The other side of the coin

by George S. Hishmeh

WASHINGTON - Despite the political wrangling in Ramallah and Gaza over Palestinian corruption, reform and transparency that could have far-reaching consequences on the future of these territories, there were some cheerful news, here and in Europe, probably heralding a better understanding in the West of the long and agonising Palestinian yearning for justice and an independent homeland.

Described by a Jewish newspaper as an "unprecedented victory for pro-Palestinian activists" in the United States, the largest Presbyterian denomination has officially equated Israel with apartheid South Africa and has voted to stop investing in Israel. At its annual conference in Richmond, Va., the Presbyterian Church, whose membership is about three million members, approved by a 431-62 vote to join the divestment campaign led by Palestinian activists that has been particularly successful on US campuses. The church's foundation and pension fund is valued at $7 billion.

A church press release noted that "divestment is one of the strategies that US churches used in the 1970s and 1980s in a successful campaign to end apartheid in South Africa."

The Jewish newspaper Fortune quoted James Rudin, senior interreligious adviser to the American Jewish Committee, as saying the Presbyterian action was "a catastrophic disaster".

The Presbyterian action was the first by an American church and, interestingly, it followed an expected setback in the US House of Representatives when it deplored, in a nonbinding resolution, the July 9 ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague on the legal consequences of the "apartheid wall" being constructed by Israel - the ruling in itself representing a major achievement for the Palestinians because of the various implications in the language of the decision. (A case in point, the monstrous Israeli barrier built on Palestinian land was declared illegal and Israel was told that it must dismantle it; it also rejected, among other things, Israeli allegations that the West Bank was "disputed" territory.)

Even this regrettable congressional vote - 361 to 45 (13 members voting present) - was given a positive twist by Arab American groups and church organisations. Their reasoning was that almost five times the usual number of congressmen voted against it.

Jim Wetekam, deputy director of Churches for Middle East Peace, said in an e-mail message: "We believe that advocates should take heart from today's vote. Whereas 45 is not a ground swell, it does reflect a pattern we see on Capitol Hill. Many representatives and staff understand that US policy must show more balance in the approach to Israel-Palestinian peace."

He further reported that the view in the congressional offices that they lobbied runs something like this: "While we had to vote in favour, we would prefer that the House not be asked to go on record constantly on these matters as it just escalates tensions and misrepresents where US policy in the Middle East should be."

But more significant was the rejection by the House of Representatives of another attempt by supporters of Israel to cut $570 million from US military aid to Egypt, thanks to the intervention of Secretary of State Colin Powell, White House National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and various arms companies who argued that such a measure could result in job losses for Americans.

Interestingly, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the major pro-Israel lobby here, refrained from supporting the anti-Egyptian resolution but was active against the ICJ ruling in the House.

It is not my intention here to give the Palestinians a rosy picture of how they are viewed or appreciated in the US, but to show that some inroads are being made. However, the other side of the coin is not all that pretty. Jibril Rajoub, the mercurial Palestinian National Authority's national security adviser, glossed over the internecine fighting among Palestinians when he appeared at the Saban Centre in Washington last week. He was defensive about Palestinian President Yasser Arafat whom he described as "controlling everything, talking to everybody" in his sequestered headquarters. In fact, he invited all to come and see for themselves.

Rajoub, who had spent 17 years in Israeli jails, seemed hopeful about the much-promised Palestinian security reforms and the infighting among Arafat's Fateh movement where younger elements are calling for elections and an end to cronyism and corruption. He assured his audience that by Nov. 2 - anniversary of the Balfour Declaration and the upcoming US elections - the Palestinian reforms would be completed. There is widespread concern here that time may not be on the side of the Palestinians this time around.

This article was originally published in the Friday-Saturday, July 23-24, 2004 edition of the Jordan Times. It is used here with permission.