Details and repercussions of the affair.
Details and repercussions of the affair.
By Mohamed Sabreen, Cairo / Egypt
The “Qatar Gate” affair has shaken Israel, not only because it is yet another corruption scandal hounding Benjamin Netanyahu, even if his involvement has not been revealed, but also because it is a bribery scandal benefiting Doha and aimed at tarnishing Egypt’s image, even if the price is more Palestinian blood. Several questions have emerged, including: How will this later affect the policies of Netanyahu’s government, especially since he has been summoned for investigation in the same case? Given that Qatar is a mediator in the ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip, do you think the “Qatar Gate” affair will have negative repercussions on Doha’s role in mediating?
Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of the affair is the ambiguous relationship between the leaders of Doha, Netanyahu, Hamas, and the US administration. The current moment appears to be a crossroads in the history of the region, the explosive crisis, and its heroes. At some point, everyone must be silent so that everyone can listen to the voices of the people, the voices of the victims. We are most likely approaching a time to review everything that has happened in Gaza since October 7th until now. In the face of this genocide, the most horrific tragedy in the region’s modern history, there is likely no room for any party to talk of victory. Rather, the conversation has become all about accountability and who is responsible for this tragedy.
Netanyahu in the Face of the Storm
Political storms appear to be gathering forcefully against Benjamin Netanyahu, the “Gaza war criminal.” The circle around his neck is closing in, and his fate is now at stake. The landscape is grim for the king of Israel, threatened by the International Criminal Court, the deterioration of his country’s relations with Arab states and the rest of the world, a domestic political crisis, corruption charges, and the specter of prison. Despite all the “acrobatic tricks,” the families of Israeli prisoners continue their attacks on Netanyahu. The resumption of fighting in Gaza without the return of the hostages, along with other controversial steps taken by the government against the judiciary and security establishment, has led to a wave of mass protests across Israel.
The Israeli Prisoners’ Families Authority asserted that “only public pressure will bring back the kidnapped,” adding that “it is clear to everyone that military pressure kills the kidnapped.” It called on “all Israelis to join us in demonstrating to demand an end to the war,” noting that “Netanyahu is prolonging the war to avoid the commission of inquiry and the collapse of his government and is sacrificing the abductees and the entire country in order to remain in power.” The Israeli Prisoners’ Families Authority added that “resuming the war will only lead to the killing of the remaining abductees in Gaza.”
The Israeli Prisoners’ Families Authority told Trump, “Netanyahu and Dermer are deceiving us, and only you can end the war.” Here, it is likely that Trump will find it difficult to continue ignoring the senseless killings for the sake of Netanyahu, who has become a “costly burden” and must be neutralized and removed from the scene in order to start a new page. We are accustomed to the political game of quickly disposing of “burdensome figures” after their roles have ended.
At the same time, a poll revealed that 69 percent support ending the Gaza war in exchange for a deal to release all remaining hostages in the Strip. Conversely, 21 percent of Israelis oppose such a deal.
The poll, conducted by Israel’s Channel 12, showed that even among supporters of Israel’s ruling coalition, a 54 percent majority supported such a move, compared to 32 percent who opposed a ceasefire in exchange for the return of the hostages.
What is “Qatar Gate”?
An Israeli court has charged Jonathan Urich, an aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Eli Feldstein, a former spokesman for the Israeli Ministry of Defense, with receiving bribes to distort Egypt’s role in mediating between Hamas and Tel Aviv, as part of the so-called “Qatar Gate” scandal. Investigations revealed that the defendants worked with American lobbyist Jay Footlick and were paid to publish stories supporting Qatar and distorting the image of Egypt’s role in mediating the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the release of Israeli prisoners. Netanyahu abruptly left a corruption trial on Monday to testify in a separate investigation into possible ties between his aides and Qatar, according to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation.
