From Samer Allawi
It’s a turning point for both sides — the Israelis, who were not ready for such a war, and the Palestinians, who were not confident of their capabilities compared to that of their enemy.
The provocation was started by the Israeli government in the holy month of Ramadan, by the invasion of Al-Aqsa Mosque and forceful expulsion of the Palestinian families in the nearby Shaikh Jarrah neighborhood in Al Quds (Jerusalem), replacing them with Israeli settlers.
The Israeli prime minister’s move was obviously to shift the focus from his crisis in failing to form a government even after four rounds of elections.
It was calculated to divert attention from the internal division in the Israeli political ranks to the helpless Palestinians in Jerusalem.
It is hard for Palestinians to keep watching the desecration of Al-Aqsa and the Judaisation of Al Quds and do nothing. This is because Al Quds is considered a core issue for Palestinians.
Moreover, more than 22,000 orders had been taken by Israeli courts to expel Palestinian families from their houses or demolish them in Al Quds.
It could be the first time in recent history that a warning from the Palestinian factions to Israel became a reality. Hamas was determined and confident when it announced the ultimatum, warning the Israeli occupiers to give up their plans in Al Quds or face the consequences.
As expected, Benjamin Netanyahu was more than happy to wage a war on Gaza as it could discharge him from corruption allegations and disturb the formation of a new government which would exclude him.
While no main military installation was affected in Gaza, the targets became the Palestinian civilians – including children and women. Many of Gaza’s landmarks and buildings were also destroyed, even the ones housing media offices and charity NGOs.
To Israel’s surprise, its decades of propaganda in western countries were destroyed by smartphone videos and pictures taken directly by Palestinians under bombardment.
The massive attacks against the innocent people in Palestine exposed Israel and its supporters in the west via the social media. This was evident in the decision taken by around 38 US congressmen who demanded that the administration halt a military deal with Israel.
Moreover, the US administration found itself in a moral crisis in repeating its typical stance of the right to self-defence by Israel.
President Joe Biden was then obligated to talk to Benjamin Netanyahu — who has a history of hatred for him — six times in a week to discuss and enforce a ceasefire plan. It was aimed at controlling the damage done to the image of Israel and US.
European countries also retreated from their stand of unequivocally supporting Israel. For example, Germany sent its foreign minister to Israel as a sign of support but retreated from its position later by calling for indirect negotiations with Hamas to discuss the future of the Middle East.
It creates precedence to involve Hamas in the Middle East’s future, since the Palestinian resistance movement is labelled as a terrorist entity by US and European governments.
The recent normalisation process between Israel and some Arab countries turned out to be scandalous for the people of these countries, which are ruled by dictators.
Sudan could be a very clear and good example as thousands of women protested against the government’s policy of recognising Israel, and collected jewellery in a fund-raising campaign to support the Palestinian struggle.
Simultaneously, the world powers ignored the Palestinian Authority headed by Mahmoud Abbas, and the focus remained on Hamas leader Ismael Haniyah, who is staying in Qatar.
The ceasefire may not save the faces of Israel’s sponsors even if it halts the civilian killings temporarily by using state of the art Israeli-American sophisticated military machinery.
Here, the credit goes to those who kept their contacts with Hamas and played a role in mediating the ceasefire, such as Qatar, Egypt and Turkey. This was contrary to those who normalised their relations with the occupier force and adapted Israeli policies.
The defeat of the Israeli apartheid regime in the unbalanced war could lead the country to change its strategy to enhance its iron-fisted occupation, and go back to the very old strategy of making the life of Palestinians very difficult.
Moreover, the end of the comprehensive war waged against them could be a start of another long-term war as the Israeli regime will never accept defeat and the western powers will continue to guarantee its impunity.
A well-known legal maxim says “justice delayed is justice denied”. With the denial of justice for a whole nation, no one should expect the Palestinians to surrender.
Indeed, more innovative means will be created to get their freedom and self-determination.
Samer Allawi is a Palestinian journalist based in Malaysia and an FMT reader.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.