Fadi Abu Bakr
Over the past decades, the Israeli occupation has failed to eliminate Palestinian national liberation movements through a "decapitation" strategy, which relied on assassinating leaders and destroying organizational structures. Fatah and other factions within the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), as well as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, have remained steadfast despite all the blows.
However, Hamas's shift in behavior, particularly through the October 7, 2023 operation, which was politically and strategically ill-considered, provided the Israeli occupation with the pretext it was waiting for to shift to a destructive strategy, which can be called "breaking the backbone." The occupation was no longer satisfied with assassinating leaders or destroying the military and organizational structure, but rather moved towards targeting the entire Palestinian existence through mass killing, starvation, and the systematic destruction of the social and economic infrastructure, with the aim of displacing the population and undermining the foundations of steadfastness, in an attempt to break the collective will and empty the land of its people, under the cover of confronting the "existential threat" promoted by the occupation leaders.
In contrast, the world stands by as a spectator. One betrayal is public, another is hidden. Hamas's decision to immediately engage in the truce agreement in Gaza, no matter how difficult or costly it may be, is now essential to halt the massacre of starvation and the blackmail of mercenaries and warlords. Continuing to confront this war in the Hamas-style way, amidst this scale of destruction and humanitarian catastrophe, is not heroic, but rather political and moral suicide. Halting today does not mean the end of resistance in its broadest and most comprehensive sense. Rather, it is a vital necessity to preserve what remains, begin to rethink the path, and move from a logic of reaction to a logic of balanced political action. Stopping the massacre, preventing displacement, and alleviating the suffering of civilians must be priorities that cannot be postponed, no matter the cost of the decision.
Today, the occupation seeks to shatter the collective will of the Palestinians, but it ignores the fact that this people, having endured successive catastrophes, has been reborn each time. The current battle cannot be resolved solely with weapons. Rather, it requires political acumen, national unity, and a vision that transcends factionalism and reclaims the national project from the rubble, ensuring that it reflects the aspirations and hopes of the people, not the calculations of players in the dark.
Our battle with the Israeli occupation is ongoing and long, but its resolution is not always achieved on the ground. Sometimes, it is achieved through a decision taken with courage and responsibility, to save what remains of life and to keep the flame of struggle burning without devouring its owners.
شارك برأيك
From beheading to breaking the spine...the occupation's new strategy