Impungushe endala yaphinde yaphunyuka ku-hencoop. Cishe amasonto amabili, u-Yasser Arafat usezulazule emigwaqweni eyonakele yaseWest Bank sengathi uyinqobile impi yenkululeko yasePalestine. Kwaba sengathi kudala, uSharon emcindezela, maqede amdedele. Inkosi uHussein yaseJordan yamdedela naye, ngemuva kokuchoboza ama-commandos akhe nokuqhumisa ngebhomu amakamu akhe ababaleki ngo-Black September ngo-1970. U-Arafat wabalekela eLebanon, lapho adubula khona kwaze kwaba yilapho ibutho likaSharon liguqa ugu ngo-1982. Ngemva kokubulala izinkulungwane zabantu basePalestine. kanye neLebanese, uSharoni wavimbezela ixhegu eBeirut. Uthe ngokuhamba kwesikhathi wayefuna ukumbulala, kodwa wamyeka waphuma ejabule ecula umculo weKalashnikovs eqhulula izingoma zokunqoba. Ngemuva kwalokho uMongameli u-Assad waseSyria, omkhulu kunabo bonke kwabazonda ama-Arafat, wabulala amaLebhanon namaPalestine eTripoli ukuze amthole, kodwa ngomzuzu wokugcina wamvumela ukuba agibele i-Odysseus Elytis.
Ukudingiswa kuka-Arafat ngemva kokuya eLebanon, eTunis, bekukude kakhulu ukuthi iKatyushas yakhe ishaye iGalile, kodwa kusondele ngokwanele ukuthi umbutho wezempi wakwa-Israel ungaqhumisa amabhomu kanye nethimba lawo elibulalayo ukuze abulale abeluleki bakhe abakhulu. Kodwa ngo-1994, u-Arafat wayeseZweni Elingcwele, ehola iziphathimandla lapho ama-Israel akhululekile ayezilungiselela uhlobo oluthile lombuso. Kwathi ngonyaka odlule, uSharon waba undunankulu, kwathi ezinyangeni ezinhlanu ezedlule u-Arafat wavalelwa eRamallah. USharon wamemezela ukuthi u-Arafat akabalulekile, futhi ibutho lakhe lacekela phansi ingqalasizinda eyakhiwe eWest Bank kusukela ngo-1994. Kwase kuphelile futhi ku-Arafat.
Okulandelayo, u-Arafat wayesekhululekile futhi, uHarry Houdini wasePalestine. 'Lapho ngibona ukubhujiswa okwengeziwe,' ekhala, 'ngiya ngiqina.' Abantu, ababemhluphekele nangenxa yokwahlulela kwakhe okubi, bamshayele ihlombe esibhedlela iSheikh Zayd, lapho belapha amakhulu abantu abalimele, nasemathuneni. Kodwa akazange aye ekamu lababaleki likaJenin. Wayengazizwa ephephile, ngoba ekamu kwakunabantu ayebadayise.
U-Arafat wayephumile ngoba wayesenze isivumelwano. Wake wenza amadili ngaphambilini. Omunye, owagunyazwa uMongameli uNasser waseGibhithe kanye neNkosi uHussein ngo-1970, wamcela ukuba asuse amabutho akhe e-Amman, okwenza inkosi ikwazi ukuwaqothula emahlathini ase-Ajloun ehlobo elilandelayo. Enye, eyaqinisekiswa yi-US ngo-1982, yaphoqa uSharon ukuthi angahlali entshonalanga ne-Beirut futhi aqhelelane nababaleki basePalestine abangavikelekile abangama-250,000 uma u-Arafat ehamba ngokuthula. USharon wathatha isigejane sabashisekeli bobuKristu baseLebhanon waya ekamu leSabra neShatila ukuze babulale abangenacala.
Bekuyini ukuthengiselana ngalesi sikhathi? Kubonakala sengathi abaxoxisana baseMelika bayamukele inkululeko ka-Arafat eyingxenye yokuyeka uphenyo lwe-UN mayelana nokufa kwabantu eJenin. I-Arafat eyodwa ephilayo yenqwaba yabantu basePalestine abafile. Ukusindisa uSharon kanye nabangaphansi kwakhe ebufakazini ecaleni labo lamacala empi kwakungenele. U-Arafat ubeke abathembekile bakhe abayisithupha, abasolwa ngokubulala ungqongqoshe wakwa-Israel, esitokisini sase-Anglo-American eJeriko. Lesi sivumelwano senza abaseBrithani nabaseMelika babambisane noSharon ekuthatheni ngokungemthetho iWest Bank neGaza. Khona-ke u-Arafat wavumela uSharon ukuba athumele amaPalestina ayebekezelele ukuvinjezelwa kweBhetlehema ekudingisweni. U-Arafat yena uselungele enye inkontileka. Ubonakala ekholelwa, njengoba kwenza uMengameli wase-Egypt uSadat, ukuthi i-US izomnika umhlaba awufunayo. USadat wayenebutho u-Israyeli ayelesaba; U-Arafat akakwenzi.
