Almost one year after Ariel Sharon’s controversial visit to Al Aqsa Mosque, the Al Aqsa Intifada and the Israeli military campaign against the Palestinian people seems to be over. Neither side can claim victory, as the tragedy in America and the consequent US pressures seems to have relieved either side from saying uncle first. As the Gulf War put an end to the first initfada, the terrorist attack in New York and Washington, and the expected US retaliation within an international coalition, seems to be the key trigger for the end of the Second Intifada.

I have deliberately used the word "seems to" three times in the opening paragraph because this prediction on my part is very iffy. It is possible that I can be wrong, but I pray to God that I am not.

Initially it is crucial to point out that the loss of life, any life is tragic. Humankind is not put on this earth to act like animals. We are created in God’s image and are expected to honor the most basic of the heavenly commands:" thou shall not kill." But despite this holy command, human life and dignity has proven to be very cheap in what is called the Holy Land.

Obviously I should stop talking like a preacher’s son and start talking in pragmatic terms. What have been the lessons of the past year.

If my prediction proves to be correct, it is natural to inquire what were the lessons of the past year? Was the loss of life worth it? And can we be sure that this kind of violent cycle doesn’t happen again or will we find ourselves writing about yet another intifada.

First, it has been proven beyond anyone’s doubt that the solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will not be reached by force, siege and violence but through negotiations. But despite this obvious fact, some might argue that the violence was perhaps necessary to convince peoples and leaders the grave necessity of a negotiated peace to this conflict. Having seen the opposite will hopefully be the best argument for peace.

Secondly, it is now more obvious than ever before what the price for peace is. Both sides know what the red lines of the other. Accepting this simple reality and acting on it is best for all sides. Neither negotiations under US pressure nor assassinations and siege have lessened Palestinian resolve, nor has resistance, suicide bombings or political pressure have affected Israeli resolve. One year later there are no winners and plenty of carnage and lost lives.

Thirdly, neither side is going to disappear and there is no way around from our two people finding a way to live side by side peacefully.

Fourthly, it is clear that occupation and all that comes with it can’t be a permanent state of affairs. Colonial settlements have also proven to have been a terrible political calculation. Time has not made them legitimate and their presence has certainly confirmed the American description to them. "An obstacle to peace."

Fifth, while neither side has been able to impose their will on the other, it is clear that both sides have the ability to act as the spoiler of any deal that is not meeting their people’s minimum needs.

While the above might seem logical to any sensible person, the arrogance of power and the attachment to inflexible positions might not be overcome so easily. Even if Al Aqsa intifada is over, this is no guarantee that politicians will learn all these lessons and put aside their demands. If ever people power is needed it is now. Those of us on both sides who have felt the pains of occupation, resistance, individual and state terror must not allow the violent cycle to return.

If Al Aqsa Intifada does prove to have ended as a result of the terror attacks in America, what is needed is a guarantee that we will not go back to the policies of violence and counter violence. If there ever was a need for a genuine peace based on fairness and justice it is now. Future generations will not forgive both our peoples if we allow this opportunity to slip by.

Jerusalem-AMIN– There was little time wasted between the announcement of the bombings in America and the focus of world attention on Palestinians and Israelis. The speedy and unambiguous denouncement by top Palestinian leaders including President Arafat to the terrorism in America did little to shift attention and blame away from the Middle East. The Israelis lined up their officials and experts ready to provide a hungry American TV audience with clear conclusions, immediately linking the bombings to this region and giving advice to Americans how they should deal with this problem. The Israelis tried to solicit as much sympathy for their plight, prejudging the motives and linking themselves with the Americans as partners in the fight against "Islamic terror."

Undoubtedly, the Middle East conflict had for months been begging for world attention. Few ever expected or dreamed that it will happen in this manner. The Arab region had been gradually escalating its anti-American feelings. George W. Bush’s clear bias to Israel was very troubling to Arabs who had been expecting him to be more evenhanded than his predecessor. His reception in the White House to the right wing Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon while shunning Palestine’s Yasser Arafat was the beginning of a situation that would quickly poison the attitude of Arabs towards America. This at the same time that Arab satellite TV stations was broadcasting daily footage showing Palestinians being humiliated by Israeli soldiers. The world silence was causing an unprecedented level of frustration and helplessness.

