Transcription
All right, now a spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigade, that's the military wing of Hamas, is making a statement.
"Our fighters will continue to shell the strongholds of the enemy, covered by artillery and missile barrage. The last of which was targeting Deir al-Balah where enemy positions in the usurped lands were targeted with 100 missiles. Only in one day, under the Al-Aqsa Typhoon operation, we call on our fellow Palestinians to engage in the affair. This will be recorded by golden letters in history. It is our journey as martyrs, and we will be rewarded with victory."
Well, joining me now is Dr. Tareq Baconi, a Gaza native and professor of public policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. Thank you so much for coming in.
Thank you, Sami. For perhaps those who are not familiar with the background of this, explain to us the background to this. As long as you have root causes, what UN, several UN officials call root causes, occupation, siege, going on. Is it just only a question of time before we see these repeated cycles of conflict?
Of course, Sami, that's a very good question. And I have to emphasize that the root causes of this conflict remain, and still, it's the continuation of the Israeli military occupation and apartheid system in place in Palestine. That's the key main root cause. Of course, there are also another important factual reasons for this, among of which is that the dead and clinically dead and dysfunctional peace process and the international community's absence from really getting it alive back on the stage.
But why now, Tareq? Why? We understand the background situation, but why do we see this very massive, unprecedented move by Hamas outside of Gaza?
I think there are a couple of good reasons for this. First of all, Hamas is both a party in governance and also it's a resistance movement at the same time. So, it's taking care of the livelihood of 2.2 million Palestinians living under the banned, isolated Gaza Strip. So, governance comes with responsibilities. And from the social, economic perspective, in the Gaza Strip, things are very bad from all fronts. Secondly, Hamas wants to remain, or to send a message to the international community, and also to Israel and the Arab world, and especially normalizing countries, that...
That was going to say, is this tied to the wave that was going on in our countries, "Hey, let's make peace"? Explain.
So, basically, over the last, particularly over the last year, with this very right-wing, fanatic government in Israel, there have been many attempts by the Israelis to fragment and divide the Palestinian movement, especially the street, the public movement, correct? The PA is very weak, it's isolated from one side. Then you have Hamas watching and observing, and Israel thinks that Hamas is there, isolated in Gaza, with its own troubles and its own challenges to govern. But Hamas says, "No, I'm still here. I'm a key relevant party, and you are not going to be able to isolate me and play this divide and conquer politics." So, this comes, number one, as one of the strategies for Hamas to say, "I am relevant. I'm here." Secondly, Hamas is sending a key strategic message to normalizing Arab states, and also to normalization attempts with the PA as well, being part of it more or less, despite, to be honest, I mean, the PA also has a clear position about normalization, that normalization will not bring any security to Israel if Israel cannot protect itself. As the key Hamas leader said yesterday, he said, "Normalization will not bring security if it's not, if security, if Israel cannot protect itself from Hamas, how will it protect other Arab countries which are flocking for to Israel to normalize under the pretext that Israel will bring more security to the region and be able to defend us as collective allies?"
So, is the message that Hamas is trying to send, "There will be no peace without an end to the occupation and suffering of Palestinians, and we are a relevant party that represents that resistance and cannot be ignored"?
Is there something to talk about in terms of the dynamics, the internal Palestinian dynamics here, that Hamas is sending a message about, whether it's the PA, whether it's the rise of new groups like the Lions' Den?
Yes, yes, of course. Hamas is more or less laying the foundation of a new resistance approach, post-Oslo, post-Oslo. And it says that no matter what Israel can do, I mean, no matter how powerful is Israel with all its military arsenal and its control of land and sea and air, as long as Palestinians are there, we will resist by all means. And surprisingly, the most impoverished, isolated, neglected area in the world, the Gaza Strip, the fact that Hamas has managed to do this military operation or to initiate this war on Israel despite all the marginalization and the embargo imposed on Gaza, it tells you a message. This is a people. Palestinians are people who want freedom. They are at any cost willing to die, to offer whatever they have to live free. And that's that's a big message for Israel also. You cannot keep occupation.