Palestinians To Redefine ‘Non-Violence’ To Include Explosives, Knives

The world has long since become used to the idea of euphemistically named programs to kill Jews: the Final Solution; Intifada; Resistance to the Occupation.

Ramallah, West Bank, January 26 – Seeking to bolster his standing among Palestinians and wary of popularity gains by the rival Hamas faction, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas today issued a legislative proposal to reaffirm his Fatah faction’s official commitment to non-violent resistance to Israeli occupation, and address the growing discontent for that policy among a Palestinian populace frustrated by stalemate and stagnation, by redefining various deadly acts as non-violent.

Abbas and his ruling faction, who only control the West Bank, have consistently adhered to a non-violent path since he succeeded Yasser Arafat in 2004. In the meantime, however, Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has fought two wars with Israel and demonstrated a will to resist Israel much more dramatically, threatening Abbas’s legitimacy as a fighter for Palestinian rights. His position has been exacerbated by a constitutional crisis stemming from his refusal to leave office or call for elections even though years have elapsed since his term officially ended.

But his international legitimacy stands to suffer if he resorts once again to violence, an approach that the Palestine Liberation Organization specifically eschewed as part of the Oslo Accords of 1993. Whereas Arafat saw fit to ignore that provision of the agreement entirely, Abbas counts more on international support, and risks jeopardizing his own hold on power if international aid dries up as a result of choosing violence once again.

Abbas therefore decided to put to a popular vote the notion that the Palestinian Authority could simultaneously adhere to the principles of non-violence and try to kill as many Israelis as possible through such non-violent means as drive-by shootings, restaurant and hotel bombings, suicide attacks on public transportation, stabbings, vehicular homicide, and bludgeoning.

Experts see the move as a gamble. “One of the most important facets of Abu Mazen’s presidency is his complete avoidance of any fateful or important decisions,” said analyst Jen O’Syde, using Abbas’s popular nickname. “Going down this path carries the risk of actually having to commit to a specific course of action based on the outcome.” Furthermore, she explained, even if the voters endorse the redefinition of non-violence, Abbas risks once again being overshadowed by Hamas, which has always pursued more or less the same policy under a different name; they can simply paint him as a Johnny-come-lately.

But if it succeeds, says University of Berlin scholar Reynard Heydrich, the initiative could boost Abbas in ways that would cement his power. “The world has long since become used to the idea of euphemistically named programs to kill Jews: the Final Solution; Intifada; Resistance to the Occupation; and my favorite, Operation Reinhard. All Abbas has to do is take the same course, and the world will smile.”