This anti-American feeling became more obvious once the Bush administration started vocally defending the Israeli actions. The "understanding" that US Vice President Dick Chaney expressed for what he called Israel’s defensive needs to assassinate Palestinian leaders was widely played up in the Arab media. This feeling only increased once the Israelis assassinated one of the most senior PLO officials, Abu Ali Mustafa, the general secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Although this is a secular PLO faction, his killing unified Islamic and nationalist forces in Palestine.

The frustrations of the Arab peoples with America reached unprecedented heights when the US delegation so brazenly and publicly sided with Israel before and during the UN’s anti-racism conference in Durban South Africa. The fact that the US was unwilling to accept what the world had seen in clear discrimination by Israel towards Palestinians, widened the rift with America and increased Islamic and third world support for Palestinians.

Throughout the past year and as the frustration of Arabs and Muslim peoples was rising, governments in the region were seen as being completely helpless in defending Palestinians or in pressing the US to take a more balance approach. The gap between the people and governments kept on widening. This schism showed up clearly when the US was attacked on 11 September.

Every single Arab and Muslim governmental leader of import lined up in front of world TVs denouncing the terrorist attacks against New York and Washington. But ordinary peoples who are not bound by diplomacy or government interests had little reason to pretend that they were unhappy with seeing America and Americans getting their noses rubbed in the dirt.

Although there were isolated cases of Palestinians publicly celebrating the attacks on America, these reactions were captured by some television cameras and broadcast all over the world. This was not helpful to the Palestinian efforts to shed the "terrorism" label, which had been pinned on them in the 70s and 80s. But for some of the Palestinians living through the 11th month of a crippling Israeli military siege of their towns and villages, PR was not an issue they cared much about. Other public displays in solidarity with Americans including the giving of blood and putting flowers near the US consulate in Jerusalem didn’t receive much attention.

For most Palestinians, while the images on television were riveting, few had any idea who is behind this attack. Most hoped it would not be Palestinian for fear of a brutal US revenge and a further set back in the hops for peace. The name of Osama Ben Ladn was foreign to most Palestinians. He certainly is not seen any kind of folk hero or a savior that people have any faith in. His photos has never been lifted in demonstrations and he has never been mentioned in statements of the various Palestinian organizations including the radical Islamic ones like Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Palestinian organizations were very quick in denying responsibility to the attack against America. Statements varied from those trying to indicate that the US should not have been surprised that oppressed peoples would be silent for ever to those that were unequivocal in their denouncing of the attacks.

The images of some Palestinians in the West Bank town of Nablus and in Lebanese refugee camps celebrating the American demise was troubling to Palestinian leaders. In some cases it was reported that Palestinian police used force to stop Palestinians from publicly showing signs of support. One Palestinian journalists reported that scores of international television crews were seen searching the streets of the Palestinian city of Bethlehem hoping to find public displays of happiness in order to record it.

Naturally the question on the minds of the people of the Middle East is simply how will these incidents affect their lives. Will the Middle East be punished directly or indirectly in revenge to these attacks? Will it increase US isolationist tendencies? Will it further increase US bias towards Israel in response to the Israeli calls to Americans that we "are partners in the fight against terrorism."

Deeper questions also prevailed, what about the larger issue of suicide attacks. Will religious leaders condemn or support it. Will the sanctioning of suicide attacks against Israelis be differentiated from an attack against American targets? Did those who planned and executed the attacks on New York and Washington receive encouragement from the Islamic suicide attacks against Israeli?

On the long term even more questions are being posed. Will the US think of any response other than a military one? Despite its anger will it consider the possibility that its foreign policies might have contributed to the poisoned anti American atmosphere that encouraged people to commit such actions that also included the sacrifice of their own lives?

