Who Won 11-Day War on Gaza?
Who won the last round of fighting between Gaza and Israel? On the ground, it is not logical to measure it by gain or loss. On the one hand, Hamas was able to fire 4,000 rockets inside Israel, and on the other, the Israeli air force inflicted tremendous damage on the Gaza Strip and its people. On the political front, however, Hamas won the war in media and got international sympathy.
There are also winners and losers on the diplomatic pitch: Egypt bounced back its historic position in Arab world after the role President Sisi played in orchestrating a ceasefire after 11 days of hostility, a role for which (US) President Joe Biden thanked him. Joe Biden was also successful in pressurising Israel for the truce which was achieved outside the Security Council, without the need of Russia and China in the process.
Egypt had started restoring its role gradually some time back. The missile war helped it in the process and brought it back to where it was. It also reminded the Arabs of the magnitude of the political, strategic and national blunder they have committed by deciding to eject Egypt from the role, not only from the Arab League but from their lives. Netanyahu can no longer rely on the divide of the Arabs. Gaza has reunited them.
(By Sameer Atallah in Asharq Al Awsat)
The whiff of Jerusalem has led to unprecedented qualitative mobility. It was followed by the Arab-Zionist war; after nearly four decades of the huge military victory of October. This has altered the balance of national, regional, and global forces. But will it change the national and regional reality for better?
Let the whiff of Jerusalem bring the Arabs back to their historic position where there is dignity and honour, not crudeness and meekness. This has brought the Hamas and collective national work back to its genuine position. There is no need to bet on exaggerated “international legitimacy” with limited influence, and which is confined to the veto power among five major countries. Is it not the legitimacy of post second war era? It started with the decision to divide Palestine between Jews and Arabs in 1947 and recognition of Jewish state in 1948. Its resolutions condemning and denouncing aggression of Tel Aviv are still locked in the drawers. Their measures are negative for Arabs and for the Zionist state, they are positive, even though it does not accept its resolutions. The international legitimacy, since the formation of the United Nations, stands with what is spreading discord, strife and infighting, and it turns a blind eye to what the Zionist state is practising, and throwing the United Nations decisions to the wall. It is with the legitimacy of aggression, invasion and occupation in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, as well as with the settlements and racial discrimination in Palestine. It is against the legitimacy of freedom and peace based on justice.
(by Mohammad Abdul Hakam in Al Quds Al Araby)
Compiled and Translated by Faizul Haque