Gazans’ return home spells defeat for Israel

As I watched the hundreds of thousands of Gazans go back from the south to north of the Strip this week, tears came to my eyes. It was the first time since 1948 that Palestinians had been able to go back home. It symbolized the “awda,” or the return, that generations of Palestinians have dreamed of. What an inspiring sight.

Since the Nakba, Palestinians who have left their homes have not been able to go back. The first wave of refugees was in 1948. I was once talking to a friend whose father was the manager of Barclays Bank in Haifa at the time. His father left on a small boat and reached Lebanon. He did not take any winter clothes with him because he thought it would only be a week or so before Arab armies came and liberated Palestine from the Zionist gangs and everyone would be able to go back to their homes peacefully. This wish never became a reality. My friend’s father remained in Lebanon for the rest of his life and my friend was born there.

The same story was repeated in 1967. Palestinians were forcefully expelled from their homes. They left their homes and their land but kept their title deeds and keys in the hope of one day returning. But they never did. So, this is the first time that Palestinians who were forcibly expelled by Israel have been able to go back. Does that tell you something? It tells you that people’s will and resilience cannot be broken.

This is the first time that Palestinians who were forcibly expelled by Israel have been able to go back

Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib

In 2002, Israeli army chief Moshe Yaalon stated: “The Palestinians must be made to understand in the deepest recesses of their consciousness that they are a defeated people.” Israel aimed at achieving that by constantly applying brute force against the Palestinians and constantly humiliating and subjugating them. However, Israel did not understand that this policy was counterproductive. The more they oppressed the Palestinians, the more they cultivated in themselves the will to live as people. Despite the massacres, the starvation, the expulsions and the humiliations, the Palestinians have refused to raise the white flag. They have refused to admit defeat. Hence, Israel cannot say that it is victorious.

Of course, Israel was outraged at the sight of Hamas militants carrying Israeli rifles, wearing clean military uniform and parading in their vehicles. However, what really upset Israel was the smiles on the Gazans’ faces. What upset them was the hope that the Gazans portrayed by going back to their homes. Though their homes are destroyed and Gaza is, as US President Donald Trump mentioned, a “demolition site,” those people are happy to go home. And this is the real threat to Israel: the Palestinians refusing to let go.

There is another fold to the issue: the attitude of Arab countries. Jordan and Egypt have refused to take in refugees, as desired by Trump. Trump is being accused of promoting ethnic cleansing because he said he wants to “clean out” Gaza. However, to be fair, this request, under the guise of creating a humanitarian corridor to allow civilians to flee atrocities, was also put forward by the Biden administration. The same way President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt said no to Joe Biden, Egypt and Jordan have also refused Trump’s demand.

In 1948 and 1967, Arab countries allowed Palestinian refugees in, hoping they would be able to solve the problem with Israel in one way or another. However, many decades of war and failed negotiation attempts have shown the futility of seeking any solution with Israel regarding refugees. They know that if they accept refugees, they will remain in their country. It will be a problem that will only grow with time. This is why, despite the pressure they know Trump might exert on them, they said no. After all, refugees are a problem created by Israel, therefore Israel needs to bear the consequences, not neighboring Arab countries.

Though Israel’s declared objective is to root out Hamas, the underlying objective is to get rid of the Palestinians

Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib

Israeli hard-liners are weeping at this defeat. After destroying Gaza and killing Hamas’ leaders, should they consider themselves defeated? Yes, because for the first time they have failed to expel Palestinians from their homes. The Israelis are upset and the more they are upset, the more they reveal their real intentions. The idea of expelling Gazans into Sinai and the Palestinians of the West Bank into Jordan has never left Israel’s imagination. Today, they are being vocal about it. However, it will not work. Sen. Lindsay Graham, a staunch Israel supporter who is very close to Trump, said as much. Even those who support Israel are appalled by its unhinged brutality.

I was talking to a colleague from a conservative right-wing think tank in the US. Commenting on Israel’s behavior, he said: “You kill, you kill and then what?” He is right, then what? The support for Israel is gradually dwindling. The West is more and more aware of Israel’s true objectives. Though the declared objective is to root out Hamas, the underlying objective is to get rid of the Palestinians. It is no secret. Benjamin Netanyahu even showed a map at the UN that had no mention of Palestine. When the Israeli prime minister makes a such a gesture, it is supposed to mean something.

Is the tide turning? Arab states are showing a firm attitude in the face of pressure from the US, while global public opinion regarding Israel is changing, even on the right of the political spectrum. Most importantly, Palestinians are becoming even more resilient and more determined in their quest for dignity and statehood.

• Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib is a specialist in US-Arab relations with a focus on lobbying. She is co-founder of the Research Center for Cooperation and Peace Building, a Lebanese nongovernmental organization focused on Track II.