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Gaza, the blockade, and the revolving door policy

Gaza, the blockade, and the revolving door policy April 5, 2019 at 3:24 am | Published in: Article , Israel , Middle East , Palestine , Syria Palestinians protest against the closure of the Rafah crossing point between Egypt and the southern Gaza Strip and the Israeli blockade on the territory, on January 24, 2019 in Rafah. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP / Getty) Ahmad Al-Hilah April 5, 2019 at 3:24 am Gaza is constantly moving left and right, focusing its main efforts on confronting the Israeli occupation, the only enemy of the Palestinians and the main cause of their suffering.

Gaza has done well in directing its compass at the by pointing it at the head of the snake located in Tel Aviv, which is directly responsible for the siege, although some of its friends, which deposit their poison into the milk, have taken up the role.

Launching the mass Great Return Marches on Land Day last year, which falls on March 30th, a few days after the “We want to live” incitement, disturbed the plans of the traitors working against the Palestinian people, who, in turn, reaffirmed their commitment to the option of resistance against the occupation. They refuse to surrender to the storm of hunger and destitution.

After witnessing the Palestinian perseverance and awareness, which take the initiative, the international and regional mediators have resumed their efforts to save the situation and prevent an explosion after rockets were fired into the city of Tel Aviv from Gaza at a critical moment in time. This may topple the master of the temple, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is heading to his electoral wedding on April 9th. The mediators have promised alleviation that is more than just crumbs in the form of the promise made by UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov to “temporarily” employ about 20,000 unemployed individuals, allocating $45 million for this until the end of the year. He also promises to improve services such as health, water and fuel, raising the grant to $110 million, as recorded since last September.

The “respectable” mediators, both international and Egyptian, are no more than an attempt to re-invest the blockade in the context of managing the crisis, not solving it, to achieve some goals, which are as follows:

First, prevent an explosive so close to the Israeli parliamentary elections in order not to ruin the Likud Party and its leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s chances of winning, as his winning involves some shared interests with some Arab regimes that share his hostility towards Iran and Arab Islamists, beginning with Hamas. This is due to its presence and the hope it gives to other Islamist and Arab nationalist movements that have become weak and desperate after the counter-revolutions and coups against the revolutions and mass movements in the Arab countries.

Second, exhaust the Palestinian resistance by constantly occupying it with resolving crises and seeking to decode the revolving door used by the successive Israeli leaderships, the PA, and some Arab regimes. They are using the policy of switching places and the stick and carrot policy every time the humanitarian situation reaches the brink of explosion.

Third, not to lose contact with Hamas through the Egyptian portal, which has exclusive powers to manage the relationship with the Gaza Strip, to absorb the resistance and restructure its political convictions that are rebellious by nature against the fait accompli policy. This reminds us of the PLO’s experience, which was financially besieged after being dismissed from Lebanon and the surrounding countries. It was forced to the negotiations table or the political process in light of the darkness of the Arab differences after the crisis of Iraq’s occupation by Kuwait.

Read: UN chief pays tribute to Egypt’s role in avoiding ‘dramatic’ Gaza escalation

Fourth, occupying the resistance’s programme with the siege on Gaza and making the resistance a tool linked by circumstance to the equation of lifting the siege, reducing the scene to the trio of Gaza, the siege, and the resistance. The occupation uses this to tighten its grip on the West Bank and Jerusalem, benefitting from its security coordination with the PA security agencies, which play a major role in protecting the Israeli settlements and settlers by outlawing the resistance and arresting freedom fighters.

More importantly, what is happening in the Gaza Strip and the targeting the resistance as a whole is closely linked to the American administration’s desire to liquidate the Palestinian cause through the so-called deal of the century. This deal is expected to be revealed after the formation of the Israeli government next May or June. This is after Washington showed its bad intentions by ignoring the two-state solution, disregarding the principle of adhering to the relevant international resolutions, and its recognition of Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. This means we must be extremely cautious of all international and regional mediators who seem to be interested in hastening the pace of aborting the resistance project or absorbing and taming it, making it more realistic in its dealings with the upcoming politic projects. This is especially since the links talk about the centrality of the Gaza Strip in the next Zionist-American project to settle the Arab-Israeli conflict.

This idea has been present in the Israeli mentality since the Oslo Accords, which began with Gaza and Jericho first, thus confirming the occupation’s greed and its desire to impose Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, even if later.

Despite the horrific siege and its catastrophic impacts and effects, the situation requires more patience and wisdom in managing public affairs and the national scene in cooperation with the Palestinian forces by a partnership to thwart attempts to undermine the cause and the national rights of the Palestinian people. This is especially since the worst case scenario facing the Palestinians and resistance will likely be focused on the period between the Israeli elections in April 2019 and the next American presidential elections, to be held in November 2020, i.e. for an entire year open to endless possibilities. This will be accompanied by the American leniency at a senior level, with Israel which is heading towards the extreme far right. This requires to require mobilisations and alertness, as well as preparation for the worst scenarios expected inside and outside of Palestine.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

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