Clashes in Gaza: the symbiosis between Netanyahu and Hamas in which the two win

The clashes in the band quickly end with a cease-fire in which the parties are successful and sign agreements.

JERUSALEM – Over the weekend, clashes between Israel and the Gaza Strip left more than 25 dead and homes and shops destroyed, but on Monday leaders on both sides said they were satisfied with the results.

This cycle of repetition of violence and the ceasefire that always seems on the verge of a declared war can constitute a senseless loss to the eyes of the outside world, but badysts say that it is extremely useful to interests of the two main adversaries.

For his part, the Israeli Prime Minister. Benjamin Netanyahu manages to strike Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza, while reinforcing his argument that the Palestinians are not ready for peace and that the two-State solution is unachievable.

Hamas, which has sought and apparently obtained new promises of a relaxation of the Israeli blockade on Gaza, can thus show the skeptical and impoverished inhabitants of Gaza that their strategy of armed resistance is working.

The result is a strange form of symbiosis. This is not to say that the relationship between Hamas and Israel is not an enemy relationship: it is confrontational, usually deadly and always carries the risk of degenerating into a protracted war on the ground, either at cause of a lost rocket that killed too many innocents. or take turns in the political equation of one of the sides. This type of relationship could reveal the slowness of the armistice process, "an armed negotiation," as Ghaith al-Omari, a former head of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), calls it. Or maybe that's what they mean by "truce" in the Middle East.

But at each repetition of this cycle that does not end with an open war, Israel and Hamas are functional for each other and have a habit of understanding each other in this way.

The weekend clashes, the worst since the 50-day war in 2014, have been at least the eighth round of brief battles between Israel and Gaza over the past year, with clashes sometimes lasting less from one day. And everything ended quickly with a ceasefire, usually negotiated by Egypt, and considered a proof that neither side wants a total war.

Hamas has demonstrated its ability to meet its commitments: badysts said an important event occurred at the end of March, during the anniversary of the demonstrations along the barrier between Israel and Gaza, when Hamas deployed jackets of color to contain the violence to the maximum and thus demonstrate that they can guarantee the respect of a ceasefire.

But on other occasions, Hamas seems to show its impatience through weapons. The violence this weekend may have been fueled by the delay in the arrival of millions of cash dollars sent by Qatar to pay the wages of Gaza workers, or by the feeling that Israel did not go faster with his country. other promises

At the same time, some of the clashes last year were also interpreted as an attempt by Hamas leaders to reach a better deal.

"They tend to show the biceps to extend the terms of the agreement and to get more benefits," said Ehud Yaari of the Washington Institute for Near-East Policy. East.

For the Israeli government, its relationship with Hamas is fraught with difficulties and must maintain a careful balance. Considering that he regards Hamas as a terrorist organization aiming at the extermination of Israel, the Israeli government has no interest in giving it legitimacy or allowing its reinforcement.

But despite calls from some right-wing Israeli politicians to do so, Netanyahu has also not shown the desire to destroy Hamas, perhaps because of the "problem of the morrow", as it is called. Former US negotiator. Middle East Aaron David Miller: Israel should reoccupy Gaza with its troops and take responsibility for its two million inhabitants. There is also a risk that an even more radicalized group may be in power than Hamas, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad or even operational elements of the Islamic State in the Sinai desert.

This is why Netanyahu's management of the situation in Gaza seems to be supported by Israeli security. And his political opponents reproach him for letting the situation deteriorate in the current cycle, but they do not say what they would do either.

In addition, Israelis seem to have more tolerance than before for the loss of life. On Sunday in Ashkelon, workers who survived the rocket attack of a factory in which a worker died have expressed their unwavering support for Netanyahu and have even accused the world's public opinion of 39, to prevent the Israeli army from hitting Gaza as it was. he deserves

"They should attack with everything," said Menaashe Babikov, a 42-year-old Ashdod leader, referring to the Israeli armed forces. According to Babikov, they do not do it "because they are afraid of what the world is saying".

According to badysts, Hamas would also be functional for Netanyahu in another aspect. Since the West Bank is ruled by the ANP and Hamas leads Gaza, it does not seem easy to reach the two-state solution, which Netanyahu opposes, as everyone believes.

According to Miller, the unification of the two factions would inevitably revive the debate on the solution of the two-state Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "As long as there are three states in fact, there will be no two-state solution," Miller said. "Hamas is Netanyahu's political insurance policy".

Jaime Arrambide Translation