The manipulation of non-violent resistance

It is indeed opportune for the Palestinian Authority that Palestinians excel in academia and pedagogy. The 2016 Global Teachers Award won by Hanan Al-Hroub provided the perfect opportunity for Palestinian leaders to engage in generic rhetoric and, as a result, impose their defunct politics upon the victory and the education system.

Consider what Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said: “Teacher Hanan Al-Hroub accomplished the impossible despite all of the obstacles put in front of every Palestinian by the Israeli occupation; she makes us proud.”

In contrast, Al-Hroub’s simple yet powerful statement was devoid of any grandiose political claims: “Teachers work hard to free the children’s minds from violence and turn it into dialogues of beauty.”

Between these diverse statements lies the murky agenda that is concealed skilfully by the internationally-recognised Palestinian leadership. While almost always a contentious issue, education in Palestine is amalgamated with several violations and their ensuing ramifications. Departing from the obvious colonisation and subsequent military occupation, Palestinian education faces several threats; its institutions are dependent upon international aid bequeathed to the PA in order to function, while others are run by UNRWA and its incessant cycle of patronising the same state donors who also ensure that the Palestinians will not be able to avail themselves of proper opportunities for progress and freedom. Israel’s deadly targeting of Palestinian children, which has escalated during the Jerusalem Intifada, has also exacerbated the difficulties facing educators and their pupils living under the Israeli occupation. Psychologically, Palestinian children are traumatised not only by the violence that they experience first-hand, but also through the historical narrative that is constantly under threat, from a collective effort made by both Israel and the PA.

Al-Hroub’s statement is an accurate reflection of the arduous task faced by Palestinian educators. For children in their formative years, non-violent resistance presents an option which is both protective and nurturing. Such an approach within the education system undoubtedly challenges Israeli pedagogy, which is replete with violence in order to create a culture of assimilation with the state narrative.

However, it is the manipulation of non-violent resistance that will resonate within PA circles. Politically, the PA has insisted repeatedly on such resistance and, in turn, created separate entities which have weakened the Palestinian struggle. Armed resistance, despite its legitimacy in international law, has been aligned — hypocritically — with the lexicon of “terrorism” to which Israel is partial, thus rendering the PA complicit in altering historical Palestinian narratives. The separation of different forms of resistance has also weakened the struggle, as each aspect is discussed in isolation, whether it is political prisoners on hunger strike, extrajudicial killings of Palestinians involved in resistance or regular protests against Israel’s colonial expansion.

At the very least, the PA should refrain from capitalising upon the award won by Al-Hroub and avoid the duplicitous commentary regarding educational achievement. One should at least question why Hamdallah has refrained from delving into the security coordination agreement which has also contributed towards mangling the education system in occupied Palestine. “To free the children’s minds from violence,” as expressed so eloquently by Hanan Al-Hroub, requires foundations that are transparent in intention. Certainly, it does not lend itself to the intentional disfigurement which the PA has allowed in order to placate Israeli colonialism.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.