A Unified Competitive Palestinian Strategy

Abstract

Palestinians need a strategy that will lift them out of their seemingly unending dilemma of prolonged Israeli settler-colonial occupation. Palestinian strategy needs to be re-positioned, to be part of a published strategic vision for a lasting solution that needs a national consensus on the requirements.

The Palestinian struggle to achieve a viable independent state can be attained by engaging in a contest of credibility generating a long term sustainable advantage responding to the opportunities and threats, to achieve our objectives through capturing international political signals; or as Edward Said described it “Capturing the Imagination of the world”.

The purpose of strategy is to gain some form of advantage; to maintain or protect assets or interests. Strategy is about gaining or maintaining an advantage or denying an advantage to the Israeli Occupation.

To set a strategy, one usually employs past experience tactics whereby future probabilities, gains and losses are approximated in a given situation (game theory). A strategy is not routinely changeable or is quickly reversible. Nevertheless, a strategy must not stand still in the face major international events. On the contrary, a solid strategy must be capable of responding to changing events[1] in a manner whereby tactical threats could be turned into gains or opportunities. It is also necessary that a strategy ought to be, when formulated, based upon the strengths whist remaining mindful of weaknesses in order for it to deal with arising threats or challenges.

For over two decades, since the signing of the Oslo Accords between the Palestinian Liberation Organization and Israel,  the Israeli military occupation, land confiscation and destruction, expansion of settlements, denial of Palestinian right to self-determination and control over natural resources remain in place.

Israel continues with its settler-colonial project undeterred by the Palestinian resistance or the condemnation of most countries in the world. That has undermined the so-called “Peace process” and its ultimate objective of a two-state solution, leaving the Palestinians with a prospect of prolonged occupation, which leaves them helpless and hopeless.