Nothing can stop the will of Palestinians

"Eat drink and destroy." This was the Hebrew graffiti left on the bulletin board of our media institute in Ramallah which had been occupied by Israeli soldiers between April 2-21.

The soldiers who destroyed our TV studios, stole cameras, videos, computers and irreplaceable video archives and data wanted to destroy more than our equipment. They wanted to demolish our hopes and dreams of a progressive and democratic state of Palestine. We will not let our hope be destroyed.

For seven years I have worked tirelessly to build a media institute and an educational television station as a tool for progress. Our training workshops for media professionals was not limited to editing and filming but included awareness of children's rights and gender sensitivity.

Our television programmes were aimed at introducing issues of public health, democratic values and good governance. Our children's programmes concentrated on the goals of pride in identity and culture as well as tolerance and respect for others.

We worked with international donors and even produced a children's programme with America's Sesame Street aimed at breaking negative stereotypes and attempting to instill goals of mutual respect in our children and to Israeli children.

Creating such a pluralistic and progressive television station was not easy. But we continued unabated, until last month. Israel's incursion into Palestinian territories went far beyond the declared goals. Our building was occupied, our television station was taken off the air and our premises were converted to a temporary detention centre.

This was no coincidence or an individual act by an undisciplined soldier. On the monitor of a non linear edit suite contributed to us by the Danish government, the occupying soldiers wrote the words: the price of terrorism.

In other locations they sent a threatening message by painting the skull and bones. A family photos of one of our staff with her seven-year old daughter was crossed out with a large X.

Long after the withdrawal of the Israeli army this personal toll of the Israeli actions will have a far reaching effect on the Palestinian psyche.

Unless serious efforts for a political solution are exerted the seeds of hatred that have once again been planted in the minds and hearts of Palestinians will continue to haunt the Middle East for years to come. It is no secret that to deal with the security issues a holistic approach is needed. Such an approach must have at its core political horizons for the embattled Palestinian population.

The brutality of the Israeli actions in the past month go way beyond an attempt to stop suicide bombings. It seems to be clearly aimed at breaking the Palestinian will, reducing the Palestinian aspirations and killing the hope and dream of independence and statehood.

And unlike the Israeli claims that they have no fight with the Palestinian population, the damage that Israeli soldiers meted out in the past month was so widespread that it is impossible to claim that it was a deviation or an individual act.

Perhaps the most telling graffiti left by the Israeli soldiers on our college campus were the words: "Palestine never."

If Palestinian desperation that is fueling the radical violent responses are to be held in check a serious effort must be made to provide Palestinians with tangible proof and an implantable time schedule for the realisation of this hope of freedom and independence. Giving lip service to the cause of peace is worthless when American leaders in Washington and Israeli soldiers in Ramallah are acting contrary to these statements.

Despite the anger and frustration we will rebuild our institute in Ramallah. We will go back on the air despite the attempts to destroy our hope for a progressive television station and our people's aspirations for a democratic and independent state alongside Israel.

Daoud Kuttab is the director of the Institute of Modern Media at Al Quds University in Ramallah. The Institute owns and runs Al Quds Educational Television.