According to recent information, support for the terrorist organization Hamas has grown among young Palestinians. This is because they favor armed resistance against Israel, as they do not remember the previous intifada or the heavy toll that previous wars have exacted on the Palestinian people.
This is, of course, a development that will not bring peace to the Holy Land in the foreseeable future. On the contrary, it ensures that Israel will not grant Palestinians even the freedoms they have previously enjoyed—the most significant being the potential transfer of the Gaza Strip to direct Israeli military control.
Thus, two conclusions can be drawn from this development. First, as has already been stated, the lack of understanding among Palestinians will only harm them and their people. This is best demonstrated by Gaza's miserable fate over the past year.
Secondly, we must recognize that the increasing orientation towards violence among Palestinian youth pushes the dream of Palestinian independence even further away. It is clear that Israel has no intention of continuing to be a target for Palestinian rocket attacks now, or especially in the future, if support for armed resistance continues to grow among Palestinians.
Finally, I note that if the Palestinians truly wanted peace, they would need to understand that Israel, due to its hostile surroundings, can never afford to lose a war. Therefore, it will continue to defend itself with excessive rather than minimal force, both against Palestinian uprisings and the aggressions of neighboring states.
Thus, the only realistic path to peace for the Palestinians would be to build trust with Israel. And to wait patiently, as this would eventually lead to an improvement in the status of Palestinians, either as part of Israel or as an independent state that does not threaten Israel’s security.
In this sense, there is still hope, as there are still moderate people among the Palestinians — including among the youth. Perhaps they will eventually form a majority that adopts a peaceful approach toward the existence of the Jewish state, following the example set by Egypt and Jordan.
Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Hassan Nasrallah Has Been Killed, but Lebanon Is Unlikely to Become the Switzerland of the Middle East Again
A Fair Peace Proposal for Gaza
Two out of three Palestinians support October 7 attack
The established and classic interpretation in Islam is that the Koran obliges Muslims to engage in holy war, or jihad.
ReplyDeleteThe mere existence of false believers is enough as a reason for it, because the goal of the war is to spread the power of Islam throughout the world.
As long as religion has this obligation, I do not believe in permanent peace with Muslims.
If they changed the requirement of their religion, that might change, but I don't think it will.
On the other hand, even if you make peace with a Muslim, can you trust it because they are allowed to lie.
As far as I know, lying is permissible or even obligatory in Islam in certain situations. The rule is that lying is permissible if it produces better results than the truth.
See Taqiyya