U-TE Lawrence wabhala ngokuvukela kwama-Arab ka-1918 ngokumelene nokubusa kwe-Ottoman: 'Ngangishumayele kuFeisal kusukela ekuqaleni ukuthi inkululeko yathathwa, ayinikezwa.' Umuntu kufanele ashumayele lokho ku-Arafat. Akafundanga lutho ngokwethemba uBill Clinton, indoda yase-Arkansas flim-flam? Iminyaka eyisikhombisa ngemuva kwesivumelwano sase-Oslo sika-1993, u-Arafat wazehlisa. Ubophe amaPalestine yena noma u-Israel ayebasola ngokungahambisani nokuthathwa kwezempi. Wamukele njengezivakashi ezihlonishwayo ama-Israyeli ayekhuthaze ukwakhiwa kwezindawo zokuhlala ezintsha kanye nokugcina amasosha ukuze azivikele, ngaphakathi kwemingcele yesifunda ayefisa ukusibusa. Kumele ukuthi wabona ukuthi inani labantu abahlala kuleli liphindeka kabili ngaphansi kokuphatha kwakhe lafika ku-400,000. Iminyaka eyisikhombisa, kwaze kwaba yilapho abasePalestine bevukela ukuphikiswa kanye nezivumelwano zase-Oslo, waziphatha 'njengeNdiya elilungile' kumaMelika nama-Israel.
Ngenkathi u-Israel enikeza u-Arafat umsebenzi wamaphoyisa kanye nokuqoqa udoti kulokho okwakubizwa ngokuthi 'izindawo ezi-A' zezivumelwano, Umbutho Wezokuvikela wakwa-Israeli wabeka izimpawu ngesiHebheru eminyangweni ebiyelwe yase-Arafatland. Bazise ama-Israel ohambweni lokuyothenga eRamallah ukuthi amaphoyisa asePalestine angeke akwazi ukubabopha. Uma kunengxabano, kwakufanele bashayele i-IDF. Ezindaweni ze-B, lapho amaPalestina eqoqa udoti futhi amaphoyisa akwa-Israyeli, kanye nezindawo ze-C, lapho ama-Israyeli enza khona yomibili imisebenzi, abavakashi bakwa-Israyeli kwakungadingeki bakhathazeke. Ama-Israel angabopha amaPalestine ezindaweni A, B kanye no-C. Amaphoyisa angenamandla ka-Arafat agcina umyalelo lapho abangaphansi kwakhe bethatha ingxenye yomuntu siqu kumgcinimafa womphakathi.
U-Arafat, owayengakwazi futhi eyingozi kubantu basePalestine ngaphansi kombuso wakhe wesikhashana eJordani naseLebanon, wayenezicucu. Wayenesibindi. Walwa. Wafaka ukuphila kwakhe engozini njalo nje lapho efaka ukuphila kwabo engozini. Waphephezelisa ifulegi lasePalestine ngesikhathi umhlaba wonke uhlangana enganekwaneni, ngamazwi kamufi uGolda Meir, ukuthi abekho abantu basePalestine. Wahola inhlangano kazwelonke eyasiza ekuhlanganiseni nasekudaleni isizwe, uma kungesona isimo. Abantu baseLydda naseGaza, eRamallah naseJeriko, ekamu lababaleki lase-Ain el-Helwe eLebanon kanye nekamu laseBaka eJordani, abantu abanama-passport akwa-Israel, Jordan, Syria, ngisho naseMelika, abantu abanamaphepha omazisi angenamsebenzi e-UN, abantu abasebenzayo. kanye nasekudingisweni โ bonke babumbene ngaphansi kwegama elithi Palestine ngesikhathi sika-Arafat njengosihlalo weNhlangano Yenkululeko YasePalestine. Impi yakhe yabashokobezi yabhuntsha. Isu lakhe lezokuxhumana lokubambisana namandla amakhulu - okokuqala iSoviet Union, kwase kuba yi-US kanye ne-Israel - lehluleka. Nokho wasinda. Wavumela amaPalestine emakamu ababaleki, emajele, emanyuvesi, ezindaweni eziyinkulungwane zokuhlakazwa kwabo nangaphansi kombuso wakwa-Israel ukuthi baphuphe.
Uma bengasaphuphi ngePalestine okungekho amaZayoni ake afika azowaxosha njengoba kwenza ogogo nomkhulu babo, bangacabanga ngezwe lapho nabo benezwe, ipasipoti, ifulegi, iculo, ilungelo. ukuhamba njengawo wonke umuntu, ukuyosebenza ezweni lakubo, ukuthenga umuzi, ukwakha ibhizinisi, ukufundisa izingane zabo umlando wazo futhi uphathwe njengabalingani bakwa-Israel abaxosha kanye nama-Arab angazange wabamukela. Okuningi kwalokho ukwamukela iphupho elincane kwaba ukwenza kwakhe.
Iminyaka eyisikhombisa, u-Arafat wayeyiPรฉtain yasePalestine. Izinqubomgomo zodlame zikaSharon zamguqula isikhashana waba u-De Gaulle. Abantu basePalestine eRamallah bajabulele indoda emele ukuqhuma kwamabhomu kwa-Israel. Ngemva kwesonto, ababaleki baseJenin bathethisa indoda eyayibopha abaphikisi, yahlukumeza abaphikisi, yavikela izindawo zokuhlala futhi yavumela izikhulu zayo u-carte blanche ukuthi zebe. Iyiphi i-Arafat ezovela manje? Pรฉtain, u-Israyeli angabambisana naye, noma uDe Gaulle, abantu bakhe abazomlandela? 'La France a perdu une bataille,' ujenene omkhulu watshela abantu bakubo ngo-1940, 'mais la France n'a pas perdu la guerre.' U-Arafat wayinqoba impi kodwa abantu bakhe bayahlulwa empini.
UCharles Glass ubekwa-Israel kanye nezindawo ezihlalwa abantu ecwaninga ama-Death's Pale Flags, okuwuchungechunge lwencwadi yakhe yango-1990, ethi, Tribes With Flags. Wayeyintatheli ye-ABC News eMiddle East kusukela ngo-1983 kuya ku-1993
(c) UCharles Glass 2002
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