After over 18-month-old Palestinian Intifada, or Uprising against Israel in the Palestinian territories, and after an endless bloodshed between the Palestinians and Israel, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza come to realize that peace with the current Israeli government headed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is impossible.
The Palestinians stressed that they are determined to continue their struggle against the occupation of their territories using all means until they enjoy independence and freedom, despite the tough and widespread military operations by Sharon's government against them into their towns, villages and refugee camps.
"What does Sharon want from us? He is a murderer, he killed thousands of Palestinians since he was in the Israeli army and government a long time ago, especially in Lebanon in 1982 and in the Palestinian territories these days. He and his army should leave our territories," said Mansoor Ghannam, a 54-year-old resident from Gaza who owns vegetable store in Gaza downtown.
Ghannam said that the Palestinians would never give up or surrender, adding that if he is not going to witness the liberation of Palestine, his sons and grandsons will do.
"This is the land of our fathers and ancestors. If someone comes and occupies your house and kicks your children and your family outside, what should you do? Are you going to thank him, are you going to surrender? Of course not, you would resist the occupier, fight him to the end until he leaves your house," vowed Ghannam.
The Palestinians believe that "as long as Israel is all the time planning to take parts of the Palestinians' lands, expand settlements and demolish their homes, kill their children, the war and conflict with the Israelis would last forever," he added.
"If any Israeli prime minister or any Israeli leader, but not Sharon, comes and says to the Palestinians he decided to withdraw his army from the occupied Palestinian territories, all the people would welcome him and make peace with him," said Anwar Abu Hamdan, a 23-year-old student from Gaza.
Hamdan said that he was 14 years old when Israel and the Palestinians signed a peace agreement, adding that he started to feel that peace with Israelis is real and can be possible.
Nothing can break Palestinians' determination for independence
The Palestinian authority officials, who used to meet and negotiate the Israelis, said that violence, aggression and offensives would never break the Palestinians' determination to seek for their freedom and independence.
The officials said that military actions against the Palestinians by the Israeli government "would never solve the problem," noting that the conflict should only be ended by the withdrawal from all the occupied territories, and by peace negotiations not by violence.
"This government of Sharon has approved that it doesn't want peace with us," said Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo.
Abed Rabbo said that the Sharon-led government, which elected and formed after the beginning of the Intifada, wanted to break the Palestinian people and imposed on them by force "the solution that they want and not the solution that the Palestinians want."
He stressed that Sharon sworn in and became a Prime Minister without having any political agenda to end up the conflict and reach a permanent solution in the area of the Middle East, adding that he (Sharon) came only with a series of military plans, and he is implementing them one after the other.
"But until now and further more, all the military plans of Sharon would never succeed to achieve his dream and his aims to break the Palestinian people," said Abed Rabbo. "Peace with this man is impossible after all what he did."
Tension between Israel and Palestinians
Since last Friday, tension between Israel and the Palestinians has grown up after the Israeli army carried out the widest military operation against the Palestinians in the West Bank since Israel pulled out from its towns and villages in 1995.
In less than a week, the Israeli army reoccupied the West Bank towns of Ramallah, Jenin, Qalqilia, Tulkarem, Nablus, Bethlehem andparts of Hebron, killing and wounding dozens, and arresting hundreds.
Israel said that the reason it decided to carry out such widespread operations against the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat "is to fight the Palestinian terrorism, suicide bombings and armed attacks against Israel."
Om Nidal Farahat, 52-year-old from Gaza City, lost one of her six sons, 21-year-old Mohamed, who was killed by Israeli troops after he broke into one of the Jewish settlements in southern Gaza Strip called Atzmona, where he killed and wounded at least 20 Israelis.
"My son did not die, he is a Shahid (Martyr) and my other five sons would love very much to be Shahids also for the sake of Palestine and liberating Palestine," said Om Nidal, who knew that her son is going to carry out an armed attack against the Israelis.
"A shahid goes to Paradise, and their (Israeli) dead of course go to hell," she said.
Mohamed Farahat was a member of Izel Dein Al Kassam, the armed wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). He hugged his mother and told her "see you in paradise" shortly before he carried out the armed attack.
Palestinians determined to fight back
Many Palestinians, including leaders, militants and civilians, strongly believe that carrying out suicide bombings and armed attacks "can never be considered as terrorism" as Israel, United States and many other countries in the world believe.
Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual leader and founder of Hamas, said that as long as Israel keeps occupying the West Bank and Gaza Strip, confiscates lands, builds more settlements, assassinates militants, kills men, women and children "the best weapon to use against this occupation is the 'martyrdom' bombings."
"Israel has used tanks, helicopters, F-16 warplanes, and all other kinds of weapons against our people. We don't have such kinds of weapons, and if we have these weapons, of course we would use them against the occupation to liberate our occupied lands," said Yassin.
"But the only painful and powerful weapon we have against Israelis the Palestinians who blew up themselves," he noted.
After Israel's intensive military offensives, a large group of Palestinians insist that they never surrender, or give up, and they should continue with their armed resistance, adding that this is the only legitimate way to fight the military occupation of the Palestinian territories, and achieve freedom and independence.
Argument between "radical" and "moderate" groups
Meanwhile, "radical" and "moderate" groups are arguing in the Palestinian territories.
The "Radical" groups are the militant Islamic groups and left-wing parties that refused to make peace with Israel, rejected all the agreements that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat signed with Israel and continued carrying out attacks against Israel.
Representatives of those groups believe that "peace not only with Sharon, but also with all Israelis is impossible, since they keep occupying the Palestinian lands and killing them."
However, they said that they are willing to end their attacks, suicide bombings or armed attacks, "only in case Israel ends the occupation of the Palestinian territories, including east Jerusalem, the holy city for Moslems as well as for Christians." The Palestinians agree that Western Jerusalem is for the Jews.
On the other hand, the moderate people, including the Palestinian authority officials led by Yasser Arafat, believe that if Israel pulls out from the territories occupied after September 2000 when the Intifada started, there is a possibility for peace negotiations to implement the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council related to the Palestinian cause.
( April 9, 2002)
