Sept. 11 Made Life Harder For Palestinians

by Ferry Biedermann

Israel now feels itself closely enveloped in the U.S. camp. Palestinians feel more than ever before that the U.S. sees them as an enemy.

"Many Palestinians feel that our struggle with Israel has become part of this larger confrontation between East and West, between the U.S. on one hand and the Arab world and Islam on the other," says Ziad Abu Amr, chairman of the political committee of the Palestinian Legislative Council. Palestinians identify with other Arabs and Muslims and they feel under attack everywhere, he says.

"The operation in Afghanistan and the threats against Iraq make most people angry," says Abu Amr. "They feel that what is going on here is a part of the general pattern."

Gerald Steinberg at the Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv agrees that Israel has got the notion accepted that its fight against Palestinians is a part of the broader fight against terror.

"Immediately after 9/11 people here hoped for more understanding and a sense of identification with what we are going through," says Steinberg. "In the weeks and months following the attacks many people were disappointed that did not materialize. Since the Passover attacks in April that has changed completely and now our fight is seen as similar to theirs."

Palestinians widely believe that the government of Ariel Sharon received a 'green light' from the Bush administration to deal firmly with the Palestinians mainly because of the events of September 11. "The U.S. was desperately looking for allies in its fight against terrorism and Israel has always been a strategic ally," says Abu Amr. "Sharon pretty much has a free hand to do as he likes now."

The American position is not entirely the result of 9/11, Abu Amr admits. "The suicide bombings that some factions carried out may also have something to do with it," he says.

Steinberg dismisses talk of a green light. "The concept is misleading, that is not how things happen," he says. Steinberg accepts that the U.S. administration may take a more sympathetic view of Israeli actions now. "They are now themselves talking about targeted killings in Iraq, they cannot very well criticise us then for using those tactics," he says.

But Israel does not rely on American approval for its actions, Steinberg says. "The governments of Israel have always acted in what they feel is the national interest if they really thought action was necessary, regardless of approval or criticism from foreign governments," he says.

Steinberg believes that the events of 9/11 have affected the internal debate among Palestinians far more. "The discussions that we hear about now over whether to cease the attacks on Israelis can partly be ascribed to the effects of 9/11," he says. "A group, mostly of intellectuals and moderates, understand that it is not in their interest to be identified with Al Qaeda."

Abu Amr sees the isolation of Yasser Arafat as the most significant result of the changes over the last year. "That was an Israeli policy objective, not an American one," he says. "After 9/11 Sharon succeeded in getting it adopted by Bush."

Abu Amr says the mistrust and even hatred among Palestinians towards the U.S. has deepened over the past year. "They feel the Israelis would not have been able to do what they did without international support," he says, commenting on the harsh measures against the Palestinian population.

But both Steinberg and Abu Amr agree that Europeans have taken a very different view of the conflict, and that the gap between them and the Americans has widened significantly.

Abu Amr says Palestinians see the Europeans in a very different light from the Americans. "Europe has a much clearer view of what is happening here," he says. "They recognize that we are waging a legitimate struggle against occupation."

Israelis have at the same time developed a new animosity towards European countries. "The Europeans somehow remain blind to the dangers of terrorism, even after 9/11," says Steinberg. "Their appeasement causes a lot of damage. The U.S. and Israel agree on that and hope to be able to convince the Europeans of that."

Israelis have remained worried about copycat actions since the destruction of the twin towers and the attack on the Pentagon. Earlier this week the police intercepted a car with 600 kilograms of explosives. It was the largest bomb ever discovered and the police suspect it was intended for a showcase attack over the Jewish New Year.

"The Palestinians are definitely interested in carrying out a similarly spectacular attack," says Steinberg. "They have tried to blow up the main petrol storage area near Tel Aviv and now we've had this 600 kilogram bomb." Many fear that sooner or later some group will succeed.