The tragic scenes of the starving, tortured, and afflicted children of Gaza are a repetition of a tragedy that has been ongoing since 1948, with some horrific additions.
This reality hurts those who benefit from these images, especially those who launched the latest war on October 7, 2023, such as Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and others, as if they were programmed to serve Israel. This is clear evidence of how the Arabs have dealt with the Palestinian cause over the past decades, rejecting the language of reason to address the ongoing Nakba. The reason is that this language does not satisfy the ambitions of those who profit from the cause.
They never miss an opportunity to praise the Iranian regime and its groups in the Arab world, as it serves their quest for further extortion, even if the price is the blood of their own people. The leaders of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and some other Palestinian factions deny this reality and continue to fabricate lies, claiming imaginary victories to brainwash ordinary people, and showing no concern for the fate of their people.
They have forgotten what Arab and Gulf states, such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have contributed to the Palestinian cause, particularly the diplomatic efforts that secured the support of approximately 150 countries for the establishment of a Palestinian state. These factions refused to integrate into the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to avoid being bound by its decisions, which are in line with the general Arab viewpoint.
Instead, they chose to serve the interests of the Iranian regime. Quite frankly, the Arabs do not read history nor study its lessons. Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan is reported to have said, “Arabs do not read, and if they do read, they do not understand, and if they do understand, they do not apply what they understand.” The Arabs, particularly the Palestinian leaders, failed to understand the clear signals David Ben-Gurion sent before and after declaring the establishment of the State of Israel, especially his insistence on the absence of a specific map to define the borders of his state.
Moreover, the Arabs did not grasp that the outcomes of World War II, along with Europe’s desire to ease the suffering of the Jews and atone for its failure to protect them from the Nazis, motivated European countries to support the establishment of Israel and help it become so powerful. We should not ignore the fact that the greatest winner of that war was the United States, whose renaissance and power were built in large part on immigrant Jewish scientists and Jewish capital.
It is undeniable that the Arabs and the leaders of the Palestinian factions have always demonstrated their ignorance of the experiences of other peoples and the influence of the Zionist movement. They failed to grasp the significance of the Soviet Union’s prompt recognition of Israel immediately after its declaration at the United Nations.
However, nearly a quarter of a century later, the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was the only one who understood the message and realized that defeating Israel was not possible, given the limited Arab capabilities. It is worth noting that when Sadat requested weapons from the Soviet Union before the October 1973 War, the Soviet response was, “We will fulfill all your requests on one condition that you do not approach the Israeli borders, because they are internationally protected by the superpowers.”
While the Arabs are sincerely demanding peace with Israel, some continue to serve Tel Aviv, foremost among them being the Palestinian factions linked to Iran. Iran uses these factions as pawns to advance its own interests, just as Jamal Abdel Nasser, Hafez al-Assad, the Iraqi Ba'ath Party, and other forces previously exploited the Palestinian cause. Therefore, the daily tragic scenes in the Gaza Strip are, in fact, the greatest service to Israel, which seeks to evacuate Gaza of its population, along with displacing residents of the West Bank, which is the very nucleus of the Palestinian state.
Is this how Palestine will be liberated? Shouldn’t we adopt the language of reason and support the efforts of the moderate Arab states that have given the promised Palestinian state the momentum we see today at the United Nations? Isn’t it time for the faction leaders living in luxury hotels to stop investing in the blood and destiny of their own people? It is important to view President Mahmoud Abbas’s speech at the United Nations as a roadmap for the international community toward the establishment of a Palestinian state.
This goal is closer today than ever, provided that the faction leaders waging war in Gaza and the West Bank from the comfort of hotel suites are fully rejected. Only then can this ongoing tragedy finally come to an end.
