and facts can help people make their own informed decisions.
Google line search: Dr.Barghouthi The Palestine Monitor