[Peace-discuss] The need for a Palestinian Gandhi

[ppatton at uiuc.edu]

Gandhi Heir Urges Palestinians to Adopt Non-Violence Tactic
by Eric Silver in Jerusalem
 
The grandson of the Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi has urged 
Palestinians to rise up peacefully to demand an end to 
Israeli occupation, and said freedom was close.

Arun Gandhi said yesterday that non-violence would increase 
world sympathy for the Palestinians. It was not too late to 
start a non-violent movement in the West Bank and Gaza, 
captured by Israel in 1967, he said, and he condemned a 
barrier Israel is building in the West Bank as an "evil 
thing".

"I know your day of freedom is very near," he told thousands 
of flag-waving Palestinians in the West Bank city of Ramallah 
after meeting Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian president.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie (C) holds hands with 
Arun Gandhi (L) the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and a priest 
during a protest against the controversial Israeli security 
barrier in East Jerusalem August 27, 2004. The grandson of 
slain Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi urged Palestinians on 
Thursday to rise up peacefully to demand an end to Israeli 
occupation, and said freedom was close. REUTERS/Goran 
Tomasevic
Mr Gandhi visited the West Bank from his American home but 
despite a genial half-hour meeting with Mr Arafat in 
Ramallah, his pleas largely fell on deaf ears.

"We can only achieve peace through non-violence," Mr Gandhi 
told The Independent. "When we respond to the oppressor the 
way the oppressor has done - with the use of violence - then 
we lose our moral strength."

He described his conversation with the Palestinian leader as 
very fruitful. "We couldn't take any decisions in half an 
hour, but he agreed in principle that non-violence was an 
option. I intend to keep in touch with him."

Some Palestinian commentators have started questioning the 
wisdom of the four-year intifada, which has only increased 
Palestinian suffering. "There is a trend which believes in 
non- violent struggle," Ziad Abu Amr, a former minister 
said, "but I don't think the Israelis are interested in 
it ... It is very difficult to copy the types of struggle 
which occurred in India in the context of the Israeli 
occupation."

Eyad Sarraj, a leading Gaza psychiatrist and human rights 
campaigner, doubted whether it was a starter. "There's so 
much hatred, so much thirst for revenge. It would be very 
difficult to channel this anger into a non-violence path."

London-trained Dr Sarraj said the perceived failure of the 
intifada made it less likely than ever. "Arab culture is 
about an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, especially so 
now. People feel they have not achieved victory by violence. 
Going for non- violent resistance would look like a form of 
surrender."

Palestinians at the rally were split on the idea of non-
violence. "The peaceful resistance he talks about is better 
than what we have here," said Mohammed Saber, 25. But Mahmoud 
Suleiman, aged 15, said: "There must be armed and peaceful 
resistance - armed is more important." 
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Dr. Paul Patton
Research Scientist
Beckman Institute  Rm 3027  405 N. Mathews St.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign  Urbana, Illinois 61801
work phone: (217)-265-0795   fax: (217)-244-5180
home phone: (217)-344-5812
homepage: http://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ppatton/www/index.html

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.  It is the
source of all true art and science."
-Albert Einstein
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