An open letter to President Abbas

I am writing this letter after the great victory achieved by the Palestinian people and the resistance forces in the Battle of Gaza. It was a battle for Palestine as a whole, a battle for all of the honourable and free Muslims and Christians around the world.

Gaza was victorious in the most vicious Zionist attack against our defenceless and innocent people. Israel used thousands of tons of explosives and the most advanced munitions to such an extent that the total used exceeded that of all of the wars against the Arabs.

The Zionists’ hatred and terrorism has reached an unprecedented level and they have no reservations or hesitations in what they do. This suggests that the occupation hasn’t a single shred of morality left, and its army has no values because it attacked civilian targets, including homes, hospitals, schools and mosques.

Israel was taking revenge on the children, families and trees of Palestine; not even the dead already buried in the cemeteries were spared from its barbarism. It was so bad that Israel’s friends and allies were unable to bear what it was doing, including many Jews, victims of Nazism and Holocaust survivors; none could provide a cover for Netanyahu’s crimes and his government’s terrorism. Nor could the European, African and Latin American nations.

I am writing to you, Mr President, after the victory of Gaza, after the spectacular military achievement realised by the Palestinian resistance that surprised the occupation with its planning, management, control of the course of the battle, domination in the field and scientific developments in its capabilities. The resistance also surprised the world with its qualitative arms, driving one Israeli general to say that the Qassam Brigades have introduced a fifth weapon in the war; to the air, land, sea and armoured weaponry they added the tunnels. It was through these that they were able to surround the occupation forces and kill more elite soldiers in one battle than all of those killed by the Arab armies.

We could hear the cries of the occupation soldiers and their calls for help in the media, like the Zionist soldier in Nahal Oz who screamed, “Mum, Mum!” In the battle of Gaza, the Israeli soldiers were fleeing, suffering from panic attacks and hysteria, and refusing to continue their service; they disobeyed orders to go to the “land of death”.

During the battle, the Zionist settlers dispersed within our occupied land. They lost confidence in their army, state and leadership and the “invincible” myth was crushed before their eyes. The theory of total protection, deterrence and superiority of the most powerful army in the region has been shattered.

I write to you, Mr President, after Gaza’s victory, when the Palestinian cause has been restored as the main cause due to the perseverance of our people and their sacrifices. The Palestinian resistance has regained its international standing, peaceful concepts and firm grounding in the cause of rights, justice and freedom in the face of injustice, state terrorism and occupation.

The Palestinians also managed to defeat the occupation because the peoples of Asia, Africa, Europe, and North and South America stood by them. The marches organised in these countries reminded us of the world’s support for the rights of the Palestinians and their resistance throughout the past 70 years. We have missed these shows of solidarity since the Oslo Agreement in 1993 and the crime of recognising Israel, which was a pariah before this agreement gave it legitimacy under the pretext that the Palestinians have recognised it, and this embarrassed most of the friendly nations and governments.

I write to you, Mr President, after the victory in Gaza, to say that the Palestinians’ precious sacrifices, their bloodshed, and the sweat and labour of the Mujahideen must be preserved and invested in, not wasted. This historic victory achieved against the Zionists, which has threatened the fate of the occupation, is something you can see and sense in the positions of the Israeli leaders, the analyses of their commentators, and the comments of their politicians. This must be preserved and the initial steps for this are as follows:

