The year of steadfastness, challenge, and the beginning of advancement

Written by: Hani Al-Masry

This year is expected to be a hot year, as the most extremist, racist, expansionist and aggressive government came to power in Israel, and it believes that it is capable of resolving the conflict. Because it is strong and cohesive, and it has a majority that it believes is sufficient to make it stable throughout its rule, as indicated by its program, coalition agreements, and the statements of many of its ministers.

In order to realize one of the important differences between this government and the governments that preceded it, we will find that since the start of what was falsely called the "peace process", the governments have declared themselves "conflict resolution", "conflict management", or "conflict reduction", although there are ongoing policies and procedures, Regardless of the government, such as: confiscating lands, Judaizing them, settling them, expelling their residents and gathering them in populated ghettos that are more and more separated from each other, and completing the Judaization of Jerusalem and its family, including the Old City and the sanctities, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque; Where there are vigorous attempts to change his position, and it is expected to escalate during the era of the government of the national and religious right, under the slogan of "equality" between Muslims and Jews in the practice of their worship in Al-Aqsa.

The conflict resolution government can be overthrown

The question: Will Netanyahu's sixth government succeed in resolving the conflict that has not been resolved for 75 years, when the Zionist movement committed the crime of the Nakba? Of course not, especially in light of the insistence of the Palestinian people inside and outside the homeland to defend their cause and keep it alive, and the steadfastness of half of this people on their land, and their number is more than the Jews, despite all the wars, massacres, plans of Judaization, displacement and intimidation, and their determination to stand firm, resist and defend themselves. His land, his rights, his national identity, and the gains achieved by the national movement, the most important of which is that there is a Palestinian liberation cause that is just and morally superior, and that there is one entity that embodies the national identity, and a people that carries this cause, regardless of the existence or absence of a leadership at the level of the people, and at the level of challenge and responsibility.

The fact that the government of the extreme right is very difficult to succeed in resolving the conflict does not diminish the seriousness of what it can accomplish on the path to resolving the conflict, if it is not confronted with what it deserves. We usually exaggerate what the enemy achieves, and exaggerate our achievements.

In this context, we put the talk about the fact that the Zionist movement has been completely defeated at stake, as well as that Israel is about to disappear, or is about to disappear. Indeed, there are those who predicted its demise last year, and instead of reviewing himself and admitting that his diligence is wrong, he finds nothing wrong with extending his prophecy To this year, or to the year 2027, to promote what was known as the "generational curse".

It is true that the Zionist movement was defeated, but in the sense that it was unable to bring all or most of the Jews to the "Promised Land", and it is still searching for its lost legitimacy, and it was not able to expel half of the Palestinians from their homeland, as their number is still more than the number of Jews, and the Palestinian cause is still alive. And the resistance continues.

The Zionist movement was defeated and not defeated

However, the foregoing should not diminish the achievements made by the Zionist movement, especially that it established an advanced country politically, economically, militarily and technologically, defeated the Arabs in the June 1967 war, occupied all of Palestine, withstood the October 1973 war, launched a counterattack, and expelled the PLO from Lebanon, and peace treaties were concluded with Egypt and Jordan, and a declaration of principles with the Liberation Organization, without withdrawing from an inch of Palestine, but there were 900,000 settler settlers in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, in addition to it imposing an apartheid regime on the Palestinians inside Territories of 48, besieging the Gaza Strip, waging military aggression behind the aggression against it, and chasing to liquidate the refugee issue by changing the definition of a refugee and liquidating UNRWA, and it did not succeed, but it succeeded in settling many Palestinians in countries of asylum and diaspora, and in pushing more Palestinians from Syria and Lebanon, And from Palestine, especially from the Gaza Strip, to immigration or the desire to emigrate.

It also concluded treaties with a number of Arab countries, with what was known as the “Abraham Accords”, and seeks to crown them with Saudi Arabia, and has so far deceived the world that it has established the only democracy in the arid Arab desert, and this claim will be dropped by the current government, which is considered by many Israelis and Jews in the world A coup against democracy, and threatens the future of Israel.

Now, how can the plans of the Israeli government be thwarted, which include deepening the occupation, settlement, Judaization, annexation, displacement, apartheid in all of the land of Palestine, and military aggression in all its forms, especially by unrestricted shooting by soldiers and settlers, tightening restrictions on prisoners, and imposing the death penalty on Those who carry out actions that lead to the killing of Jews, placing the Palestinian inside between loyalty and the withdrawal of nationality, changing the status of Al-Aqsa, and fragmenting the Palestinians by deepening the separation between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, to the point of thinking about dissolving the PA, and establishing offices or local authorities in its place, waiting for the displacement of more Palestinians, and calling for guardianship And the Arab alternatives under Israeli sovereignty to erase the name of Palestine from the political and geographical map in the context of giving priority to normalization with the Arabs, to the point of generosity, as Netanyahu expressed, by being prepared to postpone annexation if Saudi Arabia signs a peace treaty with it, as part of an effort for an Arab-Israeli alliance against Iran?

