2023-10-08 22:00:10
Innsbruck (OTS) – With its surprise attack on Israel, Hamas is aiming for total escalation. The hope for peace in the Middle East conflict appears to be buried. But eternal war cannot be the solution.
There are disturbing images that reach us from the south of Israel. Fighters from the radical Islamic Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip, crossed the border barriers to Israel, which were considered insurmountable, on Saturday morning, entered Israeli villages and kibbutzes, killed hundreds of Israelis and kidnapped dozens of hostages in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, thousands of rockets were fired at Israel. Israel’s army and intelligence services, considered invincible in the Middle East, were taken by surprise. 50 years following the Yom Kippur War, a national trauma is repeating itself. Israel is still in a state of shock. But one thing is clear: Israel will defend itself with all means possible, Israel’s counterattack will be massive, it will not just be air strikes on facilities belonging to Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization. Tank columns are already rolling towards the Gaza Strip and a ground offensive might be imminent. A comprehensive escalation as a cynical goal of Hamas would probably result in thousands of deaths. Hundreds of Israelis have already died. In return, the civilian population in the Gaza Strip – over two million Palestinians live in the impoverished coastal strip – will also pay a high price.
The Hamas attack came once morest the backdrop of an emerging reorganization of the Middle East. A groundbreaking US-brokered agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia is said to be nearing completion. In this agreement, Saudi Arabia would recognize Israel as the guardian of the holiest Islamic sites and in return would receive extensive security guarantees from the USA. But even if the interests of the Palestinians have long since faded into the background for the rulers of the Arab countries, this does not apply to the broader Arab public. Reconciliation between the Arab world and Israel will therefore not be possible without concessions to the Palestinians. But this once-in-a-century opportunity is being sabotaged by many. The regime in Tehran, together with its allies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, is trying to thwart these new developments as much as possible.
The right-wing nationalist Israeli government also doesn’t want to know anything regarding a peace agreement with the Palestinians in the West Bank. The Oslo peace agreement concluded 30 years ago, the goal of a two-state solution, has been buried. The daily violence became a sad routine. Now there seems to be no room for peace at all in the spiral of violence set in motion by Hamas. But without hope for peace, the entire Middle East risks sinking into hopelessness for a long, long time.
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