Al-Ayaam, Ramallah, May 8
During the past decade, Israel has waged three wars against the people of Gaza. The recent fighting… adds yet another round of hostilities to this long list. While it was not a full-blown war, this tit-for-tat between Israel and Hamas was much more than a temporary escalation in tensions. Sadly, it was also extremely familiar to us all: Like the other wars on Gaza, it consisted of a massive Israeli bombing campaign, often of empty areas, just to flex its muscles. And like its predecessors, this round of fighting ended with an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire that Israel fervently denied accepting, but everyone knew it negotiated behind the scenes. The Israeli reaction seems to be taken from the same playbook each and every time, so we are all aware of what will happen next. We know that the truce will hold for now, perhaps for a few months, until a new round of fighting breaks out, setting in motion the same vicious cycle of violence yet again. The interesting thing about what we [recently] witnessed… however, is that it was carefully planned by the Israeli government. According to several sources, the Israeli cabinet decided well in advance to allow the fighting to unfold for three days. The script was well-rehearsed: Netanyahu would convene a high-profile consultation with military leaders in his office, the military would be ordered to intensify its attacks, a small number of ground forces would be symbolically mobilized toward the Gaza border, and then a truce would suddenly be reached. This is the pattern we’ve witnessed each and every time Israel has threatened to escalate things against Hamas, and this is what happened this time as well. Netanyahu, despite all of his bells and whistles, understands that there is very little he can do to change the status quo. Until he changes the equation by taking strategic action on the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, Israel will remain a hostage in this game. Netanyahu will continue to punish the people of Gaza and retaliate against Hamas, yet he will never win. Instead, a new round of fighting will break out until the next ceasefire agreement is reached. – Hani Habib (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)