Israel’s plan for Gaza

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently on a weeklong trip to the Middle East after assigning a new task from Tel Aviv to initiate talks for a possible ceasefire and truce along with lobbying for a future governing mechanism for Gaza, the Palestinian territory being ruled by Hamas since 2007. During the first leg of the trip, Secretary Blinken reached Ankara and held hour-long meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on multiple issues relating to Turk-US relations, Sweden’s NATO bid, Hamas-Israel conflict, and the future of the Gaza Strip. After, Turkiye, and Greece, Blinken will be heading to UAE, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Israel, and the West Bank to discuss the ongoing conflict, the current humanitarian situation in Gaza, the release of hostages, expansion of humanitarian and relief operations, talks for the truce and future governing mechanism for Gaza.

After turning the Gaza Enclave into rubles through continuous bombardment, and shelling, Israel and its close ally, the United States currently moving toward the next stage of the Middle East plan that aims at further bifurcating the Palestinian land into small pieces, ruled by Committees comprising of several individuals with impaird autonomy and fractured nationhood. A strategy that will sew the seeds of disunity and internal fight within the Palestinians, keep them financially and militarily weak while enabling Israel to prey on them all individually as and when needed. At the same time, such a mechanism would prove to be the last nail in the coffin of the decades-old Palestine cause which is already on the deathbed after Israel and the United States concluded the Madrid Accord and the so-called Abraham Accords with PLO and regional Arab states respectively.

Historically, poor Palestinians are internally divided and polarized, as the months-long deadliest war in Gaza failed to move them toward unity against their staunch enemy to get freedom from Israeli occupation. The Israeli Army has been simultaneously targeting the West Bank and Gaza but Abbas-led Palestinian authority did not declare war against Israel due to the fear of losing power of a disabled government in the West Bank. At the same time, Palestinian warring groups are linked with opposing Arab blocs, as the Palestinian Authority is being backed by the KSA, the UAE, Jordan, and Kuwait, while Hamas enjoys support from Qatar, Iran, Egypt, and Turkiye. Interestingly, all Arab and Non Arab nations are using the Palestine card to garner their national objectives, securing their political, economic and military goals through bargains for or with the Palestine issue.

Washington wants countries in the region, including Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE to play a role in reconstruction, governance, and potential security in the Gaza Strip after Israel succeeded in eradicating Hamas’s military infrastructure from war-torn territory. Turkey has relationships with many parties in the conflict, including Iran and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The US allies Qatar and Egypt also host top Hamas leaders and could play a significant role in the fulfilment of the Israeli agenda being propelled by the United States. Secretary Blinken is stressing the regional leaders the need to work toward broader, lasting regional peace that ensures Israel’s security and advances the establishment of a Palestinian state at a suitable moment in the later stage but practically the US and Israeli plans have the sole divide and rule agenda for both, Palestinians as well as the Arabs and non-Arab Muslim countries to chase the idea of greater Israel, which protect western interests in the broader Middle East and North Africa region.

The stage is all set and cards are being used meticulously by Israel and its Western allies. The unforgettable sacrifices of Hamas and Gazans have provided another opportunity for Palestinian and Arab leadership not to show weakness and firmly stick with the Palestinian cause if they intend to realize the undying dream of their forefathers. Otherwise, they should be ready to suffer humiliation and wait for the time when the enemy repeat this episode with other nations in the region.