Since the beginning of the project to establish the Israeli state, many movements, organizations, and entities emerged to raise the slogan of “liberation of Palestine”, as a justification for their existence, while they were actually working in the opposite direction. It began with Haj Amin al-Husseini’s movement, which aligned itself with Hitler, followed by a series of ideological factions, including communist parties supported by the former Soviet Union. This period also saw nationalist movements, who hid behind the banner of “Arab unity,” along with groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, the Dawa Party, and other sectarian organizations. Throughout eight decades, these groups have done everything to deepen Arab divisions and attempt to overthrow ruling regimes, while the original slogan faded into obscurity. This reflected the principle established by Jamal Abdel Nasser following his 1952 coup: “The road to Palestine passes through the overthrow of reactionary regimes.” Nasser’s actions led to the separation of Sudan from Egypt, despite Sudan having been under stable governance with growth rates averaging around 5.5 percent. Just ten years later, Egypt plunged into an economic crisis, largely due to the failed decision to nationalize the Suez Canal Company.
Military cliques in Iraq, Syria, Sudan, followed by Libya, Yemen, and Algeria, adopted a similar path. They engaged in failed wars, beginning with the Nakba, followed by the Naksa*, and the War of Attrition. Nasser rejected the Rogers Initiative, and before that, the Arab states refused to acknowledge the UN resolution for the partition of Palestine. Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba was accused of treason when he called on the Arab nations to recognize and reconcile with Israel in 1963. During that time, the Shuqairi-Nasser slogan “Let’s throw the Jews into the sea” emerged.
Each time, Arab governments, parties, and organizations wasted one opportunity after another. They created fronts of steadfastness and defiance that ultimately failed. Some Arabs relied on the Soviet Union, although it was the first to recognize Israel just seven minutes after its declaration by the United Nations. The Palestine liberation project left Syria mired in internal crises since 1963, severely hampering its economy and development. Iraq descended into a bloodbath, transforming into a vast prison, a situation that persisted until the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime. Yemen was ravaged by division, culminating in the rise of Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, whose actions sparked conflicts that eventually led to international intervention. The Houthis’ obstruction of the global trade route in the Bab al-Mandab Strait triggered attacks on Yemen by foreign powers. That is why when Benjamin Netanyahu claimed to have “begun to change the Middle East,” he was capitalizing on the Arab world’s divisions and their preoccupation with sub-issues, while neglecting their shared existence and future.
Today, Gaza lies in ruins, with the death toll nearing 53,000 and more than 150,000 wounded. Meanwhile, the West Bank is suffering from land erosion due to the ongoing expansion of Israeli settlements. The Palestinian Authority remains constrained by various restrictions, largely because of Hamas’s continued control over the Gaza Strip. The Muslim Brotherhood has sought to turn Jordan into a battleground for settling regional disputes, often aligning with Israel’s interests. Israel is awaiting the deportation of West Bank residents to Jordan and the announcement of the completion of the 2018 Jewish Nation-State Law. This raises some important questions: Who has served Israel more? Is it the parties and regimes that have exploited the Palestinian cause for their own agendas, or the Arab countries, particularly the Gulf states, that have pursued realistic policies and maintained stability in the face of regional challenges?
