On Monday, the death toll in demonstrations near the fence in Gaza was the highest number of casualties to date. Israeli forces shot and killed 57 Palestinians and injured more than 2,700. Israel has suffered no serious casualties in these altercations and the lopsided death toll has fueled criticism that Israel was being disproportionate in its response.
There may be a problem with lack of discipline and trigger-happy Israel Defense Force (IDF) soldiers, but the violence of the response is not a reflection of an Israeli interest.
An Israeli military spokesman recently admitted, in a leaked conversation, to a crowd of American Jews that the number of Palestinian casualties in demonstrations near the fence in Gaza had done “a disservice” to Israeli standing abroad.
He voiced concern that the Palestinians have won the public diplomacy battle “by a knockout”.
Israel is clearly putting its interest in preventing incursions into its sovereign territory ahead of the need to preserve Palestinian life but indiscriminate shooting only harms its overall strategy. The status quo favors Israel and escalation does not. Its economy is booming, relations with the US are blossoming. It even won the Eurovision song competition! It has a clear interest in deflating the body count and preventing escalation.
High toll is a ‘Gazan phenomenon’
The high level of violence near the Gaza border cannot be explained through the presence of Israeli troops. To put the demonstrations into context, it is useful to note that organized protests against the embassy move have taken place throughout Israel proper and the West Bank as well. Some have been violent. At the Qalandiya crossing, north of Jerusalem, stones were thrown at Israeli soldiers and they responded with live bullets, tear gas and rubber-coated pellets. However, there were no casualties in these clashes. The significant death toll is so far a Gazan phenomenon.
Some explain the demonstrations as the product of desperation on the part of the residents of Gaza. Indeed, demonstrators chanted “death is better than humiliation” as they stormed the border. They have a surfeit of reasons to experience a sense of despair. According to reports, at least 95% of the water in Gaza is undrinkable and 48% of the population is unemployed.
The despair of individuals, however, is not a potent political tool in and of itself. In order to be effective, the demonstrations must be supported and directed from above. In other words, Hamas is weaponizing desperation. They do not hide this fact. Hamas leader Salah al-Bardawil claimed that 50 of the 62 Palestinian rioters killed this week during clashes with the IDF on the Israel-Gaza Strip border were members of the Islamist group.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic and is contributing to the ongoing protests. Other analysts blame the move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem for the recent escalation, but that is of equal or greater concern to Palestinians elsewhere. The violence in Gaza cannot be analyzed in isolation from the political interests of Hamas. In the internal Palestinian leadership struggle, the Islamic movement has fallen on hard times. Hamas has proven impotent on two interconnected levels. It has failed to prevent a humanitarian crisis developing in the Gaza Strip.
This is significant since historically, the Islamic movement gained its power by providing social services. One of the secrets of the early success of Hamas was their ability to provide better education or healthcare than the Palestinian Authority. The governance failure of Hamas has completely eliminated this advantage.
Hamas unable to accept full handover
On a second level, it has been unable to successfully reconcile with Fatah. Taking advantage of the weakness of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Fatah recently raised its demands in the context of an inter-Palestinian deal. President Abbas demanded a full handover of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority; terms Hamas cannot accept. In an effort to squeeze the government in Gaza, they have cut the budgets and wages allocated to the already beleaguered Strip, increasing its difficulties.
As a result of these dynamics, Hamas’ bargaining position in reconciliation talks had weakened. In talks brokered by Egypt, Hamas evinced a willingness to join the PLO, recognize all of the agreements that the PLO has signed with the international community and hold elections. The leadership in Gaza was also considering dismantling the military wing of Hamas: the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and uniting with the PA police force.
The demonstrations have restored some of Hamas’ power. While their political situation remains bad, they have restored their position as the vanguard of the struggle against Israeli occupation. In particular, the move of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has provided them with an opportunity to appear to be at the forefront of the resistance.
This is not to say that Hamas has an interest in another major confrontation with Israel. It is in their interests to keep the issue at a simmer without allowing it to boil over. Israel has threatened that if violence continues to escalate, it will resume targeted killing of Hamas leaders, a tactic it abandoned years ago. The assassination of leaders such as Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi and Sheikh Ahmed Yassin is well remembered by the leadership of Hamas and despite their appeals to martyrdom, they are unlikely to want to follow that path. The question is, can they walk that tightrope?
