Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Uprising and Israel-Palestine Conflict

Seemingly, the political equation is under a growing change in the case of Israel-Palestine conflict. There are signs that this change will improve the currently diplomatically feeble state of Palestine against Israel, if it does not necessarily lead into military and political empowerment. Egypt as one of the largest Middle East countries, an important player in regional issues as well as a headquarter of various interpretation of Islam, taken from project of political Islam founded by Hasan Abdulah and other Egyptian think tanks to modern and secular interpretation of Islam, has been a close ally of Israel since long time under leadership of Hosni Mubarak. But, on Saturday May 28, the transitional government took a decisive decision, lifted four years long Gaza blockade.

This border was closed down in June 2007, when Hamas-led militants forced out Fatah group under the leadership of Mahmud Abbas. And it remained sealed even in 2008 when Israel, in reaction to instant Hamas rocket firings, launched ground and aerial attacks on Gaza strip. Because, President Hosni Mubarak kept silence and he did not want to endanger his long-lasting friend by allowing Gaza refugees to cross border.

Obviously, the new government, in which whoever may grab the power, would not agree with sealed Gaza strip's border, its main link with outsiders. And such measure definitely creates rift between Tel Aviv and Cairo unless Israel changes its current attitude towards peace process in order to end decades-long conflict.

This new political process is of course the result of ongoing Arab uprising. Arab regimes ruled these countries and never allowed people to share what they thought about Israel-Palestine conflict. Presently, there are two possibilities: one, if in countries like Egypt, Islamic political parties come to power after the outstation of authoritarian regimes, the thing which is far probable to occur, but its mere assumption is realized horrible for democracy, Israel has to worry. Because it is likely that such parties will somehow support resistance against a Jewish State. Secondly, if the uprising led quasi-secular liberal democratic establishments in the region, Arab common people's sympathy may not only decline towards Palestinian fellows, but increases tremendously. Moreover, even Arab democratic wings and distinguished statesmen are also irritated what they call as illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied territory.

Thus, whoever comes to power—religious or liberal— it is likely that general state of Palestine would be supported. Hamas and Fatah both will find further sympathy in political circle of countries which left them years ago. In such circumstance, the possibility of ending the conflict and achieving peace appears to be more probable in comparison to current and previous conditions, where Israel have enjoyed far stronger position than the partitioned Palestine.