ATLANTA, Ga., Sept. 3 (IPS) – Most people think Israel’s primary objective in the Gaza Strip is to rescue the hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and announce a follow-up mission to eliminate Hamas as a threat. If you thought that, you’re wrong. Substantial evidence points to a different strategic objective: to destroy all legitimacy of Palestine as a state.
Despite repeated pleas from the weak Biden-Harris-Blinken White House to stop bombing civilians in Gaza, Israel refuses to end the massacre. What’s going on? As is often the case in the Middle East, there is at least one hidden sub-conspiracy behind every obvious conspiracy. Israel’s overarching strategic goal during its 10-plus months of senseless and horribly destructive campaign in Gaza is not only to kill Hamas militants and tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, but also to kill the much-hyped “two-state solution.” The ongoing massacre in the West Bank is aimed not only at destroying Palestinian infrastructure or the hopeless young “lion’s den” resistance, but also at destroying the very idea that Palestinians have a right to self-determination or legitimacy as a state. While most of the world condemns the massacre in Gaza, the full-scale war against the cities and civilians of the West Bank has not received much scrutiny. The most telling evidence is that Netanyahu’s extremist Likud government continues its indiscriminate bombing campaign in Gaza, and Hamas continues to reject offers to release hostages in exchange for a temporary ceasefire. Israel’s military leaders, like most American intelligence experts, have acknowledged that Hamas cannot be completely eliminated. Sadly, the horrific loss of life in Gaza at this point is not really about Gaza. It is a distraction from the land grab in the West Bank, which the Israelis call “Judea and Samaria.” Netanyahu has echoed the settlers’ argument that Israel cannot be accused of illegally occupying “our land” militarily. One of President Biden’s first words of wisdom after Hamas’ obscene war crimes on October 7, and just before boarding Air Force One to pay a humiliating tribute to indicted war criminal Netanyahu, was to propose a meaningless “two-state solution.” But the man who chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for years must have known that the “two-state solution” was already in its final stages and unlikely to be revived. Now, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is parroting the “genocide bill” instead of offering a formula for peace. The first lesson of international diplomacy at the macro level is that a regime must have legitimacy as a people before it can achieve concrete realities as a nation. The birth of the United States is an example. The Boston Tea Party, Patrick Henry’s speech, and Paul Revere’s ride united the popular identity of the United States.
Valley Forge and Yorktown in Washington actually gave birth to a nation. Gaining legitimacy, the unquestionable right to exist as an organized political entity, is how a population or a rebel movement becomes a nation. By destroying peaceful West Bank villages with tanks and jet bombers, bulldozing streets, and labeling all Palestinians as terrorists, indigenous societies are being robbed of their heritage and their current and future legitimacy. Any chance of becoming a nation is being destroyed by Israel’s “excessive” damage to civilian life and infrastructure throughout Gaza and the West Bank. Meanwhile, the political establishment’s pretense of supporting peace is a sick trick. Let’s stop saying “genocide is bad” and “killing people is bad” and stop saying “killing civil society is also a positive evil” because it kills the future of an entire people.
James E. JenningsHis PhD is the President of Conscience International. www.conscienceinternational.org And he is the executive director of the U.S. Academy of Peace. He provided support to Gaza hospitals from 1987 to 2014, including the 2009 “cast lead” bombing and the period under Israeli, PLO and Hamas control.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All rights reservedOriginal Source: Inter Press Service
