By Steve Bishop
French academic, Prof Jean-Pierre Filiu, has provided a history of Gaza, its place in the struggle for Palestinian independence and the establishment of a Palestinian state, which is unlikely to be rivalled. Tracing the history of the territory from its role at the crossroads of empires for thousands of years, Prof. Filiu quickly brings his narrative into the 20th century and the seeds of the ongoing conflict, which has not only dominated the news headlines over the past 12 months, but has been a source of contention for several decades.
In his focus upon Gaza Prof. Filiu is aware of the necessity of including the occupied areas of the West Bank in the considerations for an independent Palestine but argues convincingly that addressing the issues in Gaza will be a necessary first step toward such an outcome.
As the current genocide, perpetrated by the Israeli state against the people of Gaza unfolds, an understanding of the history which lies behind the actions of both Hamas in Gaza and the Israeli Defence Force helps illuminate what can appear, as presented by the mainstream media, to be an incomprehensible conflict with no likelihood of a settlement.
Prof. Filiu bases his analysis on three areas of impasse which inform his reading of developments: the Israeli impasse; the humanitarian impasse; and the Palestinian impasse.
In relation to the Israeli impasse Prof Filiu argues that this “stems from the refusal to approach Gaza from any perspective other than Israel’s security” citing the withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlements in 2005 as being a key action in recent times. Israel deemed Gaza an ‘enemy entity’ as a result, with no distinction being made between Hamas, who dominated the territory, and the civilian population.
In any subsequent conflict scenarios, of which there were a number throughout the following decade, Palestinian civilians were killed in their hundreds while Israeli casualties remained low and confined to the military. This was in spite of the declining popular base of Hamas and opposition to its militarised approach from Palestinians themselves.
The humanitarian impasse identified by Prof Filiu is that of the failure of the international community, with the exception of Norway, to enter into any dialogue with Hamas. The United States and the European Union have banned any contact with Hamas ‘terrorists’. One of the disastrous consequences of this approach is the failure of the international community to condemn the Israeli blockade of Gaza, which has been in place since 2007, as an act of war, despite this being the case under international law.
The outcome of this policy has been to effectively strengthen the position of Hamas, as the only purveyor of resources in Gaza, and provide the civilian population with little in the way of hope for support from the international community. As the current conflict continues there has been no pressure from the US or EU to compel the Israelis to end the blockade or to open up land routes into Gaza, to allow humanitarian aid to reach a desperate population.
Prof Filiu’s assessment of the third impasse, the Palestinian impasse, focusses upon the split in the Palestinian forces themselves, with Hamas effectively controlling Gaza and the Palestinian Authority, dominated by Fatah, in control of the West Bank.
Hamas control of Gaza dates back almost 20 years. Having succeeded in securing 74 of the 132 seats to the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), in elections held in January 2006, Hamas was faced with conditions from the West for recognition of its electoral success. These were a commitment to non-violence; recognition of Israel; and respect for agreements already made.
The strategy of the Israelis, to prevent any Hamas representatives from Gaza to travel to the West Bank for PLC meetings, helped force the Hamas retreat into Gaza and exacerbated splits which were already evident within the Palestinian camp. The refusal of Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, to visit Gaza in June 2007 only served to underline the divide between Hamas and Fatah, consolidating the split between the two, Hamas in control of Gaza and Fatah the West Bank.
The history of Gaza and the Palestinian cause however is a history of the refusal of Israel to recognise the legitimate rights of the Palestinians to their own state. It is a history of Israel enforcing that position and acting with impunity over many decades, in spite of numerous United Nations resolutions asserting the rights of Palestinians to a state of their own. It is a history of the failure of the international community to take any enforcement action which could compel Israel to negotiate seriously around a two state solution.
Prof Filiu has provided a history which casts light on how the current situation has evolved. It is in the hands of the international community, and all those who are fighting for solidarity with the Palestinian people, to see the historic and ongoing tragedy of Palestine resolved.
Gaza – A History (Second Edition) by Jean-Pierre Filiu is published by Hurst
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