Investigations into the “Qatar Gate” case revealed the involvement of Qatari officials in providing funds to aides close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with the aim of weakening Egypt’s role in mediating between Israel and Palestinian factions and strengthening Doha’s influence as a key mediator in regional affairs. According to The Times of Israel, the payments made by Qatar targeted prominent figures within Netanyahu’s inner circle, in an attempt to influence Israeli government policies in Doha’s favor. The case stems from a series of investigations conducted by the investigating judge in the “Qatar Gate” case, which indicated that Qatari officials sought, through these payments, to diminish the influence of Egyptian mediation in favor of Qatari moves, at a sensitive time in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Israeli police said in a statement on Monday: “Following an investigation by the National Unit for International Investigations… two suspects were arrested today for questioning,” noting that the case remains under a court-imposed gag order.
Recent investigations by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation and the left-wing newspaper Haaretz have indicated suspicions that the aides organized or participated in a campaign to improve Qatar’s image abroad. The aides deny any wrongdoing. The charges against Urich and Feldstein include bribery, contact with a foreign agent, breach of trust, money laundering, and tax offenses, according to Israeli media. Article 114 of the Israeli Penal Code criminalizes “contact with a foreign agent,” whether directly or indirectly, even if it does not cause actual harm to national security. It is sufficient to prove that the suspect knew, or should have known, that the other party was working for a hostile foreign entity or one with political or security interests that conflict with those of Israel.
The penalty is up to 15 years in prison, and may extend to life imprisonment, particularly if the contact is linked to the intent to spy or leak sensitive information. Israel’s Anti-Money Laundering Law (2000) imposes strict restrictions on the movement of illicit funds. Receiving funds from a foreign entity, especially if they are not reported to the relevant authorities, is considered a serious violation that warrants criminal prosecution. If it is proven that the transferred funds were intended to influence government decision-makers, the case takes on an additional political and security dimension. Last week, police arrested Feldstein for questioning following the publication of audio recordings in which Israeli businessman Gil Berger admitted to transferring funds from a Qatari lobby group to Feldstein, according to Haaretz.
Police suspect Feldstein received payments from American businessman Jay Footlick, a registered member of a Qatari lobby group, in exchange for posting positive messages about Qatar while working in Netanyahu’s close media circle, according to Yedioth Ahronoth. Feldstein’s lawyers, according to Haaretz, acknowledged that their client received money from Berger, but said the payments were “for strategic and communications services Feldstein provided to the Prime Minister’s Office, not to Qatar.” Articles 284-290 of the Penal Code address political and administrative corruption. Accepting a bribe from a foreign party in exchange for political or governmental services is a particularly serious crime, punishable by five to ten years in prison. Breach of trust, which involves exploiting one’s position for personal gain, is a crime punishable by up to three years in prison.
In this case, Feldstein is suspected of receiving funds from a Qatari lobby in exchange for services linked to the Prime Minister’s Office. The transfer of these funds may also indicate a suspicion of money laundering. Haaretz reported in November that Urich and Srulik Einhorn, a former member of Netanyahu’s media team, ran a public relations campaign to improve Qatar’s image ahead of its hosting of the 2022 World Cup. Their company, Perception, allegedly collaborated with another Israeli company to portray Qatar as a force for peace and stability. Both Urich and Perception denied the allegations.
Under Articles 117 and 118 of the Penal Code, it is prohibited for anyone, particularly those holding a public office, to leak confidential information obtained in the course of their work. The law does not require actual harm to security; rather, it is sufficient that the information could be exploited in a manner that harms the state. In Urich’s case, he is suspected of passing information to an American lobby working for Qatar, a direct violation of this law. If proven, the penalty could reach 10 years and could increase to 15 years if there is a clear intent to harm national security.
Likud’s Opinion
For his part, Mendy Safadi, head of the Safadi Center for International Diplomacy and Research and a member of the Likud party, downplayed the significance of “Qatar Gate,” noting that it “will not lead to any conviction of the prime minister or his advisors.” He explained that the issue is that “Qatar contacted some Israeli media figures during the World Cup to promote it, which does not rise to the level of a political scandal.” Safadi added that “Netanyahu sees the accusations as part of a political campaign led by the Israeli left to bring him down, after they failed to defeat him in the elections since 2009.”
