Opinion | Columnists
Israel is intent on not giving Hamas a victory
For many observers, particularly in the western world, the kidnapping of an Israeli solider will not help alleviate the four decades of suffering of occupied Palestinians. Hamas must handle the current crisis wisely so the cost does not outweigh the benefit.
- By Marwan Al Kabalan, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 00:00 July 7, 2006
For many observers, particularly in the western world, the kidnapping of an Israeli solider will not help alleviate the four decades of suffering of occupied Palestinians. On the contrary, it will make the life of hundreds of thousands of besieged Palestinian families more difficult.
Israel exploited the case of the kidnapped solider to destroy the already poor infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. The main power station was put out of service for at least six months, key bridges have been turned into rubble, Gaza has been isolated from the rest of the world and water and food supplies are allowed only in small quantities.
This argument is true and valid. Yet, it is also true that the life of Palestinians has never been easy before the kidnapping of the Israeli solider.
Even when Hamas was moving closer towards accepting the conditions of the quartet (the UN, the EU, Russia and the US), Israel had never stopped killing Palestinian activists based on their intentions to attack Israel.
Beside, Israeli officials seem to have forgotten that Hamas owes its electoral victory to their awkward policies. Fifteen years of painful negotiations since the Madrid peace conference in 1991 have yielded in absolutely nothing. Israel made partial withdrawals from parts of the West Bank in the 1990s to be re-occupied in April 2002.
Promises about freeing thousands of Palestinian prisoners some of them have spent decades in Israeli jails have never materialised. For most Palestinians, begging and pleading were no longer an option. The Israeli withdrawal from Gaza last year was a case in point. Palestinians have turned Gaza from an asset into a liability for the Israeli occupation.
Hezbollah has also provided an example to follow for Palestinians and other dispossessed people around the world. It has humiliated the invincible Israeli army and embarrassed the Arab world, which for half a century failed in defending Arab lands and Arab dignity. For the first time in the region's history, Israel was forced to withdraw from an Arab land without a schedule, without negotiations and above all without humiliating provisions.
Successful operation
Furthermore, in 2001 and in a successful intelligence operation, Hezbollah kidnapped a former Israeli officer. After two years of tough negotiations, sponsored by Germany, Israel and Hezbollah reached an agreement. Hundreds of Lebanese and Arab prisoners were freed from Israeli jails.
The prisoners exchange agreement was hailed in the Arab world as a great victory for the Islamic resistance. It undoubtedly was. Hamas must have understood the lesson well and after being squeezed to the crash point it was spared no option but to adopt Hezbollah's strategy and emulate its tactics.
Since it came to power, Israel has been trying to undermine Hamas's government and punish the very people who elected it. Total isolation, daily bombardment, cutting off aid and stamping the new Palestinian government with terrorism were among the policies Israel adopted to oust Hamas.
Fearing massive Israeli retaliation along with huge domestic challenges, Hamas decided not to respond. When Hamas's response came, it sounded like a slap on the face for the Israeli military.
Yet, the kidnapping of the Israeli solider came at the wrong time for Hamas. Israel was waiting for an opportunity to destroy the new Palestinian government, prove its helplessness and tarnish its image. Israel grabbed this opportunity and exploited it to a maximum end.
For Israel, the case does look very much like a solider that it seeks to free. Israel is implementing a plan that has been put months ago to destroy Hamas at the most suitable occasion. That occasion has come and Israel does not seem in the mood to let it go.
In addition, Israel is wary that if Hamas succeeds in getting anything in exchange for the solider, that would set a precedent and change the rules of the game between the two sides. Hamas's accomplishment will also be hailed as a victory in Palestine and the rest of the Arab world.
Israel is intent on not giving Hamas such a victory and seems willing to use all the power it has to prevent that. Hamas must hence be careful in handling this issue so that the cost does not outweigh the benefit.
Dr Marwan Al Kabalan is a lecturer in media and international relations, Faculty of Political Science and Media, Damascus University, Syria.
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