Linköpings universitet Institutionen för samhälls- och välfärdsstudier (ISV) Kandidatuppsats, 15 hp – Samhälls- och kulturanalys (SKA) ISRN: LiU-ISV/SKA-G--16/12--SE Under Occupation – Citizens of the West Bank and their experiences of Democracy and Freedom in Palestine Carl Hassellöf Supervisor: Peo Hansen Summary This thesis handles the subjects of freedom and democracy on the West Bank, Palestine. The analysis builds on discourse theory with focuses on the informants’ reality and experiences. In order to highlight the difficulties they face in their daily lives under occupation and oppression this thesis focuses on how they express themselves in regards to freedom and democracy. The study has been carried out through fieldwork and qualitative interviews undertaken to ascertain the people’s opinions and views on subjects of democracy and freedom. The analysis handles subjects of inequalities, how fellow citizens get divided geographically and based on opinions held, the reasons behind it; as well as the role played by the occupation of the Palestinian territories in the fight for democracy and freedom for the informants. Key Words Palestinian Authority Occupation Democracy Freedom Foreword This bachelor’s thesis is the final test for me during my three years at the programme of Social and Cultural Analysis at Linköping University. It has been a process in which I have felt happiness, anger, disappointment, where I have been anxious but also proud. I think it is of the utmost importance that the stories of the people I have interviewed get out there, into some kind of sphere where people will try to understand the complexity of this situation while wanting to learn more. Before you read my work I would like to thank the organization and people I spent four weeks with in Palestine, making this study possible for me to carry out. I want to thank you for the time you dedicated to this study, for making this possible. You have my utmost respect and gratitude. You know who you are. I also want to thank my supervisor Peo Hansen for his great ideas and support during the whole process of this thesis. I hope you will have learnt something after finishing these pages, I most definitely have. Thank you. Carl Hassellöf, Norrköping, May 2016 Innehåll INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 1 PURPOSE AND QUESTIONS ......................................................................................................... 2 BACKGROUND AND PREVIOUS RESEARCH .......................................................................... 2 METHOD ........................................................................................................................................... 6 FIELDWORK ......................................................................................................................................... 6 METHOD OF ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................................ 8 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS ................................................................................................................. 10 THEORY .......................................................................................................................................... 11 ANALYSIS ....................................................................................................................................... 14 POLITICS, DEMOCRACY AND THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY ......................................................... 14 THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY AND THE OCCUPATION ....................................................................... 14 THE WILL FOR CHANGE ...................................................................................................................... 19 THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AND THE QUESTION OF FREEDOM........................................................ 22 SAFETY AND FREEDOM ....................................................................................................................... 23 A DIVIDED AND DISPLACED PEOPLE ................................................................................................... 28 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................. 32 REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................................... 34 WEBSITES AND ARTICLES .................................................................................................................... 35 APPENDIX 1 ........................................................................................................................................ 35 APPENDIX 2 ........................................................................................................................................ 36 Introduction During four weeks at the beginning of 2016 I got the opportunity to travel to Palestine for an internship with a Palestinian organization, active in a refugee camp on the West Bank. An opportunity I could not resist and wanted to make the most of while there. Fairly quickly in my process of decision-making I decided to write my Bachelor’s thesis on the subject of Palestine, the only question was: where to begin? In the early stages of the work, my aim was to analyse the political situation in Palestine focusing on the ways the people I interviewed looked upon the concept of freedom and possibilities for democracy in Palestine. During the first interview and after a couple of days on the West Bank, I realized that it was impossible to talk about the notions of democracy and freedom within the Palestinian territories without looking at the role of the occupiers of the Palestinian territories. Palestine, with borders to Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Jordan, is located in an area of unrest with the immense presence of war and oppression. Over the years and decades that have passed since the establishment of the state of Israel, the various attempted solutions to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict have all seemingly fallen through. Armed attacks from both sides of the separation wall, set up by the Israelis to “protect” themselves from the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza strip, continue to leave victims in their wake. However, these tragic deaths are only one of the effects of this conflict: another is the increasing isolation and detachment of the Palestinians, on an interpersonal level, and from their government. The occupying state of Israel as well as the Palestinian Authority, established in the 1990’s, create a reality for the informants living on the West Bank in which they might find themselves restricted in terms of free speech and movement. The state of Israel has continued its military presence within the West Bank and also seized more land than allowed according to international law, thus leaving the Palestinians of the West Bank with less than they have been promised. What kind of power does the occupation leave for the Palestinian Authority that ought to work as a government for the Palestinian people? This thesis examines the different obstacles that the Palestinian people face daily, both physical and psychological. What happens to the prospects for Palestinian democracy while under occupation? The Palestinian peoples fight for freedom and democracy within a fractured society creates problems but also makes the weaknesses with the society perhaps more visible. 1 Purpose and Questions The overarching purpose of this thesis is to analyse the contemporary political situation in Palestine with theories of democracy and freedom. This as well as how different actors come to affect each other and what role these actors play in the current situation for the informants. The notions of positive and negative freedom will be central together with theories regarding the nation, the state and democracy and how these different categories affect each other in Palestine today. Positive freedom refers to a freedom where one’s freedom only is dependant on one’s own decisions and that you are the master of your own life and decisions. Negative freedom, on the other hand means that ones freedom is dependent on that someone gives you permission to do something that you otherwise would not be able to. 1 Questions: • How do the informants’ express their thoughts about the Palestinian Authority’s role under the Israeli occupation? • How do the informants talk about freedom? • How does the occupation affect the informants’ perception of freedom and their fight for democracy? Background and Previous Research In 1994, during the Oslo accords, the establishment of the Palestinian Authority (PA) took place. It was, at the time, meant to present “a milestone” for the Palestinian “struggle for national liberation” and was created by the West and Israel.2 This establishment was long seen as an attempt from the West and Israel to solve the conflict and thus move closer to the sought for two-state-solution that would mean one Palestinian state and Israel. The West Bank and Gaza strip are the two Palestinian territories that were supposed to be governed by the Palestinian Authority. Currently, the Palestinian people have been waiting for over ten years for new elections within the territories to elect a new president; meanwhile the Israelis have been establishing settlements all over the occupied