Hamas succeeded in forcing Israelis to confront the fallacy of basing its policies via-a-via the Palestinians on military force. October 7 will live with Israelis for generations. Hamas also succeeded in putting the cause of Palestine back on the international agenda. It won’t be long before it is also part of the Israeli agenda. Hamas is also responsible for bringing about the destruction of Gaza and a Nakba more horrible than 1948 as well as the atrocities it committed against Israelis.
For Palestinians the lessons learned must first and foremost be that there should no longer be an armed struggle as part of their liberation strategy – right or wrong- the armed struggle primarily brings death and destruction.
Israel killed tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians. Israel’s actions in Gaza were entirely disproportionate and unjustified by any military or moral scale. Both sides have committed war crimes. Non- violent political Islam is legitimate. Armed Palestinian militia should disappear from the Palestinian struggle. Israelis also must understand that there is no military solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Gaza war must be the last Israeli Palestinian war. We simply cannot continue to do this. Every person living between the River and the Sea must have the same right to the same rights. From that principle we can move forward. Freedom, self-determination, security, and dignity for all.
