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The Palestinians Experienced a Nakba but Feel Victorious

(Ynet News) Dr. Michael Milshtein - The Palestinian side regards the current war as a historic achievement - primarily since Israel was damaged and taken by surprise at its start, and that Israel has not achieved a decisive victory. There's a sense of accomplishment in the Palestinian arena regarding the current Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement which, de facto, recognizes Hamas as the dominant force in Gaza, for which no alternative exists. Despite unprecedented suffering, many Gazans view the agreement, like Oct. 7, as a national achievement. Here and there, you might hear a voice critical of Hamas, primarily from Palestinian Authority officials, but most Palestinians believe that Oct. 7 was an attack on military targets, not accompanied by war crimes. No prominent Palestinian intellectual, political leader or political analyst speaks of regret, shame or responsibility for the massacre. There are no signs of soul-searching concerning the price of the war. Responsibility for the carnage and destruction, described as a Nakba greater than that of 1948, is laid at Israel's doorstep. On Oct. 7, the "conception" in Israel that radical Palestinian elements could be "tamed" collapsed. The notion that occupation lies at the root of the conflict, and that the solution is a Palestinian state, collapsed too. The brutality and demonization exposed on Oct. 7 stemmed from neither political repression nor economic deprivation, but rather from a religious and cultural animosity burning for years. Israelis should liberate ourselves from ideas about striving to "deradicalize the Palestinians, like in Germany and Japan" - a process possible only via soul-searching rather than external coercion. Hamas is an integral part of Palestinian society, fused into it. Hamas represents large parts of society and reflects deep-seated trends within it. There is no clear dichotomous divide between Hamas and the general public. The sense of Palestinian achievement emboldens Hamas's position among Palestinians and the perception that exalts the ongoing struggle against Israel. The worst war in the history of the Israel-Arab conflict has generated unprecedented hostility and a burning desire for revenge toward Israelis. The writer is head of the Forum for Palestinian Studies at the Dayan Center of Tel Aviv University.
2025-02-02 00:00:00
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