One Hundred Years of Tranquility

Dr. Ahmed Rafiq Awad

Remember the saying that normalization is nothing but accepting the "other's" narrative? This is no longer the case. Normalization is accepting the narrative, getting used to death and destruction, and submitting to the other's conditions and demands. Normalization is more than just "accepting the narrative," as if it were a kind of intellectual debate. Normalization today is what the Knesset member said about religious Zionism, regarding the world's acceptance of the killing of 100 Palestinians without complaint, complaint, or denunciation. Normalization is getting used to scenes of cities being destroyed and wiped off the map. It is the trivialization of meanings, the violation of the law, the insult to humanity, and the contempt of religions. It is also the subversion of standards, the cherry-picking of morals, and the use of slogans to serve policies.
It is no longer a matter of accepting the other's narrative; it has gone beyond that to much more. Normalization is also surrender and submission to hegemony and influence. It is the abandonment of one's role, vision, and interest. It is the normalization of manifestations of familial cuckoldry on social media. It is the normalization of scenes of homosexuality and the celebration of it. It is the acceptance of aggression against Islamic symbols and sanctities. It is the rewarding of the enemy and the punishment of the brother. It is the complete turning away from authentic affiliations in search of dubious protection. Normalization is the abandonment and disavowal of goals and references. It is the pretense of modernity and globalism despite the siege and violation, and the request for protection, funding, and legitimacy from abroad. It is the acceptance of alienation in the school curriculum and the sterility of the university curriculum, and the submission and denial of the national or collective national identity under the pretext of fighting hatred and extremism.
Normalization is the extraction of the fat from the idea, body, and brain. It is the imposition of a settlement by force, and it is hostility, arrogance, and bullying without resistance or even thinking about it.
Normalization means not finding options and eliminating them, not trying again, not relying on our resources, our competencies, and our people. Normalization means accepting whatever is offered to you without discussion or debate, and accepting to be the playing field, not the players.
Normalization is the acceptance of randomness, improvisation, violence, poverty, ignorance, the non-transfer of power, the refusal to allow dialogue, and the conditions and norms of the modern state and the terms of governance.
Normalization in this sense is an intellectual, moral, political, and military defeat, because normalization is the antithesis of a normal relationship. It is nullification, annexation, and annexation on the one hand, and depletion and exhaustion on the other. Normalization is not the establishment of a normal relationship, but rather the true name for a relationship based on coercion and compulsion for the purpose of protection, satisfaction, occupation, or all of these combined.
Nor does normalization lead to beneficial outcomes. It does not lead to further development, stability, and progress. As I said, it is an unnatural relationship. The Palestinian experience is a prime example of this. The occupation thwarted the peace process by announcing annexation and displacement, aborted the resistance process through destruction, and suspended the application of international law so that we would not rely on it or resort to it. The Arab experience in this regard was no better. Normalization led, among other things in the Arab world, to further regional polarization, internecine conflicts, the subjugation of national decisions, and a departure from the region's constants—and I won't say constants other than that. Normalization, in this context, appeared to be a victory for Israel and a major setback for the entire region and everything in it. This calls for a comprehensive review of everything: the regime, culture, the public, and the administrative and labor systems. Normalization has not led to cooperation, partnerships, peace, and settlements, but rather to greater complexity and entanglement. Simply because normalization is a relationship not founded on equality, partnership, and conviction.
This unhealthy relationship is what led, and will continue to lead, to the loss and confusion we are in. This relationship is responsible for the major political rifts that began in the early 1980s. It seems that the facts that are quickly being revealed foretell very old relationships and friendships. And why not? Defeat does not come all at once, but rather is the accumulation of failure, weakness, absence, dependence, and alienation.
I say this on the occasion of the fact that Israel is waging an easy and comfortable war against us. There is no American pressure, but rather continuous and public support, no regional objections, and no sufficient Israeli opposition. Therefore, Israel—for its various reasons—views the continuation of the war as a necessity, not only for the public image, and not only to achieve victory over ghosts, but also because war is a greater demand of Israel. This war, sought by Israel, America, and the colonial West in general, is to bring calm to the region for at least a hundred years. Normalization, in this sense, is an essential part of this endeavor.

..............

Normalization is an intellectual, moral, political, and military defeat, because normalization is the antithesis of a normal relationship. It is nullification, annexation, and annexation on the one hand, and depletion and exhaustion on the other. Normalization is not the establishment of a normal relationship, but rather the true name for a relationship based on coercion and compulsion.