{"id":13117,"date":"2024-10-08T13:23:08","date_gmt":"2024-10-08T12:23:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=13117"},"modified":"2024-10-08T13:23:08","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T12:23:08","slug":"palestinians-must-be-given-the-space-to-reorganize-their-political-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/analysis\/palestinians-must-be-given-the-space-to-reorganize-their-political-agency\/2024\/10\/08\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Palestinians must be given the space to reorganize their political agency"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"By Amjad Iraqi<\/strong><\/p>\n

As the anniversary of Hamas\u2019s 7 October assault approaches, global attention has tilted away from Israel\u2019s war on Gaza as it metastasizes into a broader conflagration with Hezbollah and Iran.<\/p>\n

This\u00a0dramatic turn of events is<\/a>, tragically, characteristic of Palestinian history. For decades, Palestinians have been held captive to forces far beyond their influence, and this year has been no different.<\/p>\n

As Israel imposes new facts on the ground in the occupied territories, and Arab and Western capitals deliberate over \u2018day after\u2019 plans, Palestinians\u2019 fate continues to be decided by external powers\u00a0\u2013\u00a0largely without their participation.<\/p>\n

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Rather than investing further capital on a failed statehood project, policymakers should focus on bolstering Palestinian agency.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

In recent months, some policymakers have sought to alter this troubling dynamic by encouraging recognition of Palestinian statehood. But this approach is a red herring that fails to grapple with Palestinians\u2019 immediate needs and the deeper predicaments at the heart of the conflict.<\/p>\n

Rather than investing further capital on a failed statehood project, policymakers should focus instead on bolstering Palestinian agency through other channels\u00a0\u2013\u00a0and, most importantly, countering Israel\u2019s relentless efforts to deplete that agency.<\/p>\n

Paralysis and survival<\/h2>\n

A year into Israel\u2019s devastating military onslaught, Palestinians in Gaza find themselves trapped in an uninhabitable wasteland. Much of the territory\u2019s housing and infrastructure have been turned into\u00a0valleys of\u00a0rubble<\/span><\/a>, and its natural environment has been degraded by bombs, toxins, and debris.<\/p>\n

The omnipresence of death, displacement and starvation has shattered family and communal relations that made up Gaza\u2019s social fabric, with worrying implications for public order and rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

The West Bank, too, has not been spared Israel\u2019s wrath. Military and\u00a0settler\u00a0violence<\/span><\/a>, backed by top Israeli government officials, have expanded the\u00a0annexation of the\u00a0territory<\/span><\/a>, displacing hundreds of Palestinians and capturing more land for settlements.<\/p>\n

The Israeli army has intensified its incursions into Palestinian cities and refugee camps, ostensibly targeting local armed groups but inflicting collective punishment on civilians. Palestinians inside Israel and in the diaspora are also threatened by multiple forms of repression, censorship, and other attacks against their identity and activism.<\/p>\n

This struggle for basic survival has been exacerbated by the political paralysis of Palestinians\u2019 fractured leaderships, which have offered little strategic direction to guide their people out of the quagmire.<\/p>\n

Hamas\u2019s military apparatus has been severely weakened by Israel\u2019s offensive, but the movement remains politically active in Gaza and beyond. The appointment of\u00a0Yahya\u00a0Sinwar<\/span><\/a>\u00a0as politburo chief, following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, signals a more hardline orientation and closer ties to Iran.<\/p>\n

Hamas enjoys credibility as a flagbearer of armed resistance, and may argue that it has irreparably weakened their occupier. But many Palestinians remain critical of the party\u2019s years of authoritarian rule in Gaza and the catastrophic consequences of the 7 October assault.<\/p>\n

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The PA\u2019s heavy focus on garnering statehood recognition has done little for Palestinians on the ground.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Meanwhile, the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority (PA)\u00a0\u2013\u00a0headed by a troika of President Mahmoud Abbas, intelligence chief Majed Faraj, and civil affairs head Hussein al-Sheikh\u00a0\u2013\u00a0has repeatedly undermined reconciliation efforts with Hamas.<\/p>\n

The PA\u2019s heavy focus on garnering statehood recognition has done little for Palestinians on the ground. Public anger over the PA\u2019s impotence, mismanagement of economic needs, and complicity as a \u2018subcontractor\u2019 of the occupation have further eroded its already dire standing.<\/p>\n

