As Gaza faces Israeli aggression alone, the people know what they want

There are no official Arab positions on the Israeli aggression towards Gaza just as there have been no serious or official statements made by the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas. Most Arab governments have chosen to remain silent although those with some semblance of democracy have chosen to condemn Israel for its recent actions. The Palestinian Authority’s official position has not gone beyond denunciation and condemnation.

Media talk about Egypt playing a mediation role has absolutely no basis; indeed, there is no basis for anyone to assume that any state, Arab or non-Arab, will play such a role. In short, Gaza is facing Israel’s aggression alone, with regional and international players noticeable by their absence. This is the bitter reality but setting out the situation in the most realistic terms is a national duty despite how painful it may be. Neither Egypt nor any other country or party will take the responsibility of countering Israel’s brutal assault on the people of Gaza. It is the duty of Hamas and other national resistance groups to take on this responsibility. They must direct this defensive war with wisdom and intelligence after placing their trust solely on God. The people of Palestine should not forget that it was Arab leaders who have facilitated the disappearance and weakening of the Palestinian resistance.

Gaza has resisted two major Israeli assaults; thanks to the steadfastness and resilience of the people it achieved a victory that stunned the enemy, whose armed forces could not achieve their goals. Today, I hope that the Palestinian resistance forces are in a better shape than on previous occasions and that they are able to fight this war imposed on them with a proper strategy. They will have to do so knowing that regional Arab states are too preoccupied with their own issues to do anything to help.

As fate would have it, God has willed for Israeli society to be fragmented and, as such, many decision-makers are asking Prime Minister Netanyahu to abide by the truce due to the lack of consensus to go to war. They are urging senior officials to focus on other, more important regional issues such as Iran and the situation in Egypt. The main reason for this is that any military setbacks in Gaza will have negative repercussions for the Israeli government, which is undesirable under the current regional circumstances.

Since the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli settlers there has been an escalation of military activity in the occupied West Bank and Israel has been warning Gaza to prepare for death and destruction. Officials in the besieged enclave responded by telling the far-right government that they are not scared by the threats, which include the potential re-occupation of the Gaza Strip by the Zionist state. On the contrary, Gaza viewed the potential confrontation with Israeli aggression as an opportunity to bring the Palestinian cause back to its roots, one that is first and foremost committed to freedom and liberation of the land.

Resistance forces in Gaza know exactly what they want, as they have declared that there are only two possible outcomes: victory or martyrdom. However, it appears that it is the Israeli government that no longer knows what it wants from the Gaza Strip. Nor, in fact, do Arab leaders and the Palestinian Authority know what they want from Gaza or from Israel as an occupying power. Perhaps the fact that the people of Gaza know what they want is the secret behind their resilience and ability to remain steadfast despite the hunger, thirst and poverty that they suffer under Israel’s blockade and brutal military assault.

Translated from PIC, 9 July, 2014