Egyptian-Qatari Relations
Dr. Emad Gad, advisor to the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, believes that the issue is not only related to Qatari aid to Gaza, but also to Qatar’s attempts to diminish Egypt’s role in negotiations related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Gad noted that “60% of the aid that entered Gaza came from Egypt, whether from the official budget or from popular donations.” He added, “Egypt has sacrificed 100,000 martyrs in defense of the Palestinian cause, and it is unacceptable to question its historical role.”
Qatar Denies Insulting Egypt
The State of Qatar expressed its strong condemnation of “media statements alleging the payment of funds to belittle the efforts of sisterly Egypt or any of the mediators in the mediation process between Hamas and Israel.” In a statement issued by its International Media Office last Thursday, Qatar affirmed that “these allegations are baseless and only serve agendas aimed at sabotaging mediation efforts and undermining relations between brotherly peoples.”
Qatar considered these “allegations” to “represent a new episode in the series of misinformation and distraction from the humanitarian suffering and the ongoing politicization of the war” in the Gaza Strip, warning against “these individuals slipping into serving projects whose sole goal is to thwart the mediation and increase the suffering of our brothers in Palestine.”
The statement stated that “the State of Qatar remains committed to its humanitarian and diplomatic role in mediating between the concerned parties to end this disastrous war and is working closely and continuously with our brothers in the Arab Republic of Egypt to enhance the chances of achieving a lasting ceasefire and protecting the lives of civilians.”
It praised “the pivotal role of our brothers in the Arab Republic of Egypt in this important issue,” noting that cooperation and coordination take place daily between the two sides to ensure the success of joint mediation efforts aimed at achieving stability in the region.
Qatar reiterated its emphasis that “mediation efforts must remain free from any attempts at politicization or distortion, and that the priority remains alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people, protecting civilians, and achieving a just and sustainable settlement based on the two-state solution.”
The Scandal’s Impact on the Gaza Negotiations
Qatar is a key player in mediating between Hamas and Israel, but the “Qatar Gate” affair may affect its position in these negotiations. According to Al-Hail, “Qatar was able to impose its role by convincing the United States of the importance of Qatari mediation.” However, Jad believes that “Qatar is trying to play a role greater than its actual political weight, which is provoking tensions with major Arab countries like Egypt.”
The Future of the Relationship between Doha and Tel Aviv
In light of the ongoing investigations and the lack of a final ruling in the case, the repercussions of “Qatar Gate” remain open to several scenarios, especially regarding the future of the Netanyahu government, which faces increasing challenges. Its effects on the relationship between Cairo and Doha may also persist for a long time, given the escalating controversy over the roles of both Egypt and Qatar in regional affairs.
While some view the case as merely a political storm, others believe it reflects a broader struggle for regional influence and impact on the course of events, particularly regarding the war on Gaza and the ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
Political Witch Hunt?
Israeli media reported that a journalist working for a prominent newspaper was summoned for questioning.
On Monday, Netanyahu indicated that he had testified in this case, describing the investigations as politically motivated and condemning the arrest of two of his aides. In a video statement, Netanyahu said, “As soon as I was asked to testify, I said I was available and wanted to testify immediately.” He added, “I understood that the investigation was political, but I did not realize to what extent they are holding Yonatan Urich and Eli Feldstein hostage… There is no case, there is nothing at all, just a political witch hunt, nothing else.”
Former Israeli Justice Minister Shimon Sheetrit said that the ongoing investigations are not merely a “political witch hunt,” as some have claimed, but are based on “solid evidence” indicating “suspicious” ties between Netanyahu’s advisors and Qatar. Sheetrit added to the BBC that these relationships included “the payment of huge sums of money through intermediaries, and their impact extends to other countries, raising questions about the repercussions of these ties on Israeli security.”
He pointed out that “the investigations relate indirectly to Netanyahu’s advisors, without evidence of the prime minister’s personal involvement,” stressing that “the suspicions are strong regarding the behavior of his advisors.” Yossi Kuperwasser, the former head of the research department in the Military Intelligence Directorate, considered the current situation “vague and unclear,” saying that the investigations into Netanyahu’s advisors “have moved to the stage of issuing arrest warrants for people close to the prime minister, but no direct Qatari involvement has yet been proven.” He told the BBC that the existence of ties with Qatar is not “conclusive evidence,” and that “we must wait for more evidence before drawing any conclusions.”