1. The recognition of this victory and the blood that was shed in defence of the land and the people, as well as respect for the work of the Mujahideen and the sacrifices made by the martyrs, injured, prisoners and refugees, as well as the feelings of their families who have persevered and sacrificed and considered these sacrifices as the price of freedom, liberation and return. The families of the martyrs, the wounded and the families whose homes were destroyed are the most committed to the resistance and its achievements and the keenest on making achievements and political gains that are equal to the blood and money spent. What is needed is a recognition of the victory, or a victory, there is no difference, because this recognition would have a major political implication, but it seems that your team does not recognise the victory because it embarrasses them and weakens them politically, as it gives credibility to the strategy of resistance; the antithesis of the negotiations and security coordination. You must admit that the resistance triumphed and defeated the occupation.
2. The most important step must be made in Palestinian politics, as they can either protect and preserve the sacrifices and victories or waste them and sell them in a deal with the occupation. The most important political position today is that regarding the defence of the land and people; to reconstruct Gaza quickly and provide immediate relief, opening the crossings, allowing workers to cross borders, and for travellers, farmers and fishermen to move around freely; to permit the transfer of funds, the payment of wages, compensation for those affected, linking the ministries in the West Bank and Gaza together, the operation of facilities, and rebuilding the destroyed infrastructure. All of this must be achieved through a strong position that prevents the occupation from manipulating, dominating or pressurising our people.
3. After the battle in Gaza, the reconciliation agreement must be protected and the unity government must be operated effectively and indiscriminately. Moreover, unified meetings of the Palestinian leadership must be held, the PLO institutions must be rebuilt, and a radical change in the work of these institutions, including the administrative and organisational aspects, must be made. In addition to this, the security coordination with the Israelis must be stopped, as must the arrests of all the patriotic and honourable members of the resistance in the West Bank and every young man or woman who confronts the occupation and waves Palestinian and green flags. You have to stop the persecution of the armed and peaceful resistance, as well as those who resist by means of social networks, who haven’t been spared from the persecution of your security services.
4. After the battle of Gaza and the Palestinian victory, it became realistically and objectively clear that the resistance unites the Palestinians, brings them together, lifts their spirits and boosts their morale. The Palestinians, at home and abroad, whether Islamists, left-wing, nationalists, Muslims or Christians, are all united in an unprecedented manner by Palestine and the resistance. We have never seen this level of unity over the goals, means, project and essence of the Palestinian cause. This time, national unity was a popular unity over the resistance. The display of joy and jubilation when Tel Aviv and Dimona were bombed or when the Israeli soldiers were captured are a referendum on the political project more than an event. It was an expression of a comprehensive and unified national identity and project more than it was an expression of a military victory; it remains a declaration of loyalty to resistance aiming to eliminate the occupation and bring back all of the refugees.

Perhaps, Mr President, you read that our people have never displayed this level of unity and solidary for the Oslo Accords, for the recognition of Israel, your meetings with the occupation, your negotiating policies, or even for the support of your government or the way you were elected.

If you haven’t read and understood the hearts and minds of the Palestinians, then you are “Mr Wrong”. In their hearts, you will find their commitment to the land, a desire to liberate the country and restore Palestine’s pride and identity.

Do you know, Mr President, why our people’s hearts were filled with joy?

It was joy for victory; joy for humiliating the occupation; joy for revenge on our children’s jailers; joy for revenge against the enemy that has demolished our homes, confiscated our land, burned our olive trees, desecrated our Islamic and Christian sanctities, arrested thousands of honourable heroes, tortured our children, besieged the people in Gaza, tortured our people in the West Bank and territories occupied in 1948, and prevented the return of the refugees.

Do you know why they were joyous?

It was the joy of seeing the Israeli soldiers defeated, dead, captured and battered. These are the same soldiers who attack innocent people but are protected by your security services in the West Bank which prevent our people from getting to them. Our people felt victorious because our resistance avenged the martyrs of Deir Yassin, Sabra and Shatila, Qibya, Kafr Qasim, Tantura and Hebron. They felt victorious because our people saw the settlers fleeing like mice out of fear, hiding in sewers and shelters, screaming out of fear, and fleeing from areas that were never their land in the first place. Our people’s eyes are pulsating with joy because they saw their land in front of their eyes and, today, they have truly felt that victory is possible, realistic and coming soon; they feel that the return to their homes and land is imminent.

Mr President, we are facing a historic logic, and if you recognise, read, understand and absorb it well, then we, as well as you, can rest. If you do not properly read, understand and absorb it, then we will enter a new dark tunnel and series of internal conflicts that will ruin everything achieved by the resistance fighters, destroy everything our people did, and waste all of the great and unprecedented sacrifices we have made.

If you do not read this transformation well, then you will delay our victory and will bring us back to square one, back to the conflicts and division.

The people are at a different place now; have you realised this?

Palestine is back with its people; are you aware of this?

The negotiations have failed; have you absorbed this?

Resistance is the solution; what will it need to convince you of this?

Translated from Al Jazeera net, 4 September, 2014

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.