A war of attrition ignored by the world

Israel marked the 51st anniversary of the first resistance action of the ruling Palestinian Fateh movement by handing over to the Palestinians 23 bodies of mainly young men slain during “lone-wolf Intifada” — which has nothing to do with Fateh.

Fateh leaders refer the third Intifada as a “habba”, a rising, in order to deny it the dignity of being an “Intifada”, like the other uprisings that happened before.

This is a leaderless “Intifada” because the Palestinian leadership can no longer provide leadership.

Fateh became a spent force once it was clear the 1993 Oslo Accord had failed to deliver the state Palestinians expected.

The mandate of the Palestinian Authority was meant to expire in 1999 and President Mahmoud Abbas’ term in office in 2009, but both hang on because Israel and the international community rely on them to provide administration over the West Bank, while East Jerusalem is ruled by Israel and Gaza by dissident Hamas.

Meanwhile, the non-Intifada carries on: a minor war of attrition waged by individuals undetected by Israel because it cannot anticipate when they will strike.

It is significant that 17 of the bodies released by Israel were of young men from Al Khalil (Hebron), and 14 were accorded a mass funeral and buried in Martyr’s cemetery.

Al Khalil is the West Bank city where 700-800 Israeli settlers have been planted among 200,000 Palestinians. 

The settlers, who live in small fortified compounds guarded by the Israeli army, have been allocated 20 per cent of the city where 30,000 Palestinians still dwell. 

The rest of the Palestinians live in the 80 per cent granted to them, which is administered by the Fateh-dominated Palestinian Authority.

It is hardly surprising that many young Palestinians have been involved in spontaneous attacks on Israelis in Al Khalil, because the settlers there are among the most aggressive and violent in the West Bank. 

They attack Palestinian children walking to school — often accompanied by foreign volunteers — as well as Palestinian adults going about their daily business.

The main thoroughfare of the city, Shuhada Street, which is in the area handed over to the settlers, has been closed to Palestinians.

A total of 80 bodies of Palestinians said to have been involved in successful and unsuccessful “lone-wolf” attacks on Israelis have been withheld by the Israelis as punishment for their families and communities.

Israel also demands that bodies must be buried promptly, without mass funerals, as funerals often inspire reprisals against Israelis.

Fateh denies the existence of the “lone-wolf Intifada” because Fateh has no control over it and its adherents challenge Fateh as well as Israel.

Based outside Palestine, Fateh initially had no control over the first Intifada, the Intifada of the Stones, which erupted in December 1987 and was waged by Palestinians living in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.

Eventually, Fateh, headquartered in Tunis, did assert some influence over its own members, but was compelled to compete with Hamas and other factions that had fighters on the ground.

This Intifada compelled Israel to negotiate the 1993 Oslo Accord with Fateh, indeed, personally with Abbas who believed, mistakenly, that Israel wanted to end the conflict over Palestine and would permit the emergence of a Palestinian state.

Israel sought only to end the first Intifada.

Fateh, Hamas and other factions were closely involved in the second Intifada, the Intifada of the Bullet and Bomb, launched in 2000 after it became clear that Israel had no intention of implementing commitments made in the Oslo Accord and subsequent agreements concluded with the Palestinians.

Israel’s continuing construction of colonies in the West Bank and East Jerusalem demonstrated clearly that Israel was wedded to the occupation.

Resistance by Fateh ended with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s death in November 2004. His successor, Abbas, pledged to make peace and more peace.

Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, while maintaining control of the land, sea and air approaches to the strip, should have demonstrated clearly to Fateh and Abbas that the occupation was permanent.

Israel’s all-out onslaughts on Gaza in 2008-09 and 2014 should have convinced the Palestinian leadership that peace was not on Israel’s agenda.

Israel remains committed to the 19th century Zionist plan for the conquest of Palestine and the dispossession and gradual deportation of its native Palestinian population.

But Fateh, Abbas and the US — which has appointed itself mediator between the sides — continued to play the peace game without the Israeli “partner”.

Abbas and Fateh still cling to the vain hope that Israel will play, while 140 Palestinians and 21 Israelis died in attacks since October, when it is said that the “lone-wolf Intifada” began.

The “lone-wolf Intifada” has become the only game in town, launched by mainly young Palestinians with no hope and no future.

To make matters worse, the bloody and destructive wars in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, and high-profile Daesh attacks in Paris and threats elsewhere, have effectively taken Palestine off the world’s agenda.

Even the nearly daily death toll, mainly of Palestinians, but from time to time of Israelis, has not grabbed global headlines.

The “lone-wolf Intifada” is a resistance movement of attrition that has not, so far, prompted the Israeli or world publics to pay attention to the message being sent by young Palestinians.

This message is: do not forget us; we are here and suffering.

Israel, Fateh, and the world have so far ignored the message of the Intifada of stabbing knives, ramming vehicles and, on occasion, shooting attacks which can only escalate with widening Palestinian despair.