Feldstein was arrested late last year, released, and placed under house arrest on charges of leaking a secret document related to negotiations to release hostages in Gaza, to divert media attention from criticizing the Israeli prime minister.
Qatar does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, and Israel does not consider the Gulf state an enemy state, despite hosting Hamas leaders, according to Reuters. Along with Egypt, Qatar is mediating between Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire agreement in the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.
“Qatar Gate” is also the name given to a judicial investigation in which several members of the European Parliament are accused of receiving bribes to promote the interests of Qatar and Morocco. Both countries have denied the accusations. In a video posted on his Instagram account, Netanyahu said his aides were being held “hostage” after their arrest, while describing the investigation as “political” and lacking evidence. His comments sparked sharp criticism from the families of the hostages held in Gaza. These arrests are increasing political tensions in Israel, as the government attempts to dismiss the head of the Shin Bet internal security service and the attorney general, while expanding the powers of the political authority in the context of appointing judges. This sparked protests in Israel, coinciding with the resumption of military strikes on the Gaza Strip this month.
Netanyahu’s Likud party said in a statement that “the cruel arrest of Yonatan Urich marks a new low in the political campaign to oust a right-wing prime minister and prevent the dismissal of the failed head of the Shin Bet.” In its statement, Likud linked the Qatar Gate investigations to efforts to prevent the dismissal of Bar and Baharav-Miara, saying, “For weeks, the state prosecutor and the head of the Shin Bet have been conducting baseless investigations… in an attempt to prevent the dismissal of the head of the Shin Bet, while using Urich and others” to achieve this goal.
Two weeks ago, the Israeli government unanimously approved Netanyahu’s proposal to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, while the Supreme Court suspended the dismissal. State Prosecutor Gali Baharav-Miara, who is facing a similar dismissal, said the court’s initial ruling prevented the appointment of a new Shin Bet chief. Netanyahu did so anyway on Monday, but later reversed the move.
Sheetrit criticized Netanyahu’s “negative response to the investigations, particularly the controversial appointment and dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar,” which he said “reflects an attempt to personalize government positions rather than public services to the state.” Kuperwasser said that “the time has come” for the current Shin Bet chief to resign after the investigation into the October 7 events concludes. He believed that choosing a head from within the agency “would be most appropriate, given his deep understanding of the security challenges facing Israel.”
An attempted coup in Israel
The son of Israeli Prime Minister Yair Netanyahu accused the dismissed head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, of attempting to carry out a coup in Israel similar to that of third-world countries in Africa. Yair Netanyahu wrote on social media that “Ronen Bar is trying to carry out a coup through an armed organization similar to that of third-world countries in Africa.” He added: “What movie is he living in? Have he (Ronen Bar) and his friends in the ‘deep state’ forgotten who holds power in America? They need to get out of the movie they’re living in.”
The Israeli cabinet approved the dismissal of Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Ronen Bar at a meeting Thursday evening, but Bar decided not to attend. Instead, he sent a letter containing scathing accusations to Netanyahu, who says he no longer trusts Bar. Meanwhile, thousands of demonstrators flocked to government offices to protest his dismissal. The Prime Minister’s Office reported that the dismissal of the Shin Bet chief was approved unanimously, and that he will end his post on April 10, about three weeks from now, or when a permanent Shin Bet chief is appointed in his place.
Netanyahu and the Empowerment of Hamas
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu squandered an opportunity to prevent significant funds from reaching Hamas years before its deadly attack in October, according to former Mossad official Udi Levy.
Levi told the BBC that he had advised Netanyahu By drying up Hamas’s funding sources, preventing the movement from maximizing its military power, his advice was not heeded. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to the former Mossad official’s statements.
Hamas killed approximately 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages on October 7, after its militants crossed into southern Israel. The fate of 130 hostages remains unknown. The Israeli response then resulted in the deaths of more than 29,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza.
Levy, who headed the Mossad’s economic warfare unit until 2016, noted that he had told Netanyahu several times that Israel had the means to crush Hamas, which controls Gaza, “only with economic tools.”
