All is Quiet on the Gaza Front—At Least for Now
Recent developments in Gaza have deeply tightened the Gordian knot that is the
Middle East peace process. Israel’s recent offensive against Hamas militants in the Gaza
Strip has cast a dark shadow on the prospect of a peaceful resolution to the Israel-
Palestinian conflict. The Obama administration may very well be the only silver lining as
diplomatic efforts have intensified in Cairo, Egypt where the Egyptian government has
been receiving representatives, particularly from Hamas and Israel, to secure a durable
ceasefire. Both parties unilaterally declared a suspension of hostilities on January 18 but
the failure to consolidate their terms and conditions has led to a political stalemate and a
fragile truce. Nevertheless, the situation in Gaza remains volatile with grave and
destabilizing effects: Hamas has not been deterred, Israel has damaged its international
standing, Arab states have become polarized, and most importantly, the Palestinian
people are still suffering.
The main justification for Israel’s use of force in Gaza was articulated by Defense
Minister Ehud Barak: “If the criminal rocket fire aimed at Israeli civilians does not stop
immediately, Israel will use all its resources and all the legal tools it possesses to force
the enemy to stop this aggressive, illegal behavior." In this context, the “enemy” is a
reference to Hamas—the Palestinian political and social organization that is responsible
for the firing of Qassam (named after a politician of the 1940’s) rockets onto southern
Israeli towns.
Beyond its reputation as a terrorist organization, Hamas is also the political party
that won a sweeping victory in the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) legislative elections in
2006, defeating Fatah—the party of the current PA President Mahmoud Abbas. In 2007,
the democratically-elected Hamas forcibly ousted its Fatah rivals in Gaza and gained de
facto control over the narrow strip of land and its 1.5 million Palestinian inhabitants.
Many international commentators have described Gaza as an “open air prison”
because the blockade enforced by Israel has completely isolated the area from the rest of
the world. Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza that constrains the flow of food, fuel,
medicine, and other goods from entering the area. Ever since Hamas took control of
Gaza in 2007, Israel has imposed even tighter restrictions. Julia Hurley, a student from
the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy, offered an explanation behind the
popularity of Hamas, “Palestinians were cut off from food and everything during an
illegal siege (collective punishment). As a result, radicals rise up, and are given support
when they believe there is a possibility the cruelty and inhumanity can be stopped.”
Israel also follows a strict policy of not directly communicating with Hamas, and
thereby makes negotiations between the two parties virtually impossible. On Sunday,
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promised a "sharp Israeli response" if Hamas
continues its rocket barrage. Thus, unless Hamas halts the firing of rockets, peacemakers
are beset by the threat of escalating violence. A sustainable ceasefire is possible only if
negotiators can tactfully manage the conflicting positions of deterrence by Israel and
resistance by Hamas.
Israel has been widely condemned for the scale and ferocity of the Gaza
offensive. In times of war, the propaganda battle of public relations can be equally as
important in shaping public opinion as the realities on the ground. Israel has faced
mounting international pressure from many sources for its military action. For instance,
President Nicolas Sarkozy of France criticized “the disproportionate use of force” on
Israel’s part. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon described the destruction to be
“appalling” and “unacceptable” as he stood amid the rubble of a destroyed UN compound
building. But in the face of widespread criticism, Israeli President Shimon Peres held his
ground as a strong apologist of the Israeli perspective at the World Economic Forum at
Davos, “We told Palestinians time and again, don’t fire and there won’t be fire.”
According to international law, the Israelis have the right of self-defense and the
use of proportionate force—which does not necessarily mean that the number of
casualties on both sides must be equivalent. At Davos, President Peres cited the level of
Israeli casualties over the last several years by acts of terrorism: 1,167 Israelis have been
killed and 8,500 Israelis were wounded. There is a legitimate argument to be made that
every state must safeguard the welfare of its population and that Israel fulfilled this
objective by its offensive in Gaza.
However, now that Israel has lifted its media restrictions and international
journalists have entered Gaza, the concentration of death and damage inflicted upon the
Palestinians in twenty two days can be fully assessed: The BBC reports that 1,300
Palestinians were killed (400 were children), 4,000 homes were destroyed and 17,000
were damaged, electricity and water is scarce, sanitation systems are disrupted, healthcare
facilities are overwhelmed, and the embargo of construction materials to rebuild homes
and infrastructure has created a humanitarian crisis. In fact, there has been speculation
that Israel may have violated international humanitarian law and it may be guilty of
committing war crimes. Since the Gaza civilians had no option of escaping the war zone,
UN investigator Richard Falk asserted, "There could have been temporary provision at
least made for children, disabled, sick civilians to leave, even if where they left to was
southern Israel."
In the aftermath of the war, the Arab states have become polarized by the
Palestinian cause. Iran and its allies are adhering to a strategy of resistance towards Israel
whereas more moderate countries like Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia favor a
more diplomatic approach.
Even though the Iranian camp is gaining popularity in the present time, violent
means of reaching political goals cannot be sustained indefinitely. In order to reach an
agreement, both sides must make concessions—for Israel to lift its blockade, Hamas must
stop smuggling rockets into Gaza. For negotiations to bear fruit, Hamas must bind itself
to the other Palestinian factions to create a national unity government.
The situation no longer warrants a “blame game.” Authorities must expedite a
peaceful resolution to begin the long and costly reconstruction process because, alas, the
only absolute losers in this political row are the Gaza civilians—and they are waiting for
help in silence.
