Palestinians shown ‘Ghandi’ to encourage nonviolent resistance
-07/04/05
A U.S. entrepreneur has screened an Arabic language version of the 1982 film “Gandhi” to Palestinians in a bid to encourage non-violent methods of conducting their uprising against Israel, reports the Reuters news agency.
It follows similar projects by Christian groups who have pioneered and encouraged non-violent resistance in the area, and a statement last year by sixty prominent Palestinians who urged their people to transform the 3-year-old violent uprising into a peaceful protest for statehood.
The award-winning epic about pacifist Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi will be shown throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip over the next week and was endorsed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Jeff Skoll told a Ramallah audience.
“We met with President Abbas, who was nice to us and supported the project,” said Skoll, the founding president of Internet auction site eBay, who met the Palestinian leader along with the film’s star Ben Kingsley.
Hopes of an end to the shootings, rocket attacks and suicide bombings that are a part of the Palestinian uprising which began in 2000 have been raised since Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared a ceasefire in February.
Among Palestinian refugee camps and other militant strongholds, many view Abbas’ moderate stance with suspicion. The Palestinian president has also faced sometimes violent protests from armed factions unhappy with his demand that they disarm.
“He (Gandhi) was a hero and loyal to his people. That’s what made Indians believe in his peaceful preaching,” said Fahima, a resident of the West Bank refugee camp Jalazon. “Our leaders are not loyal to our cause.”
Israel plans to pull its settlers and soldiers out of Gaza this summer, but intends to keep large swathes of the West Bank. Those plans have made many Palestinians fear that their dream of a state in territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war will be dashed.
“We respect Gandhi, who liberated his people, but our only choice here is armed struggle,” said Hassan Yousef, a leader of the Islamic militant group Hamas, which is sworn to Israel’s destruction and has carried out scores of suicide bombings.
“The Israelis pushed us to this.”
Polls show that 70 percent of Palestinians oppose suicide bombings — a reflection of widespread dismay at tactics that have drawn crushing Israeli military sweeps and alienated world opinion.
“Gandhi is a model which can be applied anywhere, at any time. His values suit all nations, including Palestinians,” said Hanna Elias, who produced the Arabic version of the film.