The Intifadah and the fateful triangle : a labyrinth of rhetoric

Abstract

Notions of 'History' seem all-pervasive and intractable when exploring perceptions of Palestinian and Israeli identity. The entrenchment of their beliefs leaves little, if any, scope for understanding or compromise, particularly when the two communities identify so closely with a common piece of land. Yet from within this circumscribed milieu, the intifadah has shaken these 'Histories' and loosened the strictures by which communal and individual identity are formed. It has allowed new identities to form around new myths and new myths to form around new identities. This genesis has delivered an unrivalled opportunity for the Palestinians in the occupied territories to create the new realities and relationships to which Said alludes. For the Israelis, too, the intifadah has provided challenges and opportunities which have fractured their whole social fabric, to the point that one wonders if political and social harmony could ever prevail. This sub-thesis explores the complexities of the intifadah, but more importantly it examines the 'fateful' relationship that the Palestinians and Israel have with the United States. The U.S. government has always played a heavy hand in the Middle East, though its sentiments toward Jewish history, in conjunction with its financial leverage, impinge upon the structure and vista of any viable or lasting peace settlement. As such, it is important to study not only the constraints of 'History' on any outcome of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but also the influence of the United States as a critical determinant of whether it could ever be a negotiator for 'peace' or merely a catalyst for further generations of suffering. The first section of the sub-thesis provides a general overview of the perceptions of history and identity that the Palestinians and Israelis have of themselves and of each other. These perceptions have circumscribed the horizon of possibility for a settlement of which both parties would be amenable. The second section develops the notion of the intifadah as a unifying symbol of Palestinianization, and a force for the solidarity of a new generation of Palestinians. The third section looks at Israel's reaction to and management of the intifadah, including the divisiveness and fracturing of its domestic politics. The fourth section includes a discussion of U.S. affinity for Israel, its policy towards Israel and the Palestinians, and its attempts at assisting in a settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Finally, the last section recapitulates the milieu in which 'the fateful triangle' finds itself enmeshed, and ends on a discouraging note, concluding that the intifadah will end in tragedy for both Palestinians and Israelis alike, whereas it will leave the United States primarily untouched. Show more