Shifting interests, alternative power<\/h2>\n

Amid these grim realities, however, there have been three strategic openings that could enable Palestinians to put their struggle back on track.<\/p>\n

First, the international solidarity movement has made major strides in integrating Palestinian rights into domestic agendas worldwide. In contrast to the paralysis inside Palestine, there has been extraordinary\u00a0grassroots and civil society\u00a0mobilization<\/span><\/a>, often led by the Palestinian diaspora, in Western countries whose governments are closely allied with Israel.<\/p>\n

New cadres of Palestinian commentators, activists, and advocates are drastically reshaping media coverage of the conflict and swaying popular opinion, particularly among younger generations.<\/p>\n

The Gaza war is now a divisive issue in the US election, with discontented voters in swing states like Michigan threatening to inflict a political price on the Democratic Party for President Joe Biden\u2019s Middle East policies.<\/p>\n

Second, the Palestinians\u2019 use of international institutions to counter Israel\u2019s policies bore some fruit this year.<\/p>\n

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, has applied for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, alongside three Hamas leaders (two of whom are now assassinated).<\/p>\n

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), in tandem, ordered two sets of provisional measures regarding\u00a0South Africa\u2019s case charging Israel with genocide<\/a>, and issued a landmark advisory opinion deeming Israel\u2019s entire\u00a0occupation of Palestinian territories\u00a0illegal<\/span><\/a>. Multilateral efforts at the United Nations (UN) are also seeking to raise the costs of Israel\u2019s occupation and bypass Washington\u2019s obstructive veto in the Security Council.<\/p>\n

Third, the totality of Israel\u2019s war has increased pressure on Fatah and Hamas to secure a unity agreement. Before 7 October, the two parties had somewhat benefited from Israel\u2019s severance of the West Bank and Gaza, enabling each party to control separate fiefdoms.<\/p>\n

With the status quo upended, the costs of their rivalry have risen significantly.<\/p>\n

Members of each party now recognize the need to reconcile in order to restore public legitimacy, preserve some ownership over national affairs, and persuade regional actors to invest in Palestine\u2019s recovery.<\/p>\n

A declaration of unity signed in Beijing last July reflects that growing mutual interest, but it has yet to be translated into a meaningful programme, with President Abbas playing down its significance.<\/p>\n

Altering the equation<\/h2>\n

Beyond the immediate need to press for a ceasefire and deliver urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza, policymakers must create the space for Palestinians to reorganize their political agency, without the attacks and constraints that have debilitated their efforts for years.<\/p>\n

In lieu of this, governments must bring pressure to bear on Palestinian elites, particularly Abbas, to form a unity pact under the auspices of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The PLO is still regarded by Palestinians as their truly legitimate representative body, free of the institutional shackles that made the PA an abetter to the occupation.<\/p>\n

“Policymakers should insist that Palestinian civil society be an integral part of shaping the PLO\u2019s national programme.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

This requires Western and Arab governments to recognize that excluding Hamas from the political sphere is neither feasible nor constructive.<\/p>\n

The movement has repeatedly signalled its willingness to compromise in ceasefire talks and \u2018day after\u2019 plans, and its capacities will be needed to facilitate Gaza\u2019s governance and reunification.<\/p>\n

Source:https:\/\/www.chathamhouse.org\/2024\/10\/palestinians-must-be-given-space-reorganize-their-political-agency?utm_source=Chatham%20House&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=14693777_CH%20-%20Content%20Newsletter%20-%2008.10.24&utm_content=Palestine-Title&dm_i=1S3M,8QXSH,7AVZF9,10CWOP,1<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Amjad Iraqi As the anniversary of Hamas\u2019s 7 October assault approaches, global attention has tilted away from Israel\u2019s war on Gaza as it metastasizes into a broader conflagration with Hezbollah and Iran. This\u00a0dramatic turn of events is, tragically, characteristic of Palestinian history. For decades, Palestinians have been held captive to forces far beyond their […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13119,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[646,685,1544,6827],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Palestine-March-86-scaled.jpg","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13117"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13117"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13120,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13117\/revisions\/13120"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}