The issue of the US trying to establish a broad coalition against terrorism also received attention after countries like Egypt, Saudia Arabia, Jordan and Pakistan were included in resident Bush’s initial phone calls. Some commentators suggested that these countries must request a more forceful and honest US approach to solving the Palestinian conflict as a prerequisite for these countries joining the US in its efforts. Still others even went to the call for a suspension of the initfada as a good will gesture to the world’s efforts to fight terrorism.

The bombings of New York and Washington will forever change the make up of US domestic and foreign policy. People living in the Middle East will be watching closely whether these changes will make their lives better or worse. While the consensus is that in the short term the situation looks bleak for Palestinians, some hope that in the long term this forced attention to the Middle East will bring in positive results in relieving Palestinians from a decades long military occupation.

My personal assistant Jumana was in tears. Her husband Nadim has been pressing her to quit her job and try with us in Ramallah and apply for another job in Jerusalem. The reason is simple. Her daily trip from Jerusalem’s Beit Hanina neighborhood to Ramallah and back has become a nightmare. She was upset because she didn’t want to leave a job she liked with colleagues and friends just because of the Israeli check post. But she knew deep inside that her husband was right. The difficulty of movement for Palestinians has become unbearable and there are no signs that it will get better.

Mary Habash has the reverse problem. She has a good paying job as executive secretary in a international agency in Jerusalem. But her daily trip from the Ramallah district of Bir Zeit to Jerusalem and back has also become unbearable. If she finds a job in Ramallah, it might mean losing as much as half her salary.

Joseph Handal also has a great job working as a cameraman for French Television. His daily trip to Jerusalem has also become a nightmare. He has no plans of quitting his job but the daily problems at the checkpost seem to have no end. The fact that he and other Palestinian journalists, working for reputable western media organs are accredited by the Israeli government press office, mean little to Israeli soldiers, apparently with new orders banning even professional journalists from the free movement guaranteed by international treaties and accepted norms.

The seemingly upturn in harassment against Palestinian professionals is just the latest result of a general policy of discrimination against Palestinians. The reality of the 11-month Al Aqsa intifada has certainly eliminated one favorite Israeli justification- security. Despite the many levels of closures and restrictions of movement, Palestinians wishing to enter Jerusalem and Israel have had little trouble. So the policy of closure and restrictions of movement simply effect those who by Israel’s own admission are the kind of people who are not involved in acts of violence, suicide bombings etc.

Major changes are happening every day to the road system in and around Jerusalem. The multi layered check posts are supported by an Israeli policy of closing every side road in the Palestinian neighborhoods. This policy is making the dual road policy much clearer. Israelis have their own well paved, well lit and well protected roads and

Palestinians have their own single pot filled road with numerous checkpoints on the road. And for those Palestinians who wish to use the Israeli roads A dual military and settler vigilante terror campaign is being enforced. Until recently this discriminatory policy applied to Wrest Bank and Gaza Palestinians. By Israeli military decree these Palestinians are not allowed to enter Jerusalem or Israel without permission. Practically no permissions are being given these days. Even Palestinians with permission have for years been banned to use their cars and since 1967 Palestinians have not been allowed to sleep or purchase property in Jerusalem or Israel. The latest policy affects Palestinians from East Jerusalem who Israel considers Israelis residents (but not citizens). A Palestinians from Jerusalem can not go see his relatives in the West Bank unless he or she can show utility bills proving that he/she lives in say Ramallah or Bethlehem.

There is no doubt that the basic source of all these policies is the overall Israeli government’s continued policy of occupation and exclusive Jewish settlement activity. For years Palestinians have been complaining about this discriminatory policy but with little attention. The UN conference on racism seems to have given attention to some of these issues of discrimination that are based solely on Palestinian’s national origin. The US and Israel seem more intent on de-legitimizing this international messenger rather than dealing with the message. If the message of the

Durban conference is that all human beings are equal, hen it is high time that policies of discrimination and racism clearly practiced on the ground, on the roads and in all aspects of the lives of Palestinians come to and end. The sooner this happens the sooner that Palestinians and Israelis can live in freedom and tranquility