Levi noted that he never received a response to his proposal from Netanyahu. When asked whether there was a link between Netanyahu’s alleged failure to drain Hamas’s financial resources and the October 7 attack, Levy affirmed that there was. “There was a very good opportunity to prevent a lot of money from entering Gaza, and thus to prevent Hamas from building up its military power the way we saw it on October 7,” Levy said.
He noted that Hamas needed “billions, not just millions” of dollars to build hundreds of kilometers of tunnels in Gaza and to pay the salaries of some 30,000 militants—the core of its military force. Levy pointed to one of those economic resources, which he discussed privately with Netanyahu in 2014: a multi-million-dollar Turkish investment under Hamas’s control. Levy said Netanyahu chose to ignore the Mossad information.
Levi noted that he spoke with Netanyahu “about Qatar and Iran as the main sponsors,” adding that “Türkiye, in some ways, is more important.” The BBC obtained documents dating back to the eight months ending in early 2018, revealing many of Hamas’s financial resources during that period.
The documents name 40 companies in the Middle East and North Africa, including Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Sudan, Egypt, the Gulf, and Türkiye. These companies’ investments ranged from road construction, pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies, to tourism, mining, and real estate development.
Since 2022, the US Treasury Department has listed six of the companies listed as Hamas-owned or controlled entities, before the US imposed sanctions on these companies, restricting their ability to conduct business. Next to each company’s name in the documents is a list of millions of dollars it invests with Hamas—a total of $422,573,890.
Most of this value is derived from real estate investments, which are considered an “ideal financial resource” for an organization like Hamas, according to Tom Keatinge, director and founder of the Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute in Britain. Turkish real estate developer Trend Geo was among the companies sanctioned by the US. The Turkish company was referred to several times as “Anda Turk” in documents obtained by the BBC. The documents reveal that “Anda Turk” is the old trading name of Trend Geo, whose former CEO, Hamed Abdullah al-Ahmar, praised the October 7 attack, or “Operation Flood of al-Aqsa,” as Hamas calls it. At a conference in Istanbul in January 2024, al-Ahmar said: “Our meeting coincides with the peak of the Flood of al-Aqsa, a flood that will not stop until it puts an end to the occupation of beloved Palestine.” Al-Ahmar added: “We are working to criminalize Zionism as a terrorist and racist movement.” The BBC contacted al-Ahmar for comment, but he did not respond. Trend Geo, a Turkish company, told the BBC that the US Treasury’s allegations of ties between the company and Hamas are “unfair and baseless.” Turkish authorities said they had conducted an investigation into the matter and concluded that “no violation of the country’s financial system occurred,” adding that Türkiye complies with international financial regulations.
Sinwar and Iran
Yahya Sinwar is one of Hamas’s most prominent and long-standing fundraisers and currently heads the movement’s political wing.
Sinwar began raising funds for Hamas while still imprisoned in an Israeli prison. In 1988, he was sentenced to prison for the murder of Palestinians suspected of spying for Israel.
Micah Kobi, a former officer with the Israeli General Security Service (Shin Bet), says he interrogated Sinwar for more than 150 hours. Kobi added that Sinwar was able to establish relations with Iran through secret messages he sent from prison. In 2007, a year after Hamas came to power in Gaza, Israel tightened the blockade on the Strip for security reasons, but Sinwar’s ties to Iran helped him break the blockade, according to former officer Micah Kobi. Kobi said that Sinwar “sent emissaries to Iran to initiate that contact. He asked the Iranians to send weapons and equipment, and they agreed to help [Hamas] with whatever it needed…and that was the beginning.” According to former Mossad official Udi Levy, Hamas received funds from Qatar, both secretly and publicly.
Israel acknowledges that a portion of this money arrived in cash in Gaza with Israel’s approval and under its supervision and was intended to pay the salaries of Hamas government officials, as well as provide humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.
Levi says, “Qatar has a special envoy who comes every month in a private plane to Rafah with a suitcase. He enters Gaza, gives the suitcase to Hamas, delivers it, and then leaves. That’s it.” Levy believes that “a large portion of this money went to support Hamas’s military wing.” Billions have also entered Gaza from UN agencies, the European Union, the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, and numerous other charitable organizations—all for humanitarian purposes. It is impossible to determine the amount of cash donations, if any, that Hamas may have allocated for military purposes. For its part, Hamas denies using any aid money for military purposes, confirming to the BBC that its military wing enjoys its own sources of income.
