logo
Israel lost the war on the West Bank before it even began

Israel lost the war on the West Bank before it even began

Middle East Eye11-02-2025
What is happening in the occupied West Bank is a war on the very idea of a Palestinian state. It is a war of Judaisation and settlement expansion; a war on resistance, on the Palestinian Authority, on the land, and on the people.
But another goal might surpass them all in importance: it is a war on the outcome of the Gaza conflict.
Israel wants to create a different reality in the occupied West Bank - one that erases 7 October 2023 and the war that followed from the forefront of the Palestinian consciousness.
It is trying to forcibly displace the Palestinian population, an aim central to the Zionist doctrine of settler-colonial expansion. This goal has not yet been achieved in Gaza.
Israel is waging war on the same resistance that undermined the state's security doctrine and awakened its existential fears, as a relatively small and modestly armed group of Hamas fighters were able to swiftly overwhelm Israel's defences on 7 October.
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
Israel failed in its war on Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, it now wants to dismantle the deep bond between the Palestinian people and their land. This bond is what makes Palestinians cling to the rubble of their homes, even after a 15-month massacre.
The images of hundreds of thousands of people making their way back to northern Gaza - traversing their own path of suffering - are no less consequential than those of 7 October. They might be even more threatening to the Zionist settler-colonial ideology.
Embedded in history
Israel's war on the occupied West Bank is a desperate attempt to erase the Palestinian presence in universities, in the streets, on public platforms, and across various forms of media.
It is an effort to reframe the Palestinian cause as an internal Israeli issue, thus downplaying the broader ramifications of its own presence as an occupying force.
Follow Middle East Eye's live coverage of the Israel-Palestine war
But the war on Gaza will remain embedded in history, shaping the course of the future. It will persist as a memory of genocide, as a symbol of legendary resilience, as proof of the failure of forced displacement plans, and as the struggle of a people fighting for liberation from occupation.
The war has drawn a clear line between what came before and after 7 October. The outcome of the Gaza war has revived the dream and promise of Palestine, just as the Nakba in 1948 marked an irreversible turning point.
This is not to downplay the disastrous consequences of the war in human lives and massive territorial destruction - but steel is forged in fire. The Palestinian people have been hardened by this war of extermination.
Gaza ceasefire: Palestinian resilience prevails in face of Israeli genocidal war Read More »
Israel's reading of 7 October was flawed. The shock of the attack by Hamas, which is proscribed as a terrorist group in the UK and other countries, prevented the state from grasping the magnitude of what had happened.
The Israeli response was fuelled by hatred, racism, an instinct for killing, and a predominant superiority complex. Through this lens, it waged war.
The same mindset led Israel to shift its war to the occupied West Bank, fleeing from the reality created by 7 October. But there is no escaping the truth: eventually, Israel will also have to abandon its war on the West Bank as it comes to terms with the limitations of its delusional dreams.
Israel is facing a people who might be weak, but are never defeated; a people who are gentle, yet fight tooth and nail when their dignity is at stake; a people who are forgiving, but will never pardon the killers of their children; a people who are culturally open, but determined to preserve their unique identity and heritage; and a people who are ready to coexist, but only on the basis of mutual respect, equality and rights.
The Israelis will eventually come to understand this. Until then, the war in the occupied West Bank will continue as a war on the outcome of the Gaza conflict. As Sun Tzu said in The Art of War: 'Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.'
Israel lost the war on the West Bank before it even began.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Hamas says it responded to latest Gaza truce proposal
Hamas says it responded to latest Gaza truce proposal

Gulf Today

timean hour ago

  • Gulf Today

Hamas says it responded to latest Gaza truce proposal

The Palestinian group Hamas said on Thursday that it has responded to an Israeli proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, after more than two weeks of indirect negotiations in Qatar failed to yield a truce. Hamas said in a statement on Telegram that it has "just submitted its response and that of the Palestinian factions to the ceasefire proposal to the mediators". A statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed it had received the response. "It is currently being evaluated," it added. Hamas's response included proposed amendments to clauses on the entry of aid, maps of areas from which the Israeli army should withdraw, and guarantees on securing a permanent end to the war, according to a Palestinian source familiar with the ongoing talks in Doha. Negotiators from both sides have been holding indirect talks in Doha through mediators in an attempt to reach an agreement on a truce deal that would see the release of Israeli hostages. Palestinians make their way after receiving humanitarian aid in the northern Gaza Strip. AFP Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. But the talks have dragged on for more than two weeks without a breakthrough, with each side blaming the other for refusing to budge on their key demands. For Israel, dismantling Hamas's military and governing capabilities is non-negotiable, while Hamas demands firm guarantees on a lasting truce, a full withdrawal of Israeli troops and the free flow of aid into Gaza. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer on Wednesday accused Hamas of obstructing the talks. "Israel has agreed to the Qatari proposal and the updated (US special envoy Steve) Witkoff proposal, it is Hamas that is refusing," Mencer told reporters, adding that Israel's negotiating team was still in Doha and talks were ongoing. The United States said Witkoff will head to Europe this week for talks on a possible ceasefire and an aid corridor. More than 100 aid organisations warned on Wednesday that "mass starvation" was spreading in Gaza but Israel said it was allowing aid in but international agencies were not picking it up for distribution. Agence France-Presse

UAE calls for immediate Gaza ceasefire, two-state solution at UN
UAE calls for immediate Gaza ceasefire, two-state solution at UN

TAG 91.1

time3 hours ago

  • TAG 91.1

UAE calls for immediate Gaza ceasefire, two-state solution at UN

In an address before the UN Security Council, the UAE strongly condemned the ongoing war in Gaza, describing it as "unprecedented in both scale and intensity" and marked by violence and grave violations of international law. The statement, delivered by the UAE's Acting Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Fatema Yousuf, aligned with the positions of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Arab Group, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement. The UAE denounced the continued Israeli blockade of Gaza, accusing Israel of exacerbating the humanitarian crisis by obstructing aid and targeting those attempting to deliver it. Highlighting its own humanitarian efforts under Operation Gallant Knight, the UAE outlined initiatives including food assistance, water desalination projects and the evacuation of wounded civilians for treatment in UAE hospitals. The UAE also expressed deep concern over what it described as a 'dangerous escalation' in the West Bank, citing settler violence, arbitrary arrests, and the expansion of illegal settlements. Speaking through a translator, Yousuf reiterated the UAE's position on Israeli actions at religious sites. The address concluded with four key demands. First, it called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, along with the release of all hostages, detainees and prisoners, while reaffirming support for mediation efforts led by Qatar, Egypt and the US. Second, it demanded an end to the blockade on Gaza and expressed full support for United Nations agencies - particularly UNRWA - in their humanitarian missions. Third, it urged a halt to any actions aimed at displacing Palestinians or altering the demographic composition of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Finally, the address stressed the need to revive the political process based on a two-state solution, advocating for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The UAE welcomed the announcement of a resumed international peace conference, to be co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, expressing hope that it would lead to tangible steps toward peace. At the UN Security Council Open Debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question, the UAE 🇦🇪 strongly condemned the ongoing violence and grave violations against civilians in Gaza, as well as the unjust blockade imposed by Israel, which has deepened… — UAE Mission to the UN (@UAEMissionToUN) July 24, 2025

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store