The recent military crisis in the Middle East last month (May 2021) between Israel and Hamas is completely different from the previous crises (2008) and (2014) respectively because this time the crisis was not limited to Gaza but extended to East Jerusalem. in the West Bank and inland Israel.
In addition, it restored the Palestinian problem to the forefront of international diplomacy, and the conflict had upgraded features that are likely to have long-term consequences. More specifically:
1. For the first time, Palestinian unity is restored after decades of civil war conflicts and divisions.
2. For the first time since the first Intifada (uprising) of 1987, all together, both the armed organizations as well as citizens of all ages and ideologies united and mobilized en masse from the territories of historic Palestine (Jordan River) to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
Photo by the website https://en.wikipedia.org
The culmination of this unity appeared at the meeting of the Supreme Committee of the Arab Israelis, where both secularists, Islamists and communists participated and in which a General Strike was decided. On the day of the general strike, the shops in the Arab cities of Israel, in the West Bank, died, while in the shops of the Jewish West Jerusalem, only their owners remained, because the Palestinian officials were on strike.
These events show us that we are now moving beyond the framework of the strategic solution, which included the impasse of finding a solution based on two separate states, in an anti-apartheid context of the struggle for equal political rights in a single state. An issue unthinkable for the Israeli government.
As for Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu was initially the winner of this crisis and as he now returned to political life from his previous “political death” and emerged from the ashes of the conflict.
Hamas attacks rallied the Israeli state in the face of Benjamin Netanyahu, and he managed to oust his judicial adventures. Naftali Bennett, his main successor, was forced to suspend his initial talks to form a government with Jair Lapid after his electoral base exploded first.
The formation of a new government of Naftali Bennett with Gair Lapid needs to win the votes of confidence of seven parties, making it difficult for them to negotiate in the future unless they are united by the fear of the return of Benjamin Netanyahu. The difficulty of reaching an agreement with so many parties make it highly likely that this government will be short-lived. But the fact that this government has begun to move politically into the post-Netanyahu era is also the first step.
Benjamin Netanyahu is credited with the complete destruction of Hamas’ “Metro”.
But the fact that Hamas rockets hit both southern Israel and Tel Aviv along with Jerusalem, forcing Israeli lawmakers to adjourn the Knesset to take precautionary measures, brought to the fore the reality that there can be no security without political solution.
Hamas came out stronger, making thousands of Palestinians in the occupied territories celebrate. At the same time, Israel’s image in the international community has been severely damaged. For the first time in the United States, such strong voices were heard against the Israeli government and especially within the Democratic Party.
Twenty-eight senators in the Democratic Party issued a letter calling for a ceasefire, two days before US President Joe Biden was forced to do so.
The EU, while paying most of the international financial assistance to the Palestinians, has not issued a statement, as they are occupied by the fear of radical Islam which in turn feeds the immigration problem.
