The Sabbath ended at sunset and I felt this point needed to be made as soon as possible.
US Vice President Kamal Harris appeared in a media spot talking about what America thinks should be part of the “day after” for Gaza. French President Macron has also been saying similar things. They both are looking to influence the appearance of a post war Gaza. Macron was even willing to openly say that the total removal of Hamas seems unrealistic. And Israel has been unable to say what should come next beyond the idea that Gaza must be demilitarized, and that Israel will not remain in occupation there.
The question of what will happen next is not an easy one to answer. But some things do need to be noted. The USA brokered an agreement between Israel and the PLO Palestinians that was called the Oslo Accords. It called for the creation of an independent Palestine. But the final stage of the agreement never took place.
The final stage involved agreement on permanent borders and mutual recognition. The Arab side refused to abandon their foundational argument that Israel must be replaced by an Arab state in the future (even if, temporarily, they granted d facto recognition of Israel’s existence). They also refused to accept any solution that did not allow Palestinians to return to their former (family) homes. Another part of the agreement involved establishing a western style democratic government for the Palestinians. Yasser Arafat was obviously the choice for the first President of Palestine. Western observers all affirmed that his successor, Mahmoud Abbas, was also elected democratically. But after that? Well, the current joke is that Abbas is in the 15th year of his 5 year term as president. There is no political movement among the Palestinians that does not demand the physical return of all Palestinian “refugees”, or give up the idea of the eventual conquest of Israel (mostly by violent means) and it’s replacement by an Arab state.
A poll of Gazans taken last week showed that if Hamas were to leave governing Gaza and free elections were held, Hamas would garner at least 78% of the votes. I think this shows more about how poorly western style democratic nations understand Arab / Islamic culture than anything else. All the members of the Arab League have governments that are either actual monarchies or de facto dictatorships. Compromise and “reasonableness” are not particularly highly prized characteristics of Arab governments.
PA President Abba was quoted this week as urging Hamas to stop seeking a decision by force of arms. But his own government controlled media in Arabic still praises Hamas and claims that the Palestinian Authority has taken an active part in the current war.
There are few Americans alive today that actually experienced fighting the Japanese in World War Two. The battle of Tarawa in late 1943 saw US Marines capturing about 18 Japanese alive, out of a Jap garrison of over 5000 men. A year later the Japanese started Kamikaze suicide attacks on American ships. Such blind obedience and self-sacrifice to an ideal was hard for Americans to understand then. But it’s the same kind of commitment that prompted Ben-Laden’s terrorists to fly aircraft into the twin towers on 9-11. And it’s the same kind of religious motivation that keeps the ranks of Hamas filled with volunteers. They are taught to this in their schools, in mosques, and at home. Japan overcame the problem following an occupation that lasted over a generation. Don’t expect Gazans to be any different.
Wetherhorn 