Defeating colonial permanence should be a priority

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) is clearly showing that there are alternatives to the manipulative colonial framework that is being promoted by France, the international community and the Palestinian Authority. In a statement published on its website, the PFLP juxtaposed the prevailing strategy of promoting the French initiative while withholding information from Palestinian factions and called for international mobilisation on 3-4 June against the forthcoming squandering of Palestinian memory.

“The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine,” said the movement, “calls on the Palestinian masses inside Palestine and in exile and the diaspora to organise to confront and bring down the so-called ‘French initiative’ and any similar or international Arab projects that seek to liquidate Palestinian rights under the guise of ‘peace negotiations’, particularly the right of return of Palestinian refugees to their homes and lands.”

Expounding further in a related article, the PFLP’s Khaled Barakat succinctly exposed France’s role as a colonial, reactionary power in the region, while also portraying how its international efforts are synchronised with internal policies. “All of these policies and practices discredit the French government and its initiative as any force for peace and justice,” he insisted.

What has been articulated by the PFLP about France is actually reflective of most countries and international institutions in their duplicitous dealings with Palestine, having consciously rejected the validity of armed struggle in favour of negotiations that have served as a colonisation tool for the Israelis. The PFLP’s recognition of the necessity to involve all Palestinians rather than restrict the issue to the remaining slivers of territory conveys awareness with regards to combating the prevailing duplicity through Palestinian and international mobilisation. However, there are other issues to consider in order to prevent a possible rupture between the level of participation and the dynamics of the cause, something that has been prevalent in other scenarios and which has contributed to the splintering of Palestinian memory into isolated fragments, rather than strands of a complete narrative.

The international platform for Palestinians has become precarious due to its monopoly by Israel, the international community and, internally, by the PA. As these elements weave their own impositions through complicity, the space for free expression is limited. The PFLP is right in calling for mobilisation, but there must be meticulous thought and planning to produce a coherent and permanent strategy. Internationally, Palestine has garnered a lot of support, yet rhetoric has prevailed over action, partly due to reticence about departing from the conventional diplomatic assertions. The international community and the PA have marginalised Palestine, hence international awareness and mobilisation need to be elevated significantly enough to combat the intentional alienation interwoven into the colonisation process.

One needs to ask what will happen when the fuss over the French debacle has abated, if there is a long term strategy that will not relinquish itself. Perhaps now is the time to question why, from within, Palestine is fragmented into sensationalised issues, when Israel’s colonial presence and apparent permanence remains unchallenged. Sustaining sporadic indignation limited to a time frame is a contradiction that Palestinian factions need to unite against. Defeating that permanence has to be a priority.

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