Hidden faces radiate tremendous power: whether they are those of soldiers wearing black ski masks when they burst into bedrooms in the middle of the night, guns drawn; whether they are those of young men with only their eyes visible through their keffiyehs, carrying slingshots; or whether they are the faces of young settlers who, in their snow-white Shabbat clothes, venture out especially on the holy day to conduct holy wars against the goyim – shepherds and farmers...three conflicting and interwoven styles of face covering, concealment, separation, anonymity, intimidation and fear.
At least she left out Purim revelers in Bnei Brak.
But what really is bothering her is
Why a 'Palestinian Gandhi' has never emerged - and probably never will
The short answer is:
The fact that the Palestinians who opt for a non-violent struggle are detained, arrested and injured, that they choke on tear gas and regularly risk their lives, still does not give them the aura and fame accorded to those who had taken up weapons.
Amira Hass does, deep down, know the bad news:
In a conversation with one of the many bright young people who can be found at the numerous political gatherings that have sprung up here like mushrooms since the 2011 revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, an American visitor said, “What you need is a Palestinian [Mahatma] Gandhi.” And the young man answered: “We actually do not want a Palestinian Gandhi.”
Moreover, the reality is that
The term "nonviolent struggle" is justly understood to contain implicit criticism of the so-called armed struggle (especially suicide attacks against Israeli civilians) during the second intifada. The claim that these attacks (along with Qassam rockets and missiles) only caused damage to the Palestinian cause and living conditions are automatically attributed to PA “losers” who, after having conducted failed negotiations for almost two decades, enriched themselves and became alienated from their people.
She, as is her want, cannot see Israel not blamed and so she reminds us that she
wrote that the term "nonviolent struggle" is misleading, as it helps in concealing the inherent violence of the occupation...a term that imposes the burden of proof of good behavior on those who are opposing oppression, and not on the oppressor.
So it's our fault, as it were, that of all the peoples of the world who did succeed in moving a non-violent struggle, after 90 years the poor Pals. still cannot carry the campaign.
Did you expect anything else from Ms. Hass?
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