Palestine in 2011: bittersweet events

Mehdi Shakibayi: On the eve of the new Christian year 2012, Palestinians are leaving behind the 2011 with several achievements and failures. The greatest Palestinian achievement was perhaps the show of sovereignty by the Palestinian resistance groups in imposing their demands on the Zionist regime by swapping a seized Israeli soldier with over 1000 Palestinian captives.

Change of Israeli-Palestinian balance of power due to the ongoing developments in the Arab and North African countries was also among the achievements of the Palestinian side in 2011.

Failure of Fatah and Hamas to achieve national reconciliation however was bitter. The Palestinian also failed in using the supportive capacity of the revolutions in Islamic countries to launch a final Intifada against Israel.

Palestinians wrapped the 2011 with a successful Egyptian-mediated deal with Israel. The deal called ‘Wafa al-Ahrar’ (loyalty of freemen) was carried out in two stages and led to the release of 1027 Palestinians, including 27 woman captives.

Many considered the deal as humiliating for Israel whereas the Palestinian resistance scored a great feat by the deal. There are however over 5000 Palestinian captives behind the Israeli bars, languishing under harsh health and living conditions. The Palestinian captives however have pinned hope on more resistance initiatives to see themselves freed from the Zionist regime’s claws.

The Palestinian resistance showed its powerful intelligence system by keeping the seized Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in a secret place that the Israeli spy service never could find. The whereabouts of the Israeli soldier remained secret until he was delivered to the Israeli side.

They also modified the balance of power between the Palestinians and the Israeli side by their application of newer military capabilities in face of Israel. These include the use of new missile launch pads as well as new generations of missiles.

The Palestinian resistance could bar Israel from any new aggression against Gaza through a well-thought defensive policy, though the regime was also motivated in not renewing aggression by its internal crises, developments in the surrounding regions and most significantly being in dark over the true military capabilities of the Palestinian] resistance.

Palestine in 2011 was not in isolation from the Arab revolutions so that, as Tunisian and Egyptian revolutionaries acknowledged, Palestinian issue was a core issue sought after in the popular uprisings. Indeed, the Palestinian innocence doubled by the Zionist regime’s tyrannical policies, was a large source of inspiration for Arab populations to rise against their despotic rulers.

Egyptian developments brought about a breakthrough in the Palestinian case; the Rafah crossing, closed for 4 years until then, was partly opened and aid convoys started to arrive in Gaza. Currently, the crossing is open for six days a week.

2011 also featured marches by the Palestinian refugees in commemoration of the Nakba Day (April-May) in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt towards the borders with ‘Israel,’ motivated by the waves of Islamic Awakening in the Muslim countries. The marches however were repressed by the regime, leaving 25 refugees martyred and over 300 injured.

The development might have led to set up a major threat to the Israeli establishment if some Arab leaders had not compromised the issue. It however pointed to the capacity of the refugees in resolving part of the Palestinian problem.

The Palestinian case in 2011 remained in Egypt despite the ongoing revolution in the country. Egypt in 2011 hosted Palestinian groups for a national reconciliation deal that negotiated between Palestinian groups. There were huge marches in support of the talks both in Ramallah and Gaza, attended largely by the Palestinian youths.

The Middle Eastern revolutionary ambience also spread to 1948-occupied Palestinian areas where the Palestinian population took to streets against the racial Israeli polices. The fearful speculation that the Palestinian young generation may model the Arab revolutions prompted the so-called moderate Palestinian elements to hastily refer to the UN for recognition of a Palestinian state in a bid to calm down the Palestinian sentiments.

Though predictably archived by the US and its allies, the project helped Israel to remain secure from the waves of Palestinian anger as they remained busy entertaining with recognition instead of taking a practical step against Israel which could have led to an eventual Intifada against the Zionist regime.
 
The Zionist regime at the backdrop of the Middle East developments adamantly kept on its usurping of Palestinian lands as well as desecration of holy Islamic sanctities, including mosques across Palestine. Latest reports speak of 20 cases of aggression against mosques in Palestine by the Zionist forces or settlers.

The al-Quds city in 2011 may have been aggressed more than any other year. Israel carried out many efforts to judaize the holy city. The Palestinian side however never remained silent as demonstrations were held in 11 Palestinian cities situated within the 1948-occupied Palestine against the trend of judazation policies.

Accession to UNESCO treaty was another Palestinian gain in 2011 which unleashed a crisis on the Israeli side. The dispatch of international aid convoys towards Gaza too was another 2011 gain for the Palestinian side.