Iraq and Palestine

By Daoud Kuttab

I was 12 years old when the Israeli army occupied the West Bank, Gaza, Sinai and the Golan Heights. Ever since then I have known first hand what military occupation is all about. The Iraqi people are also witnessing military occupation. There are similarities and differences. While I both cases the occupiers had claimed that their actions were preemptive and temporary we have seen in Palestine that by intention or not occupations have a way of lasting a long time. Of course, in the case of Israel their occupation was quickly followed by an active Jewish settlement activity, which has put into doubt their motivations and claims about their real intentions.

I am sure that the Americans and the British have no plans to bring Californians or Welsh citizens to settle in Iraq, the question of the real intentions of this war and the occupation have yet to be known.

The 1967 war was clearly a much easier act than what the Americans are witnessing in Iraq. Palestinians who were not independent at the time (the West Bank was part of Jordan while Gaza was an Egyptian protectorate) have over the years gotten their acts together and have built up a popular and later a military resistance campaign that is making the Israeli occupation very costly.

In both cases, war and occupation show that what appears to be a short cut to accomplish political results, often turn out to be much different than first predicted.

Also and just as important, a foreign military occupation has a way like not other act to help unify people who are on the other end of this abuse of power. Palestinians have for years disagreed between themselves from those wanting a non violent resistance to those espousing a violent revolt but when the Israeli incursion began, all were amazingly united in their opposition to the invaders. The Arab saying that best applies both in Palestine and Iraq is this. My brother and I may be against our cousin, but our cousin and us are united against the foreign enemy.

Some changes also need to be pointed out. Arab media has come a long way since 1967. Ahmad Said, the firebrand Egyptian commentator on the Voice of the Arabs revved up Arab emotions with empty rhetoric and blatant lies and exaggerations. State Arab media has not changed much since then, but private media, most notably now, the satellite stations, and even Iraqi officials, seem to have come a long way in dealing with their public and their usage of the media.

War is ugly whether it be in Palestine or Iraq and every honorable person must understand that not even the most powerful country in the world can succeed in crushing any people who have pride in their country and their nation. The regime of Saddam Hussein may not last more than a few weeks or months, but this war as the 1967 war have clearly shown that war can't extinguish people's desire to live in freedom and to be ruled by their own people.

Daoud Kuttab is a Palestinian journalist, director of the Institute of Modern media at Al Quds University in Ramallah. He can be reached at: dkuttab@ammannet.net