Netanyahu Admits
Netanyahu is known to be clearly proud of his position rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state. Netanyahu told his colleagues in the ruling Likud party in 2019: “Anyone who wants to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state must support strengthening the Hamas front and provide it with funds. This is part of our strategy: to separate the Palestinians in Gaza from the Palestinians in the West Bank.” Keeping Hamas strong enough to be an effective competitor to Fatah in the West Bank would prevent the possibility of reaching “a unified Palestinian leadership with which to negotiate some form of final settlement,” according to Khaled Elgindy, a researcher specializing in Palestinian and Israeli affairs at the Middle East Institute in Washington. Recently, Netanyahu denied that he had sought to strengthen the Hamas front, saying that he had only allowed Qatari funds into Gaza to prevent a humanitarian crisis. Now, Netanyahu vows to eliminate Hamas, but with such widespread destruction in Gaza and the deaths of so many Palestinians, Israel may achieve the opposite result.
Overthrowing Netanyahu
Dr. Samir Ghattas, head of the Middle East Forum for Political and Strategic Studies, confirmed that the “Qatar Gate” scandal reveals the truth, and that the Netanyahu government is seeking to cover up and downplay the scandal. “Qatar Gate” is bigger than using corrupt political money to whitewash Qatar’s reputation. He explained that Netanyahu dismissed Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar because he exposed the scandal and the collusion of the trio—Israel, Qatar, and Hamas leaders—to obstruct negotiations and continue the war against the people and displace them. He accused Netanyahu of defending those accused of bribery from his office because he is their biggest partner. Among the goals of “Qatar Gate” are reducing Egypt’s role as a mediator in the negotiations and financing the campaign of attacks against the army in Sinai. Qatar is now continuing the role it began in 2011-2014, and what is hidden is even greater. He revealed that Qatar sends a plane loaded with $30 million monthly via Tel Aviv Airport, which is delivered to the Palestinian resistance, Hamas. Ghattas pointed out that the Gaza Strip has a population of approximately 2.2 million, explaining that Benjamin Netanyahu is the first leader to be overthrown following the current events. Ghattas attacked what he described as the “hallucinations” of Hamas spokesman Abu Zuhri, describing them as farcical statements by Hamas to evade its responsibility by calling on all those carrying weapons in the world to prevent the displacement. He said that Qatar and Hamas’ plan is to prolong the war to negotiate with the United States according to the “Taliban” model, even at the cost of sacrificing the people. He pointed to the continuation of secret negotiations under Doha’s auspices, which were initiated by Adam Buhler with Khalil al-Hayya. He said that ending the war on Gaza and halting the death toll, bloodshed, and displacement begins with mediators abandoning the “grocer’s” mentality and promoting initiatives of fragmentation. He accused suspicious parties of promoting a so-called ceasefire to thwart the Gaza Intifada and emphasized that Hamas’s remaining weapons are only good for show, suppressing the people, and providing more pretexts for Netanyahu’s continued criminal massacre. Instead of partial initiatives, the Gaza Intifada demands a single deal that ends the Zionist occupation, removes Hamas, and stops the bloodshed and displacement. He added that, unfortunately, the suspicion of collusion between hotel leaders in Doha and Netanyahu is being confirmed every day. Hezbollah has disavowed the rockets fired from the south. When will Hamas admit that its rockets serve only to continue the war against the people? Netanyahu’s gang is actively operating. Defense Minister Zamir orders the army to occupy Gaza, Katz threatens to annex its lands, Smotrich seeks to annex the West Bank, and Witkoff calls for Lebanon and Syria to normalize relations with Israel. Ghattas emphasized that the Gaza Intifada is a strategic shift. There must be no return to fragmented negotiations. A single deal must be reached to end the war, with Israel withdrawing its forces from Gaza. The Intifada is the solution to stop the bloodshed and displacement. Without an Arab position that meets the demands of the Intifada, we will abandon Gaza twice. The Intifada places Hamas under the guardianship of the people and ends its collusion with Netanyahu. No one has the right to accuse the Intifada of serving the occupation. Lenin intersected with Germany and stopped the war in Russia. The peace movement in America intersected with Ho Chi Minh and stopped the war in Vietnam. Gamal Abdel Nasser intersected with Israel, halted the War of Attrition, and accepted the Rogers Initiative. The opposition movement in Israel intersected with Hamas and demanded an end to the war in Gaza. Gheitas warned Hamas against becoming involved in a new service to the occupation and igniting the fuse of civil war in Gaza.
