The Palestinian struggle: History's cruelty and the logic of brutality

Observer

15 hours ago

The current Israeli leadership appears in no hurry to end the campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people. On the contrary, it proceeds with arrogance and cruelty, descending into ever darker depths of brutality not seen since the massacres in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995, the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes, and the atrocities committed by American forces during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Every day, hundreds of Palestinian martyrs fall - mostly children and women - yet their deaths are reduced to a passing item in international news coverage.
Some Arab and Gulf media outlets even report such tragedies timidly, towards the end of their bulletins, perhaps after segments on the 'heat issue with the latest iPhone", or a celebrity break-up, or the latest Elie Saab fashion collection.
This media behaviour is, unfortunately, unsurprising. It is consistent with the Israeli doctrine of power, sustained by Washington's political, military and logistical backing. The Israeli government continues its campaign of destruction and assassinations, seeking to erase the Palestinian cause from regional and global discourse through bombardment, starvation and siege.
Such acts have become the very identity of the Israeli regime in its dealings with Palestinians, Arabs and Iranians — turning Palestinians into the diasporic tragedy of our age, scattered in refugee camps and exiled across the globe, reduced to a footnote on the margins of the Zionist project and the ambitions of some of its regional allies.
The Guardian reported on July 7, 2025 that the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change has joined the post-war planning for Gaza. The plans include building a 'Trump Riviera' and an industrial zone named after Elon Musk, in partnership with Israeli businessmen. These proposals fall under US President Donald Trump's vision of turning occupied Palestinian land into a commercial resort.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian political landscape remains fractured. The President of the Palestinian Authority has gone so far as to demand that Hamas lay down its arms - a move interpreted by many as a prelude to their extermination at the hands of Israeli forces. This signals the Palestinian leadership's continued entrapment in the mindset of factionalism, rather than adopting a unified ideology and strategy for comprehensive resistance. Their banners have become scattered, their voices fragmented by the agendas of regional patrons, foreign sponsors and ideological opportunists - unlike many historic liberation movements around the world.
The wider Arab world is witnessing a surreal collapse. It is a descent into chaos not seen since the region gained independence following the Second World War.
Still, an ironic twist in this grim context is the growing wave of ethical outrage in Europe, where public pressure is beginning to influence political discourse. Slogans such as 'Death to the IDF' have emerged. Western governments - some for the first time - are voicing criticism against the Israeli government. Even in the US, shifts in public sentiment suggest that the long-standing narrative around Israel and Palestine is beginning to unravel.
Despite the bleak present - military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, apartheid walls, discriminatory laws, forced displacement, and the transformation of Gaza into the world's largest open-air prison - Israel is facing existential dilemmas. Its international isolation is deepening, and global human rights groups, including war crimes tribunals, are increasingly describing its conduct as genocidal.
Internally, Israeli society is fragmenting. Political and societal divisions are widening, extremist factions have risen to power, and public trust in the state and its leadership is eroding. In contrast, a new generation of Palestinians is rising - fearless, with nothing left to lose, and unwilling to settle for anything less than dignity, justice and the right of return.
Israel, as a colonial occupying force that thrives on violence, exclusion and American support, is not immune to collapse. The Middle East, with its storms and uprisings, offers many lessons. No state built on the ruins of an entire people can enjoy lasting security or peace. The recent Iranian ballistic missile strike on Tel Aviv stands as a stark reminder of the region's volatility and the price of injustice.
YAHYA AL AUFI
The writer is an Omani writer and translator
Translated by Badr Al Dhafri
The original version of this article was published in 'Oman' Arabic print edition of the newspaper on July 10