Sunday December 1, 2019

I've Been Thinking:

The actions and counter-actions during the recent conflict between Israel and Gaza, when Palestinian Islamic Jihad launched rockets into Israel and Israel responded by targeting Islamic Jihad and not Hamas, was unique.

That Israel did not hold Hamas responsible for the rocket fire and that Hamas did not respond and defend Islamic Jihad, was also unique.

What requires more attention is the response of the Palestinians in the West Bank to the conflict.

West Bank Palestinians were, effectively, silent.

Thirty-four Gazans were killed and one hundred and eleven were wounded. There were no West Banks protests. No uptick in attacks against the army or against Israeli settlers. No increased terror attacks. There was a serious conflict going on in Gaza and no response from fellow Palestinians a few miles away.

This is not unique, in fact, it is very common. Palestinians of the West Bank do not share common goals or even family ties with Palestinians in Gaza.

Throughout the years of conflict, certainly since 2007 when Hamas brutally threw the Palestinian Authority out of Gaza, there has been little or no official or unofficial interaction.

In Arabic this cultural separation is called "Ya Wahdana"- "You are Alone." It comes from a famous poem by Mahmud Darwish describing the Palestinian situation in the larger Arab and Muslim world. In this case, it refers to Gazans and Gazans only.

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