Hamas’s Fate Hangs in the balance
In a remarkable development, some Gazans have decided to break the “walls of silence.” They have clearly stated that the time has come for life, not death, that they are not numbers, and that the Palestinian people are more important than Hamas. In their estimation, the current tragic moment cannot tolerate the annihilation of the people of Gaza so that Hamas can survive. This is the scene we have witnessed recently in demonstrations across Gaza, and this development indicates that the fate of Hamas and its leaders is at stake.
There is no escape from ending the occupation
The Palestinian crisis has allowed many to exploit and profit from it, including American leaders. But all of these have passed away, and the issue stubbornly refuses to fade away. As has happened before, many in this crisis want to profit from it. Trump wants the Nobel Peace Prize and to preserve his reputation as the “King of Deals.” Amid the chaos, Trump and his friends, the real estate moguls, are acquiring the “Riviera of the Middle East” in Gaza, after it was cleared of people and stones by others. Meanwhile, Netanyahu wants to evade accountability for his leniency toward Hamas, and the Hamas camp wants to save it.
At the same time, Witkoff, Trump’s envoy to the region, has begun to understand the complexities of the Middle East and, in a recent press interview, expressed his concerns about the repercussions of the crisis. Trump’s envoy fears that the Gaza crisis will impact the security and stability of the region, threaten the Egyptian state, and provoke the anger of Saudi youth. He forgot, and perhaps miscalculated, in his assessment of the repercussions of the crisis, between the exclusion of Hamas leaders and officials and the displacement of two million residents of the Gaza Strip. Political leaders certainly come and go, and even die and are assassinated, but peoples are eternal and do not accept to be removed. As for the claim that Egypt will collapse, Gulf societies will be unstable, the region will ignite, and Washington’s interests will be at risk, these are partially correct political analyses with misleading conclusions.
The prominent Saudi writer Abdulrahman Al-Rashed argues in a recent article in Asharq Al-Awsat that “we have a history of more than half a century and a record of crises that proves the fallacy of all these propositions.” Al-Rashed agrees with Witkoff that all countries are affected by the wars and chaos sweeping the region, and that it is in their collective interest to support peace.
However, Al-Rashed disagrees with him regarding the repercussions of the Gaza crisis. It will not cause young people to take to the streets, and it has not and will not threaten the security and stability of Egypt, among others. Al-Rashed says that we may witness a political crisis with Egypt if Washington or Israel decides to displace two million Gazans across its borders. Hence, “imaginary solutions” such as genocide, forced or voluntary displacement, or liquidating the issue are all illusions. Furthermore, attempts to blackmail Arab countries into ending the Palestinian issue by their own hand, after Israel and America failed, are also “an unachievable recipe.”
The issue has existed for a long time, and no one has been able to impose any unjust solution, let alone the fantasies of noontime dreams. Once again, Washington and successive American administrations demonstrate that they do not realize the cultural depth of the region’s ancient and venerable countries, such as Egypt. They also demonstrate that the people, political leadership, and elite are all united in their stance on the Palestinian issue and the Gaza war. They all reject anything that could shake the Egyptian state, and there is currently nothing that could destabilize the state. Furthermore, Egyptians have embraced many refugees from war-torn countries, such as Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Iraq, and the situation is stable. The Egyptian establishment is firmly established, and the Egyptians realize that the refugees are only staying temporarily. Just as the Iraqis and Libyans returned, others will soon depart as well. As for the liquidation of the Palestinian issue, it will not happen, whether through enticement, threats, or artificial fear. There is no solution other than ending the Israeli occupation.