Reconstructing Jihad amid Competing International Norms PDF
Preview Reconstructing Jihad amid Competing International Norms
Reconstructing Jihad amid Competing International Norms Reconstructing Jihad amid Competing International Norms By Halim Rane RECONSTRUCTING JIHAD AMID COMPETING INTERNATIONAL NORMS Copyright © Halim Rane, 2009. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2009 978-0-230-61483-3 All rights reserved. First published in 2009 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN® in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-37856-2 ISBN 978-0-230-62098-8 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230620988 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the Library of Congress. A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Scribe Inc. First edition: May 2009 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To Nora, I’m here because of you. Contents List of Abbreviations ix Preface xi Introduction 1 Part I: The Israel-Palestine Conflict 1 Origin, Nature, and Progression of the Conflict 17 2 The United Nations Security Council Resolutions on the Question of Palestine: A Normative Framework for a Just Resolution 47 Part II: Theoretical Foundation 3 Constructivism and the Role of International Norms and Identity in Conflict Resolution 73 4 Contemporary Realities and the Imperative of a Nonviolent Intifada 105 Part III: Reformulation 5 The Islamic Doctrines of War and Peace 135 6 Putting Jihad into Context: Intent, Purpose, and Objectives 159 Conclusion 203 Notes 213 Glossary 217 References 221 Index 233 Abbreviations AMA: Agreement on Movement and Access DFLP: Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine EU: European Union DOP: Declaration of Principles GI: Geneva Initiative IAEA: International Atomic Energy Agency ICJ: International Court of Justice IDF: Israeli Defense Forces JA: Jewish Agency JNF: Jewish National Fund KN: Knowledge Network NAM: Non-Aligned Movement OCHA: Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OIC: Organization of the Islamic Conference PA: Palestinian Authority PFLP: Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine PIPA: Program on International Policy Attitudes PLO: Palestinian Liberation Organization UN: United Nations x abbreviations UNC: United National Command UNDOF: United Nations Disengagement Observer Force UNEF: United Nations Emergency Force UNIFIL: United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon UNGA: United Nations General Assembly UNLU: United Leadership of the Uprising UNRWA: United Nations Relief and Works Agency UNSC: United Nations Security Council UNSCOP: United Nations Special Committee on Palestine WZO: World Zionist Organization Preface I completed my undergraduate degree (with honors) from the Inter- national Islamic University Malaysia. While I recall having developed an interest in the impact of colonialism on Islam and the Muslim world generally, the case of Palestine was not, during those years, a particular concentration. It was not until returning to Australia, and after completing my Master’s degree—when I was approached by the Head of International Relations at Bond University to develop and teach a course entitled Islam and contemporary civilization—that I began to read on the issue in depth. Prior to embarking on this book, I had been following and reading on the Israel-Palestine issue for sev- eral years. During the years I have worked on this book, my thoughts on a resolution of the conflict have become increasingly focused. My first major contribution to the topic was published in the journal Global change, peace and security in an article entitled “Reformulating jihad in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: A theoretical framework” (Rane, 2007). In early 2006, I spent several weeks in Israel and Palestine orient- ing myself to the physical, geographical, and infrastructural context of the lands and their people. There, I conducted in-depth interviews with Israeli and Palestinian academics, researchers, peace negotiators, political advisors, social workers, human rights and peace activists, and business people, as well as Western diplomats posted in Israel and Pal- estine. I also spoke at length with everyday Israelis and Palestinians. I give my sincere thanks to all of those people who gave me their time and shared with me their knowledge, experiences, insights, concerns, and aspirations. They have significantly enriched and expanded my own understanding and analysis of the issues. The focus of this book is the situation of the Palestinians and, prin- cipally, how they might best contribute to creating conditions most conducive to achieving a just peace in the context of contemporary international normative and political dynamics. I take a multidisci- plinary approach in this examination of the Israel-Palestine conflict. xii preface It is unique in that its approach combines theoretical and method- ological perspectives from both the fields of international relations and Islamic studies. There are three central research questions of this book: What is the main obstacle to a just peace in Israel-Palestine? What is the mechanism through which the Israel-Palestine conflict can be resolved? What is required of the Palestinians in order to advance this process? Utilizing the constructivist perspective of international relations along with the contextualist and objective-oriented (maqasid approaches of Islamic studies, the aim of this book is to determine the conditions under which a just resolution of the conflict is probable. Based on relevant research and statistics, it demonstrates why Palestin- ian nonviolence would be more conducive to their liberation struggle than violent resistance and how this is a legitimate and authentic form of jihad consistent with the higher objectives of Islam—a necessary real- ization for Islamic militants if the conflict is to find a just resolution. Independent of strategic and material concerns, international norms and identity factors are fundamental determinants of the interests and policies of even the most powerful nations. In the context of the Israel- Palestine conflict, a just resolution has been obstructed by the compe- tition that exists between the norms of self-determination (central to Palestinian claims) and self-defense (central to Israeli concerns). This book makes a significant contribution to the literature on international norms by exploring the implications for conflict resolution when two equally legitimate norms compete. With the norm of self-defense pre- dominant in the peace process, Palestinian use of violence has become increasingly detrimental to their struggle for self-determination. However, the dominant interpretations and application of jihad equates the concept with armed struggle. A just resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict requires a reconstruction of jihad through a process that broadens the concept to include nonviolent resistance but that retains Islamic legitimacy and authenticity. This reconstruc- tion, based on context and objectives, will make a critical contribu- tion to generating the requisite international support for the norm of self-determination for the Palestinians, without compromising the norm of self-defense for the Israelis. It is argued that this approach may contribute to a redirection of the strategic and material interests of influential states and has the potential to shift their foreign poli- cies toward a just resolution of the conflict based on the normative framework provided by the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
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