This story is a complete piece of crap, and I’m surprised that Israel
would welcome its publication. I’m beginning to think that the Israelis
are not as intelligent as I thought, and they are also criminal.
Why, were the Davidians shot while charging the FBI agent screaming that they were going to cut his and his families’ hearts out?
Great article! Thanks so much!
Rather simplistic or deliberately distorted view, Moqtada spent many years in Iran and is a Shia cleric hardly enamored by US occupation of his country. He has far more in common with Iran and regional sentiment that US/Zionist propaganda and destabilization of the region.
Richard Arlen The Zionist criminal regime has taken even basic human dignity from the dispossessed Palestinians and then the hasbara shills have the temerity and gross indecency to post such fabricated articles. Zionism is modern day Nazism, and that is an undeniable FACT!
Sad reality is that the brutal Zionists have stolen Palestinian lands, turned Gaza and occupied West Bank into open air gulags where children are shot daily. What do the Palestinians have left to lose?
In 2012 for 6 Israeli killed 1200 Gaza residents were murdered by the Israelis .
Guess you will need to come up with a better headline. BEN
this is like blaming David Koresh for Waco.
TOTAL BULL-SHYT ARTICLE ON ASIA TIMES..Asia times is a tool of the Anglo Zionist empire…GO TO HELL SHAIEL BEN-EPHRAIM
Blame the people you force into the ghetto. Didn’t the Nazis do the same?
Very interesting perspective – have not seen the connection to internal Gazan politics covered in any depth elsewhere and, sadly, it actually makes a lot of sense. (The comments are pretty funny though – right out of the asylum!)
So, Israeli soldiers shoot at the Palistinians, kill 60Palestinians and wounded more than 2000 other Palestinians and the author of this article blames Hamas for the massacre. This is the Wo4ld upside down.
What an outrageous claim! The Stone throwing Palastinians are all Hamas activists, including the children who were killed!
"The problem is that you can not prove yourself against someone who is much weaker than yourself…if you are strong, and you are fighting the weak, than anything you do is criminal." (Reference: Martin van Crevald, (an Israeli military historian); "Transformation of War".
I wonder what the author would say that the Nazies blamed Zionists for Jews slaughter during WW II. Shame on you for blaming Palestinians.
The US/Israel/Saudi is trying to get a regime change in Iran. Their sanctions, threats, currency war, and bombing of Iranian troops in Syria, has only bonded the Iranians closer together. It is more likely there will be regime change in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, if the aggression against Iran continues.
The situation in Gaza is deeply disturbing and the international community is doing nothing, only empty talk. The international community was able to end the racist regime in South Africa by standing together and put pressure on South Africa. With the US firmly behind Israel this will not happen, and the situation will become worse.
Now, Israel is planning to send up an enormous number of satellites to monitor the entire Middle East. Speaking at a conference in Tel Aviv, a former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intelligence chief, Aharon Zeevi Farkas, said that at least 10,000 satellites would help the country provide constant video surveillance of the Middle East by 2025, according to the Jerusalem Post.
It will allow the Israeli army to conduct targeted killings of terrorists "at any time and any place," Farkas stressed.”
In my point of view, it would be much better to find a permanent solution to the Palestinian issues and most of Israel’s security concerns will be solved.
10.000 satellites will cost a fortune, but I guess the US tax payers will pay for it. Satellite’s will not solve any security issues, only make it easier to kill people with full impunity.
Renowned Israeli journalist Gideon Levy says "the victims of Gaza hardly touch anybody in Israel," as the IDF mows down protesters. Hardline right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a stranglehold on politics and the left barely exists.
The situation in Gaza and the entire Middle East will only escalate. What is next? Iran might be Israel’s next target. Then it will go on and on.
not until the arab world wakes up and throws off the saudi monarcy;the egyption al assisi;the heshamite king adullah;and all the potentates of the gulf states. there is no NASSER in sught.
absolutely.the jew has shown the world their suprior racist ”chosen ” bul;shit yet again.only this time they have the full power of the us. military behind them and gaza is just the tip of the war to come .iran through syria will be attacked by the u s. as trump is the zionist potus they wanted and installed through adelson and its aipac and army of 60 m christian zionists.
Jewist propaganda at its best. Well done Ben-Ephraim