Defense stage, no balance, no strategic attack

The beginning of salvation from what we are in is represented in:

First: the realization that the Palestinians, despite all the elements of power and justice that they possess, and that they can obtain, are going through a stage of strategic defense; That is, they are not in the stage of a strategic attack or a strategic balance, but the strategic defense is not necessarily all negative, but rather includes steps that fall within the studied offensive and positive defence. This is because of the Arab deterioration, the lack of an Arab project, the occupation entity’s control over all of Palestine, and the occurrence of the Palestinian division, which is not confined to the Fatah and Hamas movements and between the West Bank and Gaza, but rather extended abroad and beyond the Green Line, and spread to all the places where the Palestinian people are present under a freeze. The unifying national institution, the loss of national reconciliation, and the lack of respect for the people through the elections.

Second: Realizing that we are in a stage of strategic defense that does not require complacency and surrender to the status quo, or coexistence and dealing with it to perpetuate it, nor adventure, extremism and leaping from it, by raising the ceiling of expectations, or setting high goals for urgent implementation, without the ability to implement them, nor betting on others, Whether on the international community and the strategy of internationalization, or rights, or American pressure on Israel, or a war waged by Iran, or the axis of resistance against Israel. So the bet is first and foremost on the Palestinian people, and to the extent that they are active, unified, and realistic that they can influence on the Arab, regional and international levels, not to cover up the tragic reality by justifying a reality that cannot be justified, nor why did we reach it, and preaching a bright future without paving the way that is capable of reaching it?

Possible change is on the way to achieving the desired change

What is required is to do the best possible; To bring about possible change in leadership, vision, strategies, programs, methods of work, institutions and leaders, on the path of hoped-for change, within a comprehensive vision of the past, its lessons and through it, the challenges, risks and opportunities of the present, and the requirements of moving towards the future; A vision from which strategies and programs emerge that embody common denominators, and take into account the circumstances and tasks of each Palestinian community. Whoever rejects this and wants all or nothing, and calls for the overthrow of the leadership, the dissolution of the authority, and the adoption of armed resistance as the sole or main method, let him do that, so why hesitate, and if he cannot, let him support To achieve the best and maximum possible, and not say the art of the possible. Big slogans without feet are as harmful as ideas of a kind that can't be better than it was.

Beware of chaos and dissolution of power without an alternative

It is dangerous for the currently weak Palestinian, who suffers from disorientation in light of the approved political projects reaching a dead end without crystallizing a new project, with the capabilities and weapons he possesses, pushing the conflict towards decisiveness, the dissolution of power, and an open conflict without restrictions, program, leadership, or organization. What enables his enemy to decide in his favour. It is in the interest of the Palestinian to preoccupy the occupation, exhaust it, disperse its forces, and put pressure on its weaknesses, and not provoke its strengths. This requires focusing on setting appropriate goals, and focusing on popular resistance and boycott without excluding armed resistance, but not as the only or main form, but rather the secondary one at this stage. It is used for self-defense in the face of attacks, assassinations and military aggression, and it targets occupation soldiers and herds of armed settlers.

The main battle is on the bank, so let's focus here

A comprehensive vision that defines goals, principles, values, main forms of struggle, and rules of internal engagement, does not dispense with the development of public and private programmes. It must be realized that the main battle currently taking place is over the West Bank, including Jerusalem and on top of it, and resolving the matter in it so that it becomes word and deed. Judea and Samaria," or remain Palestinian as it was and as it is until now. This requires focusing efforts to save the West Bank, and what this requires in terms of providing the elements of steadfastness and fruitful resistance, and strengthening marginalized and vulnerable regions and sectors that are vulnerable to aggression, settlement, Judaization and annexation.

Here, areas classified (C) are of particular importance; Where the settlement colonial attack will focus on it, as it constitutes more than 60% of the area of the West Bank, and the number of colonial settlers in it is more than twice the number of Palestinians who are subjected to harassment and persecution operations, in addition to refusing to license construction and projects, and preventing them from water and electricity sources, and even from visiting their lands.

The United Nations and international courts do not liberate, but they are necessary weapons

In light of the foregoing, the balance of the two authorities, factions and organizations of all their different names must be reconsidered. Where these areas take the importance they deserve. The essence of the conflict was, is, and will remain on the ground, and here it is possible to benefit from international law, international decisions, and the policies of countries, such as the European Union, without exaggeration and exaggeration. In order to perpetuate the consideration of this land as occupied until its liberation, and to stop the gradual and creeping annexation as a prelude to the legal annexation that this government will seek, if not immediately, then after two years, in the hope that Donald Trump or another right-wing candidate from the American Republican Party will win the upcoming US presidential elections , in order to free the hand of the Israeli government, which remains tied by the Biden administration, if it wants to implement major goals, such as annexation, Judaization, displacement, and changing the status of Al-Aqsa Mosque; This means that the same previous policies, at greater rates and more intensification, are candidates for immediate implementation and will be changed when suitable conditions are available.


