Drawing lessons from Gaza

It appears that the ongoing war in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, which covers an area of no more than 380 square kilometers, will play a significant role in shaping the contours of the global system in the near future. This war has accelerated the results of international interactions since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to China coincided with US President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel and was the clearest sign of the ongoing conflict between the centers of power.

The war in Gaza has thus become a key moment in international relations. The Gaza war, which has captured and diverted the world’s attention from wars in other regions, such as the Ukraine conflict, offers several lessons.

Some of these lessons can be learned, even if the Gaza scenario remains open to all possibilities. The crisis holds further escalations, dangers and threats for both the Palestinian and Israeli civilian populations. One of the most important lessons is the danger of leaving the fate of nations and peoples to organizations and groups amid regional and international silence.

This silence has been repeated in Gaza, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and other countries that have been suffering for a long time. They continue to suffer from the proliferation of organizations funded by certain regional actors working diligently to achieve their goals. Even Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has openly boasted of his unwavering allegiance to the Supreme Leader of Iran.

This directly raises the question of responsibility for the continued proliferation of these militant groups and terrorist organizations. In this regard, objective observers can blame most regional and international parties for not firmly rejecting the presence of these terrorist organizations and often dealing with them officially or covertly.

It is undeniable that the terrorist organization Hamas has been recognized as a negotiating party in ceasefire talks in the past, and even Israel has indirectly engaged with it through mediators, whether to weaken the Palestinian Authority or for short-term tactical reasons.

Another lesson concerns the mindset of these organizations, whose actions have led to the displacement of millions of people without foreseeing the consequences.

What happened to the people of Gaza after “Operation Al Aqsa Flood” is an instructive lesson about arbitrary thinking, planning and execution. The aftermath of the operation has shown that Hamas did not give much thought to the post-attack scenarios, Israel’s response, or the potential impact on Palestinian civilians, including children.

The question here is whether Hamas leaders have not considered these consequences. Most likely, they did not miss them, but they consider the escalation of the conflict, the killing of thousands of civilians and their acceptance as collateral damage in solving the Palestinian issue or achieving short-term tactical goals. Such a view is narrow and flawed and should not be used as a justification for resolving a crisis at the expense of innocent people.

There is also the possibility that these leaders executed an Iranian plan without much needed consideration, or that they trusted the promises of Revolutionary Guards leaders too much and believed that Israel was preoccupied with its internal crises and would not respond significantly to the terror operation carried out by Hamas.

Hamas leaders deceived and manipulated their people after the first day of the operation by claiming that it would change history. While this may be true, it has unfortunately led to changes for the worse at the expense of the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people. Indeed, Hamas has provided a strong justification for retaliatory attacks on innocent civilians.

A third lesson is the Palestinian divide, which has played a crucial role in reaching the current situation. The Palestinian Authority was unable to control events and was as surprised by the Hamas operation as the rest of the world. One of the goals of this operation could be a political aspect related to Hamas’ attempt to seize control of Palestinian decision making and take the legitimate Palestinian Authority completely out of the picture. This could allow them to manage the crisis in the belief that things will eventually work out as they have in the past, leading to negotiations, ceasefire agreements, prisoner exchanges and so on.

The fourth lesson in this ongoing crisis brings us back to the discussions about religious conflict, Islamophobia, the tensions in the Middle East and the resurgence of talk about conflict and war instead of peace and stability. This is a great loss for the people of the region and for the world. Moreover, it is a gift to terrorists and extremists, which thrive in such a hostile environment, spreading their ideas and recruiting disillusioned and naïve people among the vulnerable populations in various countries in the region.

The fifth lesson is that our region must prepare for a difficult period of prolonged tensions and crises. The major powers have failed in this conflict and their positions have exacerbated the situation.

It is no secret that some leaders of major Western countries have been preoccupied with electoral battles and have not paid much attention to the dangers and sensitivities of the Middle East region, which includes religious, political and security complexities. Consequently, their interventions have sometimes had disastrous consequences. These interventions have not helped to fight the fire, but in some cases have escalated the conflict and widened its scope, reigniting the religious strife. At a time when all wise people in our region are trying to keep religion out of the ongoing conflicts, the actions of some parties are hindering this goal.

Salem AlKetbi, UAE political analyst and former Federal National Council candidate