Watan-The renowned British writer and journalist David Hirst has warned that the Israeli occupation may collapse in Gaza, describing the goals of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “dreams that will not come true” in eliminating the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas.
Hirst, in an article translated by (Watan), stated that Israelis are now committing the same mistake that the French did in Algeria when they killed between half a million to one and a half million Algerians, representing 5 to 15 percent of the total population at that time between 1954 and 1962.
The French believed that by doing so, they would ensure victory in the war. However, in the end, they had to leave, granting Algeria its independence, and Hirst suggests that a similar scenario could unfold in Gaza.
The British writer added that the Israeli occupation’s war on Gaza, aside from being a wrong choice, would be an “ethical and military catastrophe for Israel, fueling resistance and igniting anger everywhere in the world, especially in Arab countries.”
“Hunger as a weapon will not break the Palestinians”
The renowned British journalist added that successive generations of Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims will never forget the brutality with which Israel is severing the ties of the Gaza Strip, which has become a massive refugee camp.
The editor-in-chief of “Middle East Eye” spoke about unsettling news for Israel and its supporting countries, especially the United States, which believes that the Palestinian Authority can replace Hamas in the Gaza Strip. However, dissatisfaction among the Gaza population is evident towards any other leadership than the Palestinian resistance.
The region is witnessing a remarkable rise in the popularity of Hamas, as evidenced by opinion polls conducted in the West Bank and even in Saudi Arabia. The leadership in Saudi Arabia, intentionally, sought to divert people’s attention from following war news through the organization of entertainment festivals.
And David Hirst pointed out in his article to human rights reports confirming the occupation’s use of collective starvation as an official policy against Gaza, adopted by the Israeli government, and deemed it a war crime that will have negative consequences for the occupation.
The Western Plans in Gaza Have Failed
Over the past years, the United States, along with major European powers allied with it, have sought to solidify the blockade on Gaza with the support of the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. As for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE, agreements recognizing Israel have become a thing of the past after the Gaza war, with all these plans now in ruins. Netanyahu and his far-right alliance have no choice but to move forward; they can no longer retreat.
David Hirst believes that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no choice but to continue the war. The same applies to religious nationalist Zionism, but the war could lead to the collapse of Israel if Hamas is not destroyed.
Due to Netanyahu’s calculations, which could lead to the destruction of the occupation, the pace of the war may decrease under pressure from the United States. It may continue as a conflict involving strikes by the Israeli army against the leadership of Hamas and an extended gang warfare in which fighters operate from small units, according to Hirst.