Diversity within the Palestinian Perspective

It is clear that the Palestinian people are united under the banner of freedom from Israeli occupation. However, within this framework exists a variety of realities in which the Palestinian people live. This, in turn, shapes their response to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and their methods of resistance. For example, in the village of Bil'in where the creation of the Barrier Wall has separated the village from their main agricultural areas, creative, non-violent approaches directly challenging the presence of the wall are their focus of resistance.

Whereas, Daoud Nasaar, owner of Daher's Vineyard and creator of the Tent of Nations outside of Bethlehem, faces a different reality than those in Bil'in. Daoud's basic right to ownership of his property, which was originally purchased by his grandfather during Ottoman rule, has been challenged by the Israeli government and Israeli settler communities surrounding his land. Simply continuing to live and grow crops on his land is an important form of non-violent resistance to encroaching settlements and the government, who want Daoud's family to vacate their ancestral land. Further, Dauod is operating within the Israeli court system to legally retain ownership of his land. This form of non-violent resistance is nearly impossible for most Palestinian landowners because of financial constraints, language barriers, and a general unwillingness of the Israeli courts to hear their pleas.

Lastly, life in the Deheishah Refugee Camp in Bethlehem differs substantially from that of Dauod Nasaar or the villagers of Bil'in. They live in conditions that most people in the United States would find deplorable. They have very high levels of unemployment (50-55%) and rely heavily on the UN for educational, municipal, medical, and food aid. They also have to endure nightly raids by the Israeli military. However, within this context, they have recently built both a beautiful community center and a medical facility to help provide much needed services to Deheishah residents. Further, they have created a standing memorial to the 43 members of the Deheishah community who have died as a result of the conflict. This development shows their deep commitment to improving and living their lives in face of tremendous hardship. Perhaps even more importantly, it shows their commitment to fostering an unbreakable sense of community. This strikes at the heart of non-violent resistance.

At the same time, given the human reality in Deheishah, violent resistance is also part of their culture. Signs of this form of resistance are evident throughout the camp from children pretending to shoot at us when we entered Deheishah and a boy leaning out a window with a ski mask on his face to pictures of Che Guevera and Saddam Hussein/Iraq scattered across t-shirts and building walls. Perhaps the dichotomy of violent versus nonviolent resistance in Deheishah can be most poignantly observed in the fate of the 43 martyrs in the refugee camp, thirty-nine were either combat militants or civilians killed by the Israeli Defense Forces and four were suicide bombers. This diversity in death symbolizes the diversity of Palestinian resistance in life and the socio-political and economic realities that shape it.