It’s time for a realistic approach to Palestinian resistance

For instance, there is a contradiction in Palestinians simultaneously fighting against Israel while holding jobs within it. Similarly, Gaza, which both launches attacks on Israel and suffers bombings from it, relies on Israeli crossings to meet basic needs.

Moreover, the significance of truce or ceasefire agreements should be critically examined.

It is unrealistic to speak of a powerful people or the ability to shake the ground beneath Israel's feet when it remains challenging to uproot settlements, cross checkpoints like Qalandiya, or have autonomy over the Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings in Gaza.

The idea here is that the weak population attempts to compensate for its vulnerability through illusions and slogans, which factions exploit as tools.

Furthermore, since its inception in the mid-1960s, the reliance on armed struggle within the Palestinian National Movement was based on a false assumption that Arab regimes, particularly neighbouring countries, would actively support the battle for Palestinian liberation or confront Israel.

However, it soon became apparent that this hope was illusory, as the Arab regimes showed little genuine concern for the Palestinian cause.

These regimes were weakened by internal divisions and had their own priorities. As a result, the Palestinian National Movement lacks the necessary supportive environment to effectively utilise armed struggle.

Acknowledging Israel's significant advantages

Moreover, Israel possesses significant advantages over the Palestinians. It is not only militarily stronger but also enjoys political, economic, and technological superiority, even in comparison to surrounding countries.

Israel receives protection and support from Western nations, especially the United States, and it possesses nuclear weapons.

The international system, which prevented Saddam Hussein's regime from annexing Kuwait and Russia from annexing Ukraine, is unlikely to allow Israel to be threatened. On the contrary, it might even justify dangerous actions taken by Israel under the pretext of self-defence.

Furthermore, Israel has cultivated close and influential relations with major world powers, including countries that historically supported the Palestinian cause, such as China, Russia, and India, through its advancements in science and technology.

Viable and comprehensive strategy needed

Consequently, the Palestinian national movement faces a fundamental problem of failing to recognise its own capabilities and the global context in which it operates.

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It tends to overestimate its capacities while engaging in struggle through military means or negotiations for nearly six decades without a clear, viable, and sustainable military strategy that can be effectively implemented.

Therefore, it is painful to admit that the Palestinians engaging in debates or arguments about the most appropriate and effective forms of struggle serve little purpose.

They lack the essential elements, such as a comprehensive strategy, a supportive Arab environment, and a favourable international context that could be leveraged to their advantage. 

Despite appreciating their efforts, suffering, sacrifices, and heroism, everything they have relied upon, whether armed struggle or negotiations, is based on experimentation, desires, and misguided hopes.

They rely solely on their rights, persistence, and willingness to sacrifice, without adequately considering the relative achievements and costs in politics and warfare.

Important questions remain unanswered: What progress has been made after various experiences in Jordan, Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank? And who bears responsibility for the outcomes?

Vibrant civil society needed

Unfortunately, there is a lack of debate, research centres, decision-making bodies, and open criticism, as factions operate with a closed mindset, imposing their authority and stifling accountability and scrutiny.

Furthermore, the existence of security and militia apparatus undermines the vibrancy of civil society, weakening it in the face of both internal power dynamics and Israeli influence. 

Therefore, debating the most effective, preferable, and feasible forms of struggle is futile due to the lack of national consensus among Palestinians. The fragmentation of the people and land, along with the dismantling of the Palestinian cause, have hindered the alignment necessary for a comprehensive national project.

Additionally, Palestinians currently lack an inclusive political entity that can compensate for their lack of unified territory, similar to the role played by the PLO in the mid-1970s.

Given these circumstances, it is crucial to prioritise the effective utilisation of Palestinian potential and avoid compromising or squandering it in forms of struggle that yield limited results.

This approach would allow for a relative parallelism between the Palestinians' sacrifices, heroism, and suffering, and their political accomplishments.

Under the current conditions, neither negotiations, protests, and statements nor armed struggle, missile wars, and explosive operations can effectively liberate Palestine.

Therefore, it is advisable for Palestinians, within their capabilities, to focus on building their national home based on a comprehensive vision rooted in the unity of the people, the land, and the cause.

Inclusive national entity needed

This entails the establishment of an inclusive national entity based on representation, struggle-oriented principles, and institutional frameworks.

Additionally, adopting the model of popular uprisings based on the people's capacities and endurance, akin to the effectiveness demonstrated during the First Intifada, can be a viable approach. Previous experiences have shown that alternative paths or claims have not yielded positive results.

It is important to recognise that Israel, established under favourable international and Arab conditions, cannot be ended or transformed without corresponding unfavourable conditions for Israel and favourable conditions for the Palestinians at the international and Arab levels.

The "war between wars" is a game played by Israel to portray itself as a victim and consolidate unity within Israeli society against perceived external threats. Without such a scenario, Israel would face internal contradictions and external pressures like any other state.

In summary, what Palestinians need most today is a realistic understanding of their reality and capabilities, along with the formulation of a clear, feasible, sustainable, and effective strategy of popular resistance.