"Demonstration" Government in Palestine - by Stephen Lendman
In 1984 (a year of Orwellian significance), activist and media and social critic Edward Herman wrote one of his many important books titled "Demonstration Elections." In it, he analyzed the US-staged elections in the 1960s in the Dominican Republic and Vietnam and the 1982 one in El Salvador. In the book's Orwellian glossary of terms, he defined the process as "A circus held in a client state to assure the population of the home country that their intrusion is well received. The results are guaranteed by an adequate supply of bullets provided in advance (and freely used as necessary to achieve the desired outcome)."
This writer calls this ugly business "democracy-engineering, American-style" backed by force to win approval of a rigged process people would never accept another way. Noam Chomsky refers to the notion of "Keeping the Rabble in Line," the title of one of his many books. It can be through soft or hard methods to assure the public goes along with what governments want imposed.
Herman's main theme was that "elections held under conditions of military occupation and extensive pre-election 'pacification' " aren't free at all but aim to get an occupying force's puppet choice accepted by the people it's installed to rule with influence wielded more by bullets than ballots to create "stability." Herman defines that term, too, as "a political arrangement free of open warfare and satisfactory to our interests." By that he means the "rabble" is cowed, induced or pummelled into submission.
Enter the dominant media stepping up to support the effort as lead cheerleader for a process hard to sell without heavy lifting convincing that what government is doing is for the common good. Never mind it isn't and that destroying democracy and the will of the people to resist are the real aims. Herman's theme works the same way today, and it's in play now in occupied Palestine. The difference discussed below is that the US and Israel tried running a "demonstration election" there in January, 2006, but it failed. The people didn't cooperate and the "wrong" party won.
Imperial powers never accept defeat and attempted to subvert and crush the democratically elected Hamas government ever since because it's too democratic and refuses to be Israel's enforcer. So anti-Hamas efforts started off by labeling it a "terrorist" organization. That was followed by political and economic isolation, cutting off all essential aid, open conflict, and on June 17 brazenly installing an illegitimate "demonstration government" with Palestinian quisling President Mahmoud Abbas illegally dismissing the elected government and appointing an "emergency" one. All this is discussed in detail below.
Imposed Illegitimate "Demonstration" Government in Palestine
The beleaguered Palestinians are one of the world's most victimized peoples of justice delayed because it's been so long denied them. Long under the Ottomans, they then had to endure imperial British mandate rule after WW I until it ended in May, 1948. Ever since, they've suffered intolerable hardships under brutal Israeli oppression and illegal occupation with little outside support to end it.
The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) was founded in 1964 as a result and Yasser Arafat became its leader in 1969 to try. At first, it was militantly, then later through negotiation and international consensus. Nothing worked because a hard line Israeli - US nexus with Western and Arab state complicity prevented it. The predictable result was festering anger in the Palestinian Territories. They've been occupied since June, 1967 after Israel seized them in its long-planned six day war of aggression. The illegal occupation continues and Palestinian anger boiled over in two Intifadas, first in 1987, and ever since after Ariel Sharon's provocative visit to the sacred Al Aqsa Mosque in September, 2000.
By January 25, 2006, Palestinians had enough of Fatah's institutionalized corruption and willingness to be Israel's enforcer under the quisling governments of Yasser Arafat and his successor Mahmoud Abbas. They elected a dominant majority of Hamas members to Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) seats because they promised change and its candidates were untainted by corruption or willingness to serve as puppets of Israeli interests at the expense of their own people. They meant what they promised and proved it once in office, even offering to partner with Fatah at the outset in a spirit of unity. Under orders not to, Fatah refused. It guaranteed Israeli and Washington antagonism that erupted immediately once Hamas assumed office.
Palestinians endured a life and death survival struggle before the election and especially ever since, and they've been on their own doing it. After Hamas' election victory, all desperately needed outside aid was cut off, and they've been mercilessly persecuted under repressive Israeli rule. They've also been attacked viciously and relentlessly by the world's fourth most powerful military IDF forces and enlisted Fatah-led paramilitary death squads with only light and crude weapons and their spirit to endure and fight back.
Hamas - From Its Charter and How It Governs
Hamas in Arabic means courage and bravery. It's also an abbreviation of the Arabic words meaning Islamic Resistance Movement. It was formed in 1987 during the first Intifada and early on was supported by Israel to counter Arafat's PLO the Jewish state opposed at the time. Ever since, it's been an effective resistance movement against repression and occupation providing essential social services like medical clinics; education, including centers for women; free meals for children; financial and technical help to those whose homes Israelis destroyed; aid to refugees in the camps; and setting up youth and sports clubs.
It also has the Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, an elite military wing, headed by Abu Abieda and other forces it needs for self-defense and law enforcement. Included among them is the "special operational force" known as the Executive Force (Tanfithya) used on the streets for policing and security.
Israel, Washington and the West call Hamas' political and social activities and its legitimate right to self-defense "terrorism" and tried to isolate and destroy its democratically elected government from birth. So far, they haven't succeeded, or are likely to, because Hamas' strongest assets are its will, readiness, and majority support from its people.
