Last weekend I attended the Enough! - End the Occupation of Palestine rally in Trafalgar Square . Palestinians, Israleis, British and people from all over the world marked 40 years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza with a protest against it. For a country which was complict in the problem, and directly affected by its consequences, from bus bombs to an illegal war, turnout was disapointingly low. I'm sure there are many more people who feel strongly about the issue that did not attend - standing around in Trafalgar Square is not my first choice of activity on a Sturday afternoon either - but I also wonder how many understand the significance of the issue in so much of Middle Eastern politics, British foreign policy and the so called 'war on terror'.
On the day, a Dutch woman stopped to ask me what the fuss was about. I told her what we were doing. She thought it commendable, but was unsure if peace in Palestine was ever likely to happen. In light of recent events in Northern Ireland, I replied that many in this country held a fresh optimism for resolution in the Middle East.
With the recent split between Fatah and Hamas, that wind has left our sails and a peaceful resolution has not seemed further away for some time. Israel, the US and the EU are all seeking to capitalise on developments through co-operting with the new Fatah government. This will only serve to isolate those in Gaza further and cause division and distrust among the Palestinian people. This suits Israel's divide and rule policy of occupation just fine, as they lean on the West to broker a quick deal in their interest. However, they also run the risk of undermining the moderate Fatah itself, uniting the whole of the Palestinian nation in extremism and violence. That this may happen has been proved by Isaeli policy again and again, first spawning the PLO and then Hamas itself.
The international community should not have diplomatically isolated the democratically elected Hamas government in the way that they did. The US and EU should stop pandering to the Israeli "we will not negotiate with terrorists" line, and begin considering the plight of the people of Palestine not blowing themselves up. Poor, battered and despirited, they are the long suffering victims of this mess.
Further reading:
http://www.fmep.org/reports/vol17/no3/01-40_years_of_occupation.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/comment/0,,2107029,00.html
