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Palestinian
Assessments of the Gulf War and its Aftermath (1991)
PALESTINIAN ASSESSMENTS
OF THE GULF WAR AND
ITS AFTERMATH
Introduction
In early February 1991, as the Gulf War was still proceeding, PASSIA, in line
with its program of holding periodic workshops and seminars on topics related
to the Palestine Question and its regional and international dimensions, invited
a group of Palestinian academicians to a round-table discussion on the war and
future prospects from a Palestinian vantage point. The first meeting was supposed
to take place on Thursday, February 14th, but because of travel restrictions
and the curfew imposed by the Israeli authorities on the Occupied Territories,
only some of those invited were able to attend.
Those present, nevertheless, took the opportunity to discuss the situation with its various dimensions and decided to try and hold an expanded meeting on Monday February 18th 1991.
The meeting on February 18th was attended by academics, heads of cultural centers and professionals. Four presentations were given:
1. Future political prospects
of the Palestinian issue;
2.the future of the Palestinian Intifada;
3.the political repercussions of Israeli war measures in the Occupied Territories
and
4. the economic situation in the Occupied Territories during the war and future
prospects.
The discussion which followed the presentations was motivated by an academic orientation combining both a critical self examination as well as on objective assessment of the developments taking place in the region and in the Occupied Territories. At the end of the meeting, it was agreed that the presentations should be expanded into articles and that others who participated in the discussion be encouraged to contribute their own articles.
The compilation of articles presented here is the product of the two February
meetings held at PASSIA which were moderated by Dr. Bernard Sabella who also
undertook the task of editing the papers. It is to be hoped that this compilation
will generate wider discussion among various segments of Palestinian society.
Most of the articles were completed by mid-March. It was decided to print them
as originally submitted in spite of the quickening pace of developments and
their possible effects on the assessments as first presented in these articles.
The article of Salim Tamari, "The Next Phase : Problems of Transition", addresses the concrete realities in the Occupied Territories and suggests means of adaptation to the transitional nature of the present situation. Dr. George Giacaman in "What Next for the Palestinians ?" focuses on the Palestinian situation within its regional and international contexts. His analysis bears some optimism while still considering the obstacles and complications of the post-war era. Samir Hulaileh, an economist, provides both figures and forecasts in his article : "The Gulf Crisis and the Palestinian Economy : New Tasks and Challenges". Hulaileh's assessment reflects the restrictions and constraints likely to affect the healthy economic activity of Palestinians as a result of the Gulf War and of Israeli measures and policies in the economic realm.
Ibrahim Shaban, with a law background, focuses on "The Legal Dimension : The Impact of the Gulf Crisis on the Palestinian Cause". Shaban stresses the need for a standard interpretation and application of international law and for a uniform implementation of UN resolutions to all conflicts of similar nature. Dr. Helga Baumgarten's "The PLO's Political Program and the Gulf Crisis", elects to review the mediation efforts of the PLO to peacefully end the Gulf crisis. She argues that in spite of pressures, the PLO should adhere to its political program, especially as adopted in November 1988 by the PNC in Algiers. Dr. Bernard Sabella assesses the positions of key players in the Arab-Israeli conflict and how these influence Palestinians and their positions. His article, Post-Gulf War Prospects : Assessing the Positions", stresses the importance of placing Palestinian decision-making within regional and international contexts and their realities. Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi contributes an article on "Post Gulf-War Assessment: Palestinian perspective". As he expands on the history of the positions taken by key actors in Middle Eastern politics, he shows how the Gulf War has affected these positions as they apply in particular to the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Palestine Question. He concludes with a thorough examination of the Palestinian position, both inside and outside the Occupied Territories and suggests means to maintain the strength and unity of Palestinian society and politics.
PASSIA hopes that the efforts presented here will encourage new and continuous ones that will ensure progressive evaluation of the ever changing scene in the region. Palestinian academic and intellectuals have the tools and experience to address complicated and thorny issues of vital interest to the Palestinian people and to the region at large. It is our hope at PASSIA that our colleagues at universities and cultural institutions will show continued interest and be willing to participate in future undertakings of similar intellectual nature. This is in the hope that the practical results of such undertakings will benefit Palestinian people and society.
Authors
Mahdi Abdul Hadi is the founder and president of the Palestinian Academic Society
for the Study of International Affairs (PASSIA) in Jerusalem. He has a law degree
from Damascus University and Ph.D. in Political Science from the School of Peace
Studies at Bradford University in Britain. Besides a public career in and out
of the Occupied Territories, Dr. Abdul Hadi has several publications among which
are The Palestine Question and Peaceful Solutions, 1934-1974, Israeli Settlements
in occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank 1967-1977 and Evolution of the Arab
Flag.
Helga Baumgarten, is a research fellow at the German Orient Institute in Hamburg. She holds a Ph.D. degree in Political Science from the Free University of Berlin. She previously taught at AUB, Gottingen University and at the Free University of Berlin. Her current research interests focus, among other topics, on modern Palestinian history and politics. A forthcoming book of Dr. Baumgarten, Palestina: Befreiung in den Staat, will appear in 1991 by Edition Suhrkamp of Frankfurt with English and Arabic translations.
George Giacaman is an associate
professor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Studies
at Bir Zeit University. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Philosophy from the State
University of New York at Buffalo. Dr. Giacaman specializes in Anglo-American
philosophy and medieval Islamic philosophy. He has published several studies
in these two areas as well as being a frequent contributor to local newspaper
on issues of public interest. His publications include: Miller and James on
Analysis and Determinism, which appeared in the Journal of the History of Philosophy
in 1978 and Tradition and Innovation: Two Muslim Views of Causal Relations,
which appeared in Philosophie et Culture in 1986. He is currently working on
a study of democracy
and tolerance.
Samir Othman Hulaileh is an economist who serves as a consultant to the Welfare Association of Geneva and as a member of the board of the Economic Development Group (EDG) in Jerusalem. He holds a B.A. degree in Sociology from Bir Zeit University and an M.A. degree in the social and economic history of Palestine from the American University of Beirut.
Bernard Sabella is an assistant professor in the department of Social Sciences at Bethlehem University and a member of the board of PASSIA in Jerusalem. He received his Ph.D. degree in Sociology from the University of Virginia. His scholarly interests Care in the field of Palestinian demography and society. Among his publications are An Introduction to Sociology textbook in Arabic (1983) and Christian Emigration: A Comparison of the Jerusalem, Ramallah and Bethlehem Areas (1991).
Ibrahim Shaban is a lecturer of law in the Department of Political Science at Najah National University in Nablus. He earned his B.A. law degree from Damascus University and his M.A. law degree from Cairo University. He is an active member of the Lawyers Union where he headed its research center. He contributes frequently to the local press on contemporary legal issues and is active in research. Among his publications is The Palestinian Intifada in Its First Year which appeared in 1989.
Salim Tamari 1 is an associate
professor in the department of Sociology and Anthropology at Bir Zeit University.
He holds a Ph.D. degree in Sociology from Manchester University in Britain.
Dr. Tamari has made a number of studies on Palestinian Society and is a frequent
contributor to scholarly journals specializing on the Middle East. His publications
include The Revolt of the Petit Bourgeoisie: Urban Merchants and the Palestinian
Uprising (1990)
And Eyeless in Judea: Israel's Strategy of Collaborators and Forgeries (1990).
He is the editor of Afaq Filistiniyah: The Research Periodical of Bir Zeit University.