Normalizing Apartheid

In the past three decades, pivotal issues at the heart of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict have been neglected by the Palestinian Authority (PA). Instead, their agenda has been steered by secretive deals with Israel, particularly following the Oslo Accords. 

This neglect has perpetuated a cycle of dispossession, settlement expansion, and denial of fundamental rights.

B'Tselem, The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories.
Land Grab: Israel's Settlement Policy in the West Bank.

Conclusions:
"Israel has created in the Occupied Territories a regime of separation based on discrimination, applying two separate systems of law in the same area and basing the rights of individuals on their nationality. This regime is the only one of its kind in the world, and is reminiscent of distasteful regimes from the past, such as the Apartheid regime in South Africa.

Madrid Conference deliberately obstructed

The Madrid Conference of 1991, sponsored by Gorbachev and Bush, an exceptional gather, hailed as a potential breakthrough, was obstructed by the PA's weak and isolated leadership, which feared losing control amid the growing support for grassroots activists emerging from the First Intifada.
This leadership was known for decades its extreme attention for maintaining the exclusive possession and control of the finance and cashflow. 

It entrenched in its own power dynamics, pursued secretive deals with Israel, excluding key stakeholders, public observatory, international participation and avoiding substantive discussions on core conflict issues.

They kept it secret even from the Palestinian delegate in Madrid who genuinely used to keep them informed and consulted on every move.

Israel's dream came true when a corrupt group that was easy to manipulate in the dark agreed to work with/for them.

It was not convenient to give concessions in Madrid anymore. 

Deceptive Agreements and Disappointing Talks
Rather than engaging in meaningful dialogue, PA leaders prioritized self-preservation and financial gain, engaging in deceptive negotiations that lacked substance. Their focus was on maintaining control and legitimacy, even as they failed to address essential issues such as ethnic cleansing, settlement expansion, refugee rights, and sovereignty.

Their main concern was how to present themselves as supposed Liberators while entering Jericho to administer the occupied/dispossessed people on Israel behalf. While Israel rolls out the red carpet for them, they needed deceptive pompous celebrations with patriotic triumphal chants at their entrance. Israel allowed fighters to wave their empty Kalashnikovs on their entrance aiming to emphasize the deceptive Liberation. These Kalashnikovs would be flipped to M16 as soon Israel needed to get rid of them for updating its arsenal.

Their primary focus lay in crafting a façade of liberation upon their entry into Jericho, despite their true intent to administer the occupied and dispossessed people. As Israel welcomed them with open arms, they orchestrated elaborate and deceptive celebrations, complete with patriotic chants and grandiose displays. Israeli authorities even permitted the ostentatious waving of empty Kalashnikovs, enhancing the illusion of liberation. However, these Kalashnikovs would be flipped to M16 as soon Israel needed to get rid of them to update its arsenal.

Mandate of Complicity
The PA's mandate, akin to the Kapos in concentration camps, was to keep grassroots activists of First Intifada under control and to administer the occupied population in the best interests of their Israeli employers. Over last 30 years, this complicity normalized apartheid policies and perpetuated the occupation, all while sidelining genuine efforts for Palestinian liberation.

During last 30 years, there was no interest for an independent Palestinian economy. At the best, PA is bargaining Israeli work permits!

Israel has been always looking for armed clashes to fuel its project
The extent of Palestinian understanding regarding Israel is crucial in shedding light on the most effective path towards achieving freedom while minimizing human costs. It is through the lens of prolonged resistance that we can discern strategies that hold promise. However, it's imperative to recognize that deceptive and grandiose displays, marked by pompous language and ostentatious celebrations with fireworks, only serve to bolster Israeli propaganda. This dynamic is elucidated in the discussion on both sections of Foundations and Indoctrination.

Fueling Israeli Purposes
It is a tragic and complex aspect of the Palestinian struggle that some segments of the leadership, particularly in the context of armed resistance in exile, were marred by corruption and manipulation.
The exploitation of young individuals, who were driven by genuine aspirations to contribute to the liberation of Palestine, is a distressing reality.

Corruption
The presence of corrupt leadership within certain Palestinian factions, especially those in exile, compromised the integrity of the resistance movement. Corruption may have involved financial mismanagement, embezzlement, and manipulation of resources intended for the Palestinian cause.

Manipulation by
Regional Powers

The corrupt leadership's susceptibility to manipulation by regional powers further undermined the genuine efforts of those who believed in the cause. External actors often sought to advance their own agendas through these factions, using them as proxies in regional conflicts.

Exploitation of Youth
Young Palestinians, often in their late teens or early twenties, were exploited by the corrupt leadership. Their genuine commitment to the cause was manipulated for political purposes, and they were sometimes sent into situations where success was unlikely, leading to unnecessary loss of life.

