The Fragility of Hamas -Israel ceasefire casts a spotlight on the probability of another Intifada
The fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel is not a guarantee for peace between the two parties in the long run. It will be naïve to argue that Israel will halt its provocative actions in the Gaza Strip and Sheikh Jarrah. Pragmatically speaking, tensions can escalate again, if Israel refuses to recognize the Palestinians’ land rights in Jerusalem, particularly in Sheikh Jarrah. Given that the Israeli right-wing parties are already dominating Israeli politics, and with the absence of an optimal solution, tensions may flare up once again between the occupying power and the innocent Palestinians.
The upsurge in Palestinian activism is a potent reminder to Israel that it cannot wish away its Palestinian neighbors. The ongoing Intifada has shown once again that peace won’t be attained through normalization deals with the Arab countries.
Accordingly, Israel will resume its apartheid policies to thwart the Palestinian Intifada. Also, the right-wing government will get backing from the racist Israeli society, given that the Israeli citizens support hardliners in times of crisis.
When it comes to the Palestinians, they are well aware that the ceasefire is fragile, as the future of Sheikh Jarrah residents is uncertain. Therefore, Social Media activists are calling on the world to keep supporting the Palestinian cause, as they fear another round of Israeli aggression on Gaza.
The international outrage over Israel’s apartheid policies gives a glimmer of hope to the Palestinians to continue their struggle in the asymmetric conflict.
Yet despite this glimmer of hope, international condemnation is not enough. The Palestinians cannot keep fighting in an asymmetric conflict.
Though President Joe Biden supports the two-state solution, he is not taking any serious steps to achieve this end goal.
Marwa El-Shinawy, Ph.D. in American Theater and member of the Higher Committee for the Cairo International Festival for Contemporary and Experimental Theater, Says: “How then does the US support the two-state solution while encouraging Israel to undermine the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state on the ground?”
“How does the US call for peace in the Middle East and encourage the Israelis to escalate the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians at the same time? What is happening now to the Palestinians is the true test of the Biden administration, which claims it has come to defend human rights. Indeed, Palestinian lives matter,” El-Shinawy added.
Israel should comply with article 242 of the United Nations (UN), which calls on Israel to withdraw from territories occupied in 1967.
Peace won’t be attainable unless the United States and the Arab states choose to act. Undoubtedly, the latest Palestinian Intifada secured immaterial gains to the Palestinians. However, Israeli Judaization projects, if continued, will impede the two-state solution.