Where Hamas and Israel meet

Well, here is a re-run of a truce, or rather a semi truce in Gaza. Egypt mediated to stop aggression against the Gaza Strip and its people and Hamas uses  its channels to Israel in order to confirm it had no intention of escalating the violence and that it will make changes to the situation in Gaza and withold launching rockets from it. The result?  A greater number of deaths and injuries, while the situation remains as is, under a shaky truce in the interests of both Hamas and Israel. It is a matter of  combined interests, neither more nor less. Hamas' interest lies in keeping control over Gaza at any cost. As for Israel, it needs a Palestinian party which doesn't  care about the peace process in order to claim there was no partner for it to negotiate with. While for Hamas it is better for to play such a game with the Muslim Brotherhood  in Egypt,  which belong to a school of mixed politics and opportunism to justify every means it  can to  attain power and keep it. The recent round of violence began when Israel assassinated the Secretary-General of the Popular Resistance Committees Sheikh Zuhair al-Qaisi together with a leader of the Islamic Jihad movement's military wing, the al-Quds Brigades affiliated to Iran, so he died as the victim of Israeli aggression. In response to this assassination, rockets were fired towards Israeli towns and villages close to the Strip. Perhaps Israel was seeking this kind of escalation to test out its new technology which is designed to protect it from rockets, whether from Gaza or the Lebanese territory. Israel practices state terrorism and decided to take revenge on an operation targeting an Israeli tourist by the Popular Resistance Committee (PRC) last August on  Highway 12 which extends along the railway with Egypt, at a distance of about twenty kilometres from the Red Sea port of Eilat. What can be inferred from the latest round of violence which claimed the lives of so many people in Gaza? All that can be said is that Gaza is the loser,  exactly as it was after the war in late 2008 and early 2009. However, what is of significant importance is that Hamas and its successor, the  Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt coordinate, to seek to rectify the situation and put an end to the escalation. This decision points out the intention of Ismail Haniyeh's deposed government to tighten its control over the Strip and to prevent any excesses in the future. Iranian loyalists are able to launch missiles from here and there, but it seems like there are limits to an escalation since Hamas has no interest in that. This is out of the question for the simple reason that there is a tacit understanding between Hamas and Israel to keep the status quo.  This understanding stems from Hamas' desire to be the sole ruler and have the final word in the "Islamic Emirate" it set up in the Strip in order to change the nature of the Palestinian society.  Neither more nor less. It is important for Hamas and the school to which it belongs, to change the nature of the society and not get rid of the occupation. At a certain point, Israel gave Hamas the choice between retaining power and eliminating the Iranian groups working under several guises, on the top of which was the so-called "Islamic Jihad" It is clear that Hamas has chosen power. In order to stay in power, Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar went to Tehran in order to give assurances that Hamas will not confront Israel which might lead Hamas to lose Gaza… and that it will impede any Palestinian reconciliation, including the formation of a national unity government. It is no longer of importance to lift the siege on Gaza. It is no longer of importance to achieve the Palestinian national unity. The priority is to let Hamas have control over Gaza regardless of the tragedies of the families who are living their lives in an open prison. Perhaps the most dangerous thing in this irresponsible behaviour which does not take into account the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip who live in a yield economy rather than a productive economy. Now most of the Palestinians in Gaza depend on foreign aid most of which is smuggled through tunnels that connect Gaza with Sinai. In the past, there was a large number of Palestinians who worked hard in order to earn a living and educate their children in the best schools and universities. Perhaps the real success Hamas has achieved in Gaza, with the blessing of Israel of course, is in transforming Palestinians into a lazy society, with little interest in the educational programmes in the Strip. What Gaza sees now places further challenges at the door of the Palestinian National Authority. Not least is to distance itself from the trivialities, bickering and limited calculations as well as accommodating the seriousness of the Israeli project which bet on creating a new reality on the ground in Gaza. Unfortunately, Hamas consented to be  part of this project when creating an independent Palestinian entity totally irrelevant to the West Bank which is no longer repulsive to its people, thanks to Dr. Salam Fayyad's government first of all. What is at stake is Palestinian unity. This unity can be achieved only under a greater political programme by the Palestinian authority. Anything else is a cheap manoeuvre and conspiracy with Israel along with its project aimed at retaining a part of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. What a truce in Gaza, supported by Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt! But in order for  that truce to be meaningful, it is necessary more than ever that Hamas admit that its authoritarian project does nothing but play into the hands of Israel. The starting point is admitting that controlling Gaza is serving Israel. What is the difference between the Israeli occupation of Gaza and changing it into a big prison for its people? They are one and the same.