From the detour into conflict resolution to the choice the whole argument converges on.
Resistance to Occupation & the Detour into Conflict Resolution
After 1967, resistance entered a new phase — but also a dangerous detour. The shift from anti-colonial liberation to conflict resolution frameworks depoliticised the colonial reality.
– Rise of the PLO; Palestinian independence declared in 1988 – Oslo Accords (1993): a fundamental shift from liberation to conflict management – The Palestinian Authority became collaborationist — a source of paralysis rather than liberation
Summoning Liberatory Power
Halper's strategic proposal: abandon the conflict-resolution frame entirely. Return to the original anti-colonial framing — with a unified political programme, rebuilt institutions, and mobilised international solidarity.
– Revitalise Palestinian political parties; develop a unified liberation programme – Stop normalisation — assert Palestinian rights before any regional integration of Israel – Mobilise international allies behind Palestinian leadership and programme – Goal: decolonisation of historic Palestine and a just post-colonial polity for all
Liberation, or managed apartheid?
Will Palestinian political agency be rebuilt — or will the world accept a permanent managed apartheid as good enough?
Liberation & post-colonial polity. Return to anti-colonial struggle — with a unified political programme, rebuilt Palestinian institutions, and mobilised international solidarity. The goal is not a two-state solution within the colonial frame, but decolonisation of historic Palestine. This means: revitalising Palestinian political parties and developing a unified liberation programme; stopping normalisation and asserting Palestinian rights before any regional integration of Israel; mobilising international allies behind Palestinian leadership; and constructing a just and inclusive post-colonial polity for everyone in historic Palestine.
Managed apartheid — the "good enough" solution. A permanent managed apartheid the world gradually accepts. The Palestinian Authority as a collaborationist buffer. Gulf normalisation making dispossession invisible. The Palestinian issue frozen indefinitely. Apartheid becomes institutionalised and normalised internationally; the Palestinian Authority prevents both liberation and confrontation; Gulf and regional normalisation makes dispossession invisible. This is not stable — but it can persist for generations if Palestinian agency is not rebuilt.