Betting on oneself, and providing the ingredients for the victory of the uprising first

In order for the Palestinians to succeed in their battle to thwart the implementation of the Israeli government’s plans, they must rely on themselves mainly, without ignoring the Israeli and Arab parties and players, and in the whole world, who feared this government, and are worried about it and ready to contribute to preventing it from taking action that could cause an explosion. big.

Here, we pour some cold water on the garrison heads who call for the destruction of the temple against us and our enemies, and contribute and promote the occurrence of the Big Bang, the outbreak of an armed or popular uprising, or combine both forms, without remembering the need for clarity of vision, and providing the ingredients for victory for any upcoming uprising. So that its fate will not be like the fate of its predecessors, whose gains were not like all Palestinian struggles with the size of heroism, sacrifices and suffering; It is because of mistakes, inertia, and the scale of external intrigues. The popular first intifada brought us to Oslo, to where we are now. As for the second armed intifada that was betrayed, it led us to assume a leadership that only sees coexistence with the status quo, and does not believe in its people and the importance of struggle in all its forms to achieve national goals and rights, leading to the ominous division. In the event that a third intifada erupts, and the lessons of the two previous intifadas are not learned, it could lead to worse than what has happened so far, as evidenced by the closing chapter on the contemporary national movement with its various national, nationalist, nationalist, leftist, and nationalist parties.

Adopting a realistic national program is an indispensable step

The most important lesson from previous experiences is to develop a program at the heart of which is a major national goal that can be achieved in the immediate term, and at the maximum extent in the medium term. Where he is the organizer of all actions and other goals. I believe that the goal is to end the occupation and settlement and achieve freedom and independence for the State of Palestine on the 67 borders, through the struggle to change the balance of power to allow the achievement of this goal.

What has fallen is the so-called "two-state solution", and the achievement of a state by placing its fate in the hands of Israel, through bilateral negotiations under American, Arab and international cover. As for achieving national independence by forcing Israel to withdraw through boycott and resistance in all its forms, including political, legal and diplomatic action, this has not and will not fail as long as there are millions of Palestinians on the land of Palestine, clinging to their existence, and ready to struggle to achieve their rights.

At the same time, our people behind the Green Line set the goal of individual and national equality and the overthrow of the apartheid system, and our people abroad set the goal of returning, preserving the national identity, and defending the civil rights of our people in places of refuge and diaspora. On the basis that any progress of a part of the people on the way to achieving its goal helps to achieve other goals, and vice versa, although ending the occupation is the locomotive that can lead to other goals.

There are many considerations that make the goal of ending the occupation top the other goals, the most important of which is that there are more than five million Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and that there is a weak point of the occupation, and given that almost the whole world does not recognize the occupation of Israel, and there are international resolutions that support the Palestinian right, the latest of which is the Assembly’s decision the General Assembly of the United Nations to request an advisory opinion of the Supreme Court of Justice, on the nature and fate of the occupation, and the legal and other implications of this very long occupation; This strips it of the supposedly temporary occupation and turns it into an annexation, thus reinforcing the claim that Israel is not only settler colonialism and occupation, but also an apartheid regime.
If immediate unity is not possible, field unity is inevitable

The natural Palestinian response to the existential dangers that affect all Palestinians - regardless of their opinions and names - resulting from the government of extremists, is represented by immediate political, militant and institutional unity. However, the ruling and influential elites do not respond to this necessity. What requires coordination, integration, striking unitary models in all fields, sectors, and regions, and the embodiment of field unity in the context of resistance that strikes in the same direction and against the common enemy, but individually, and this is the weakest faith, and is subject to conflict and non-permanence.

The response is also represented in initiating a comprehensive national dialogue on new bases, with the participation of new players to achieve unity on the basis of national, consensual democracy and genuine partnership. Because reproducing previous dialogues and agreements, with the same people and faction representatives, will lead to the same results.

Finally, it is possible to rise from the current situation, as the people have gone through worse conditions and rose up, as happened after the crime of the Nakba, when the Palestinian revolution broke out, and after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, many thought that the issue was over, so the Palestinian genie rose through a popular uprising.

Based on the foregoing, steadfastness and defiance can begin this year, and national revival and testing can begin in the ability to thwart the Israeli government and overthrow its expansionist and hostile program. This is possible if the Palestinians present and provide the requirements for forming a global front against colonialism, occupation and apartheid, that includes all enemies and opponents. for its program, on the basis that the step of isolating it, boycotting it, and overthrowing it is a step towards ending the occupation and settlement, embodying the independence of the State of Palestine, achieving equality and overthrowing apartheid, and achieving the right of return as a stage on the road to achieving the ultimate goal of establishing a democratic state that accommodates all, after defeating and dismantling the settler-colonial project , on the basis of the equality of all citizens regardless of their religion, sex or color.