Palestinians inspect the damage after an Israeli strike on the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on July 23.EYAD BABA/AFP/Getty Images
Under the shade of a tree in the Bureij refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, a group of friends meet from time to time to talk and forget for a little while the difficult situation we face. This weekend, three of us were sitting together under the tree in the hot and dusty weather when Abd Alhadi Mslam, another friend, rode up on his bicycle.
“Did you hear? Netanyahu decided to take full control of Gaza and then let some Arab forces administer it and the Palestinian Authority has no role,” he said.
He was referring to Friday’s decision by the security cabinet of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take control of Gaza City. The Prime Minister did not say when it would happen. Mr. Netanyahu also said the Palestinian Authority, the moderate government body that currently runs parts of the West Bank, would not be allowed to administer Gaza.
We all went quiet for a moment. Abu Mohammad Mostafa spoke first. He blamed Hamas for bringing Gaza to ruin and creating the conditions for Israel to return. Israel occupied the Gaza Strip from 1967 to 2005, when its military withdrew and Jewish settlements were dismantled. The following year, elections were held and Hamas won power. Mr. Mostafa voted for Hamas but now regrets it.
“[Hamas] destroyed our dreams, and instead of building a free state, they recalled [Israel] to reoccupy Gaza, which means starting from less than zero,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war in Gaza can 'end tomorrow' if 'Hamas lays down its arms and releases all the remaining hostages.'
The Associated Press
Reactions of ordinary Palestinians to Israel’s plans are a mix of anger, fear and confusion. The conversations in the streets and refugee camps are not political, but rather emotional and human. Does this mean the war will continue? Will we be forced to leave our homes? These are the questions people are asking.
In an interview last week on Fox News, Mr. Netanyahu said Israel did “not want to keep” Gaza and intends to hand it over to “Arab forces,” without giving details about which Arab countries might be involved or what their role would be.
Another friend, Ziad Aqeel, said the future of Gaza under Israeli control, or that of outside Arab forces, looks “very dark.”
“Israeli control means the suffering and difficulties will continue for the people,” he said. “Reoccupation of Gaza means more killing.”
The announcement is also drawing heavy international criticism. The United Nations warned it will lead to “another calamity.” The leaders of Canada, Australia, France, Germany and Britain said in a joint statement that a large military operation will “aggravate the catastrophic humanitarian situation.”
The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, has described the plan as a “fully fledged crime.”
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The role of outside Arab militaries is causing anxiety among some residents.
“Arab forces are just a cover to serve Israel’s interests, and this makes it less likely that any real positive change will happen,” Mr. Aqeel said. But others believe that if Arab armies come even for a short period of time, it will at least mean the fighting stops.
A senior Hamas leader, Osama Hamdan, said in a statement that external Arab militaries will be treated as an occupation force.
“Any Arab forces entering Gaza, no matter what they are called, will be considered occupiers in the eyes of our people and treated accordingly,” he said. “We reject all forms of occupation, whether Israeli or Arab, and our resistance will continue until full liberation of the land.”
Mr. Aqeel said the Palestinian Authority must play a role in Gaza even if it has a reputation for corruption and needs reform. The PA was established in 1994 to lead the Palestinians to statehood. The future state of Palestine would comprise Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem as a capital.
“Excluding the PA from any future arrangements could deepen the political split between Gaza and the West Bank, making national unity even harder to achieve,” Mr. Aqeel said.
Waleed Al Awad, a local political figure who opposes Hamas, described Mr. Netanyahu’s decision as “terrifying” and “showing the peak of extremism in the thinking of the Israeli government.”
He said Mr. Netanyahu’s plan to exclude the PA from the coastal enclave was meant to prevent progress toward statehood.
“Palestinians must continue political efforts and reject any partial solutions, and confirm that Gaza is an inseparable part of the state of Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital,” he said.