WHERE ARE WE IN THE STRUGGLE FOR PALESTINIAN RIGHTS? SUMMONING POWER THROUGH A STRATEGY OF SMART POWER
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. Core Premise: A Watershed Moment
This paper argues that the Palestinian liberation struggle has reached a "watershed moment" where the Zionist settler-colonial project is entering its final phases: pacification and normalization. It warns that without an effective “Smart Power” strategy, the Palestinians risk permanent dispossession and the "closure" of their struggle by the international community. It goes on to explore how the Palestinians can “summon the power” to carry out the five tasks of liberation: 1. The right of Palestinian self-determination in a liberated Palestine; 2. The right of return; 3. The right to resist Zionist colonization until the collapse of the Zionist regime; 4. Decolonizing Palestine; and 5. Constructing a post-colonial state and society. On the way it proposes a number of operational priorities.
2. Accurate Diagnosis: Settler Colonialism vs. "Conflict"
The paper begins by stressing the importance of reframing what even Palestinians call a “conflict” to what it actually is: an anti-colonial struggle. This paradigm shift is critical for formulating an effective strategy of liberation.
3. A "Smart Power" Strategy
To counter Israeli Hard Power (military, political and economic coercion), the paper proposes a Palestinian Smart Power strategy that emphasizes its increasing monopoly over Soft Power. A mapping of Palestinian power and leverage versus Israeli vulnerabilities reveals how an operation strategy pitting maximum Palestinian impact multipliers (MaxIMs) against maximum Israeli vulnerabilities (MaxIVs) could cause the systemic collapse of the Zionist regime.
4. Pinpointing Deficiencies and Potentials in the Palestinians’ Deployment of Power
The paper then assesses the Palestinians current deployment of leverage by means of the "Trident" Model of strategic planning, which arrays MaxIMs according to three “prongs”: a defensive prong of grassroots resistance (sumud); an offensive prong comprised of strategic attacks designed to cause the systemic collapse of the Zionist regime; and a prefigurative prong that articulates a clear vision and plan for a post-colonial future, without which the operational offensive prong loses its direction and purpose.
5. A Lack of “Tier 2” Leadership and Organization
The Trident Model reveals a debilitating lack of “Tier 2” Palestinian organization and leadership, that which is able to mount a level of strategic resistance and political engagement capable of conducting a successful liberation struggle, and proposes ways in which that may be addressed, primarily by currying existing “Tier 1” (but potential Tier 2) grassroots leadership
6. The Need for a Political Program Based on Thawabet That Leads to a Just and Inclusive Post-Colonial Future
The offensive prong summons liberatory power by strategically deploying MaxIMs against MaxIVs. But that alone is inadequate for achieving the Palestinians’ goals. This paper examines the outlines of a political program that addresses the complex relationship among thawabet, decolonization and the establishment of a just and inclusive post-colonial polity and society. It suggests that only a unitary democratic state is capable of doing so.
7.Strengthening “The Political”
Finally, the paper points to a debilitating lack of specifically political agencies among the many others (activist groups, human rights organizations and think tanks, as well as armed militias and dysfunctional government bodies and parties) comprising the Palestinian movement.
Conclusion
Although the hour is late, the paper concludes that Palestinians possess the leverage to achieve liberation but must urgently translate that potential into actual power through a program-driven, strategically coordinated liberation movement.
Key Operational Priorities
The paper identifies ten “operational priorities” that would enable the Palestinian movement to “summon power” in the short term, among them:
Reframing the Narrative:Promoting the settler-colonial framework to move from "security/terrorism" discourse to one of "decolonization/rights" Combating Normalization:Launching a global campaign against "Normalizing Israeli Apartheid" Developing "Tier 2" Leadership:Moving beyond reactive, localized "Tier 1" resistance to a national, strategic leadership (similar to the original PLO) Establishing a Palestinian Coordinating Committee (PCC):A hub for networking and strategizing that bypasses the "dysfunctional" Palestinian Authority (PA) National Dialogue Over a Political Program:Initiating a participatory dialogue involving all segments of the Palestinian people to formulate a broad consensus around the outlines of a political program, specifically exploring One Democratic State (ODS)
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