By: Prof. Dr. Mohsen Mohammad Saleh.
Delusional is the one who thinks he can impose guardianship on the Palestinian people, while the one who seeks to reward the occupation for its massacres and ensure its security, while not striving to end the occupation and hold it accountable for its crimes, is a partner in crime.
The talk about the future political arrangements for Gaza Strip (GS), after the end of the aggression, has preoccupied the Israeli government, Western governments, as well as Arab and Muslim countries, along with a large number of researchers, specialists and study institutions.
What is striking and dangerous in the matter is that the proposed Israeli and Western projects and concepts have the mentality of imposing their will on the Palestinian people. They assume that the Israeli occupation has decisively won the battle, and it is anticipating political gains, while the field results so far have proven Israel’s abject failure in breaking the backbone of resistance and subduing the popular will. At the same time, the resistance is battling vigorously, thus having a strong chance to defeat the brutal aggression against the Strip.
In this article, we aim to clarify several points regarding any arrangements after the end of the aggression on GS, without delving into how the war will end.
No Guardianship Over the Palestinian People:
The first criterion is that the Palestinian people are mature, capable of determining their own future. No one is allowed to impose guardianship on them or decide on their behalf. International and Israeli projects cannot be imposed on them, regardless of the form they take (international guardianship, Arab-Islamic forces, a Ramallah government with Israeli standards, a local technocratic government acceptable to Israel and the international community, etc.). Under no circumstances would the Palestinian people give their occupier and aggressor the right to choose their leadership, paths of action and struggles.
Claiming that Palestinians being divided has no value here, because the Palestinians are united in rejecting guardianship and in seeking their freedom. They have the right to build their legislative and executive national institutions that express the free will of their people, without excluding any Palestinian forces, and to choose their leaderships and strategies, whether the occupation and its allies like them or not.
Solutions Should Be to End the Occupation, Not Perpetuate It:
The second criterion is that any proposals for solutions should not be solutions to Israel’s problems due to its occupation, land confiscation, desecration of holy sites and the oppression of the Palestinian people. Instead, solutions should be proposed in order to end the occupation and the suffering of the Palestinian people. The goal is not creating better conditions for the occupation and providing a better cover for its ongoing crimes and massacres, so that it would feel at ease, strengthening it to perpetrate more crimes, engage in more aggression and confiscate more Palestinian rights, contrary to all fundamental human rights. Rather, the goal is to establish a solid foundation to force the occupation to withdraw and secure the full rights of the Palestinian people to their land and holy sites.
Therefore, it is not the Palestinians’ job to reassure the occupation about its security and the security of the usurpers of Palestinian land and holy sites. Therefore, any talk of stopping resistance, making administrative and political arrangements in GS in order to silence or uproot it, or preventing Palestinians from electing representatives to express their aspirations is valueless. The primary goal must be reassuring the Palestinians, not the occupation; holding the occupation accountable, not punishing the Palestinians; and disarming the occupation after the world has witnessed its heinous massacres against women, children and the elderly, and its destruction of hospitals, schools and places of worship. This is not about disarming Palestinians exercising their natural right to liberate their land and sacred sites.
Not Just Improving Life Under Occupation:
The third criterion is that any solutions for the future of GS (and the Palestine issue) should not be solely for the improvement of the lives of Palestinians under occupation or siege. The goal is not to enhance living conditions in the world’s largest open-air prison (GS), but rather to liberate the people from occupation. After that, the people have the capabilities and qualifications to build themselves without assistance from anyone, without needing a penny or a dollar from anyone. Occupation itself is ugly, criminal and intolerable, regardless of food and drink availability. Dignity, freedom and honor are inherent qualities in humans that can only be achieved by eliminating injustice and occupation. The aim is not to arrange how to bring the Palestinians back under control, but rather to move on towards liberation and freedom.
The Era of the Entity Above the Law Has Ended:
The fourth criterion is that major powers must stop providing cover for Israel to remain a “state above the law.” Over the past 75 years, this unjust and dangerous situation has granted Israel impunity to commit the worst crimes against the Palestinian people, seize their land and holy sites, and judaize them without accountability. The Israeli occupation could not have killed, within two months, around 16 thousand Palestinians, including more than 7,500 children and 5,100 women, while there is media coverage and live broadcasts, without the reassurance of Western US cover.
This cover not only paralyzes the international community but also supplies Israel with weapons, money, logistical support and exerts immense pressure on Arab and Muslim countries and the world to prevent support for Palestinian resistance, allowing Israeli aggression to continue with its crimes and massacres.
No to Displacement, Yes to Return:
The fifth criterion is the inherent right of the Palestinian people to their land and holy sites, standing against attempts to displace and expel them, preventing a new Nakbah, due to Israeli arrogance, brutality and cruelty. No displacement to Sinai, Jordan or anywhere else, rather if the refugees in GS would make any move, it should be in the context of the enforcement of their natural, i.e., their right to return to their homes and houses from which they were expelled in 1948, a right reaffirmed more than 150 times in international resolutions.
Urgent Measures:
The sixth criterion is that urgent required measures include stopping aggression, opening crossings, lifting the siege on GS, preventing displacement, rebuilding GS and seeking to force the occupation to pay the prices for its crimes against civilians and the destruction of homes, hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, infrastructure and other.
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Finally, the Palestinian people have the right to live their lives freely and with dignity, like all other people on earth. Those proposing future solutions for GS should know that if they talk about “peace,” there is no peace without justice, no peace without freedom and no peace without dignity.
There is no need for new peace process, and there is no need for new pressures on the Palestinian people. The pressure should be on Israel to achieve a clear result that cannot be confused: ending the occupation and realizing the aspirations of the Palestinian people for liberation, return and self-determination.
Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and Consultations, 12/12/2023
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