Symbolic Actions
Sending young fighters on extreme missions, especially timed around anniversary celebrations, served symbolic rather than strategic purposes. This not only exploited the youth but also served as a tool for the corrupt leadership to showcase activity and commitment to external sponsors.

Economic Productivity
of Conflict
The perpetuation of conflict and the involvement of young fighters may have had economic implications for certain factions and leaders. The continuation of armed resistance, even if symbolic, might have garnered financial support from external sources.

Impact on Refugee Families
The loss of young lives in pursuit of often futile missions had a profound impact on Palestinian families. The despair resulting from the loss of promising youth for symbolic gestures rather than concrete progress in the struggle for liberation added to the hardships faced by refugee families.

Symbolic Rituals
The practice of taking group photos before perilous missions highlights the symbolic nature of these actions. It served as a ritualistic demonstration of commitment, often at the expense of the lives of those involved.

Need for Critical Examination
Such practices underscore the importance of critical examination within the Palestinian movement. It highlights the need for transparent and accountable leadership that prioritizes the well-being and genuine aspirations of the people over symbolic actions with limited strategic impact.

In essence, the exploitation of young fighters and the perpetuation of symbolic actions for the benefit of corrupt leadership raise important ethical and strategic questions within the broader context of the Palestinian struggle for self-determination.

Centralised
Military Leadership
The centralised military leadership, primarily based in Tunisia, had a longstanding approach of managing power and wealth. This centralised structure was characterised by a focus on military strategies and connections with regional powers.

Lack of Interest in
Localised Leadership
The centralised leadership did not show interest or trust in localized leadership within the occupied territories, which were directly under Israeli occupation. The emergence of local leaders in the occupied territories during the First Intifada challenged the established order.

Global Focus
on Peaceful Resistance
The global attention during the First Intifada was directed towards Palestinians engaging in peaceful resistance within the occupied territories. This shift in focus marginalised the role of the centralised leadership based in Tunisia.

Isolation and Madrid Conference 

Despite the Palestinian delegation at the Madrid Conference keeping the centralised leadership updated and genuinely consulting them, the leadership felt increasingly isolated. The prospect of concessions made directly between Israel and the occupied territories' representatives threatened their influence.

Oslo 

Deal صفقة

The Road to Abraham Accords

Legitimized the Settler-Colonial Apartheid over the last 30 years, eradicating the achievements of the First Intifada.

Disparity in commitment and priorities between the
genuine representatives from the occupied territories
and the deceptive exile leadership

To highlight the unsuspecting nature of the occupied territories' representatives and the manipulative tactics employed by the corrupt leaders in exile during these crucial negotiations.

Oslo was meant only to help Israel consolidate its occupation and colonisation of Palestine.

With the backing of the international community and the Israeli regime, Arafat pursued governance based on patronage and corruption that had little tolerance for internal dissent.

The architects of Oslo were not interested in Palestinian statehood or liberation but rather wanted to find a way to get the Palestinian leadership to quietly agree to capitulation and suppress any further resistance at the grassroots.

A corrupt subcontractor, the Palestinian Authority (PA), rushed into a secretive deal against the representatives of the First Intifada to secure power and control any opposition to their decades of failure. Acting as a settler-colonial police force, the PA has systematically eroded the achievements of the grassroots movement, which was characterized by its unique underground social infrastructure and supportive network.

After 20 years of corrupt leadership in exile, they chose to normalize ties with the settler-colonial apartheid regime, switching sides and undermining the international solidarity gained during the First Intifada grassroots uprising. This prolonged deception from within is worse than the Naksa of 1967. Over the past 30 years, in coordination with Israeli intelligence, they have shamelessly continued their deceptive rhetoric, paving the way for the Abraham Accords.

Focus on Control,
Not Key Issues
Unlike the occupied territories' representatives who focused on crucial issues such as refugee return, settlements, water, land resources, and sovereignty, the corrupt leadership's primary concern was gaining entry into Palestine with a deceptive victorious narrative.
Their focus appeared to be on control and collaboration rather than addressing fundamental Palestinian concerns.

Betrayal and Shock
after Oslo

The distance of 30 years from the Oslo Accords has intensified the shock and sense of betrayal among Palestinians.
The realisation that the Palestinian Authority (PA), which emerged from the corrupt leadership, became willing to collaborate with Israel for administrative control while relinquishing key aspects of sovereignty and security, has deepened the impact of the betrayal.

Israel's Strategic Investment
Israel has found a strategic investment in recruiting the corrupt PA to administer the occupied territories. The PA's focus on work permits and administrative control, rather than building infrastructure for an independent economy, raises concerns about its commitment to genuine Palestinian self-determination.

You may exchange labels

but Nazi Israeli behaviour with
PA complicity is very similar.

This is not an Israeli checkpoint
with a PA assistant.

The persecuted have their clothes marked
with yellow stars, they are not Palestinians
who use to carry different ID cards
where religion is reported.