Why has there been no 'Palestinian spring'? One word: Oslo

The 1993 accords turned the Palestinian struggle from one of resisting Israeli colonialism into occupation management

Ben White
guardian.co.uk, Monday 11 June 2012

"Ever since the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt began a regional earthquake 18 months ago, commentators have wondered about the absence of a "Palestinian spring". Attempting to explain this is useful, since it also helps to shed light on key problems with the now-comatose peace process.

To some extent, the question "Why no Palestinian spring?" can be answered with one word: Oslo. The Oslo accords, signed in 1993, established a paradigm where the Palestinian struggle for return and decolonisation was turned into a facade of sovereignty, piecemeal concessions and occupation management......

In Amnesty International's most recent global human rights report, both the PA and Hamas are criticised for mistreating detainees and restricting freedom of expression. Low tolerance for dissent in the media or in public demonstrations has been one example of the human rights violations that the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights says are "motivated by the ongoing state of political division, apparently as mutual reactions by each side towards the other one".
Add to this the lack of a political programme representing Palestinian national aspirations, as well as the leadership vacuum brought about by the Fatah-Hamas conflict, and it's no wonder that mobilisation is a tough challenge.

But that's not to say it isn't happening. Palestinians are mobilised but their mobilisation is decentralised and disparate – the energy is there but not in a way that may be immediately apparent. Multiple strands of activism are at play, some of which are aimed at directly, or indirectly, challenging the obstacles to resisting Israeli colonialism.

Until now, mass Palestinian action in the occupied territories is inhibited by a number of factors. But that's not say things are standing still – and as we know from both Palestinian history and more recent events in the region, things can change in an instant."