Hamas is a heterogenous democratic Islamic Resistance Movement allied with all resistance fighters for the purpose of liberating Palestine from Israeli oppression and occupation. Its method of choice is through negotiation and international consensus, not war or terrorism as falsely portrayed through the dominant media. But it states in its charter it will fight for its rights if they can't be gotten peacefully and rightfully blames Zionist Israel for its plight. They have plenty of evidence to prove it.
I am a 72 year old, retired, progressive small businessman concerned about all the major national and world issues, committed to speak out and write about them.
Your extensive research, open heart and mind to the other side is very encouraging to me.
A few excepts from WAWA blog June 24, 2007:
In November 2006, I was one of over 330 international ecumenical Christians who had gathered in Jerusalem to learn more about the Christian Exodus from the Holy Land and the facts on the ground for all citizens living under occupation throughout the West Bank.
The Anglican Reverend Naim Ateek, a '48 refugee and author of Justice and Only Justice, sent chills through me when he stated,
"Israel will not survive unless it does justice! The situation is deteriorating and we must frustrate Israel's plans and actions because they are not built on justice. All we are asking for is that they honor International Law! Israel is afraid of International law and this proves something is very wrong with Israel. We want Israel to live in peace and with security. The only way is honoring International law. That is the bottom line and what we work and pray for."
On June 20, 2007, the Washington Post published an article by Ahmed Yousef, a senior political adviser to Ismail Haniyeh, who is currently contesting his dismissal as prime minister by Mahmoud Abbas.
Yousef wrote from Gaza City:
The Palestinian National Authority apparently joins the list of elected governments targeted or toppled over the past century by interventionism: nations that had the courage to take American rhetoric at face value and elect whomever they would...
...For the first time in months, Gaza is secure. This may be a momentary peace as Israel prepares an attempt to retake parts of Gaza. Yet neither blunt force nor U.S. subterfuge will extinguish Palestinian aspirations for self-governance, free from outside interference...
...Palestinians want, on their terms, the same thing Western societies want: self-determination, modernity, access to markets and their own economic power, and freedom for civil society to evolve. Those who warn of "failed states" and "Hamastan" as a breeding ground for terrorism forget where blame for failure belongs -- at the feet of the American administration, which has chosen to isolate, rather than deal with, the elected government...
...Yet it remains that Hamas has a world in common with Fatah and other parties, and they all share the same goals -- the end of occupation; the release of political prisoners; the right of return for all Palestinians; and freedom to be a nation equal among nations, secure in its own borders and at peace. For more than 60 years, Palestinians have resisted walls and checkpoints intended to divide them. Now they must resist the poisonous inducements to fight one another and resume a unified front against the occupation. http://www.washingtonpost.com/
...If ever there was a time for a Kitchen Table Conference, one where ALL sides come together as equal human beings who all seek freedom from tyranny and hopelessness, liberty from oppression and terror and are allowed to express their side of the issues; and then as equal human beings, begin the hard work of compromise and the end of military occupations; that time is now!
"In the long run, there is no justice without FREEDOM. There can be no human rights without LIBERTY. All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know the United States will not ignore your oppression or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for liberty, we stand with you." -President George W. Bush, Second Inaugural Address
When he made that promise, I wondered if he even gave a thought to Palestine...
Had to weigh in on this it obsesses me so much and level of outrage keeps getting greater just when think it can't get worse. Shows the extent of criminality at highest levels here and in Israel. Prediction - things will get worse, maybe much worse, before getting better. But these bastards won't prevail, I guarantee, though likely a long time till justice wins out in end. It will for the Palestinians and others too.
by
Stephen Lendman (268 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 76 comments)
on Monday, June 25, 2007 at 8:13:59 AM
About 2,000 years ago, a Hebrew Prophet told the story of a Persistent Widow, who daily banged on the doors of an UNJUST Judge and demanded JUSTICE.
Justice for what, we do not know, but daily she kept it up until the Unjust Judge -who cared nothing for her, for God, but only for himself-got so tired of her persistent demands for JUSTICE;
And only to get her off his back;
Did the Unjust Judge give in and gave her JUSTICE!
The moral; NEVER, never, never, never, never, ever give up, for persistence is omnipotent!
"HOPE has two children. The first is ANGER at the way things are. The second is COURAGE to DO SOMETHING about it."-St. Augustine
Be blessed brother, for everytime you write an article and speak out for the poor and oppressed and challenge hypocricy in high places; it makes a difference!
Maybe we will never live long enough to see the fruits of our labors, but as Gandhi understood; the work of justice and peace is a birthing process,
All those obsessed with this issue have been called to be midwives.
"You must give birth to your images. They are the future waiting to be born. FEAR NOT the strangeness you feel. The future must enter you long before it happens."-Rilke
by
Eileen Fleming (149 articles, 53 quicklinks, 267 diaries, 584 comments)
on Monday, June 25, 2007 at 12:51:38 PM
3 comments
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