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January 14, 2025 Special Dispatch No. 11777

Palestinian Writers: Hamas Has Brought A Catastrophe Upon Us Whose Consequences Will Be Felt For Decades; It Must Pay For This

January 14, 2025
Palestinians | Special Dispatch No. 11777

Over recent weeks, many Palestinian journalists and writers have continued to criticize Hamas and to blame it for the continuation of the war in the Gaza Strip, due to its insistence on remaining in power there and its refusal to compromise in negotiations with Israel, all at the expense of the people of Gaza.[1]

The writers criticized Hamas for deciding to carry out the October 7, 2023 invasion and massacres in southern Israel on its own, without consulting anybody and based on irrational considerations. This decision, they wrote, has brought a major national catastrophe upon the Palestinians and has left the Gaza Strip on the verge of collapse. Blaming Hamas for the current situation, they stated that the Palestinian people "have the right to demand accountability" from the movement following its "reckless adventure." They also wrote that "Hamas has no right to control the fate of our people in Gaza" or to sacrifice them in order to advance its interests, and called for an end to the war.

One of the writers referred to Hamas's faith in the "Promise of the Hereafter," according to which Israel is destined to "disappear" soon.[2] He wrote that Hamas suffers from "megalomania," and that its military and political decisions, rooted in a mistaken and unrealistic religious outlook,  have brought a tragedy upon the Palestinians whose consequences will be felt for decades.

The following are translated excerpts from some of these articles.

Writer In PA Daily: The October 7 Attacks Were A Reckless Adventure That Brought About A National Catastrophe; Hamas Must Pay The Price

Bassem Barhoum, a columnist for the Palestinian Authority (PA) daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, wrote on December 9, 2024 that Hamas launched its war against Israel entirely on its own initiative, and that the Palestinian people should not be paying the price for its mistaken and criminal decisions.

He wrote: "It wasn't the Palestinian people that made the decision to launch the [Al-Aqsa] Flood [Hamas's name for the October 7 attacks], and neither was it their legitimate leadership. It was a single faction [i.e., Hamas, which made the decision] on its own, without consulting anybody and without taking anybody else's opinion into consideration. They acted alone and they – not the Palestinian people – bear the responsibility for their decision. It was an entirely reckless adventure, and it brought about a national catastrophe. This defeat does not belong to them [i.e. to the Palestinian people], but exclusively to Hamas…

"It is important to go back to the roots of the matter here. Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip by the force of arms, by means of a military coup, although it was heading a national unity government at the time that had been approved at the February 2007 Mecca Agreement. Since then, Hamas has held the Gaza Strip hostage along with all the decision-making [there]… Therefore, Hamas alone is responsible for its decision, and not the Palestinian people… The Palestinian people have the right to demand accountability from Hamas following its reckless adventure…

"The Palestinian people have a legitimate and internationally-recognized leadership which is not responsible for Hamas's actions. On the contrary, it disapproves [of these actions], particularly of its seizure of the Gaza Strip, its role in the [intra-Palestinian] schism, and the severing of the Strip from the rest of the Palestinian state… The Palestinian people do not deserve to be punished for the crimes of Hamas's decisions, which are outside the Palestinian national consensus… Hamas must first of all reassess its experience [ruling the Gaza Strip] and understand that deviating from the national line, taking [decisions] on its own and relying on foreign agendas [a reference to Hamas's relationship with Iran] will not achieve anything for it or for the Palestinian people, except tragedy."[3]

Former PA Cabinet Member: Hamas Is Sacrificing Its People For The Sake Of Its Interests; It Must End The War

In a December 1, 2024 article in the Ramallah-based daily Al-Ayyam, Fatah member and former PA culture minister Atef Abu Sayf called on Hamas to stop prioritizing its own interests over the interests of the Gazans. Hinting that Hamas must release Israeli hostages taken on October 7, he added that it should show flexibility in its negotiations in order to end the war.

He wrote: "Has the time come for Hamas to understand what is happening? Has the time come for it to understand that time is not working in our people's favor, and that there are no good tidings coming?... In the current situation, ending the war, ending the displacement of our people, ending its exposure to slaughter and saving what can still be saved – that [will count was] a victory…

"If the war results in the extinction of our people in Gaza, if a few dozen Israeli hostages are more important than the lives of tens of thousands of Gazans, and if the events lead to the completion of the Nakba plan, then Hamas must reassess its considerations. The patriotic [elements] in Hamas must know that history will show [them] no mercy, since this is not about [Hamas's] conflicts with Fatah or the PA, but about the future of the [Palestinian] people and the fate of its cause…

"Hamas has no right to control the fate of our people in Gaza, they are not its exclusive property. It has no right to continue insisting on its stances for the sake of purely partisan benefits. There is no shame in admitting your mistakes; what is shameful is to sacrifice your people in order to stick to what you believes is the correct path. There is no shame in listening to the voice of your people and their demands; what is shameful is to live in an ivory tower while watching the destruction and feigning blindness. Hamas is indeed watching the destruction and feigning blindness, and the time has come for it to wake up…

"Hamas must understand that sacrificing the people for the sake of its partisan stance is the worst thing a political organization can do… Hamas is under the impression that the world remains as it was on the morning of October 7 [2023], especially in Gaza. It must understand that not only has much water gone under the bridge, but the bridge itself no longer exists. The water has dried up, and the world is not the same. I know that the Hamas leaders are aware of this, but I [also] know that this insistence of theirs can only be described as irrational and contrary to the interests of the people… Protecting our people in Gaza is much more important than any achievement you can imagine, and ending its suffering is the victory. The situation of the people is calling out 'Enough!', and they ask: What does Hamas want? And how does it expect us to make it understand what we want? This faction does not know what the goals of our people are, and does not know how to represent them and how to defend their rights…"[4]

Palestinian Writer: Hamas's Plan To Destroy Israel Was Unrealistic And Brought A Great Catastrophe Upon Us

Al-Ayyam columnist Abd Al-Ghani Salameh expressed similar sentiments in a November 27, 2024 article. He wrote that Hamas's decision to carry out the October 7 attacks was the result of megalomania and a delusional belief that Israel was on the brink of destruction. Hamas ignored the balance of power, he said, and brought upon the Palestinians a catastrophe whose consequences will be felt for decades to come.

He wrote: "One of the most important factors that caused Hamas to carry out  Operation Al-Aqsa Flood [on October 7, 2023] was its belief in the Promise of the Hereafter – that is, the solid, unwavering belief that Israel was right on the brink of final destruction and collapse, and that the only thing required for the liberation of Palestine was to deal it one fatal blow. This idea was lodged in the minds of Hamas's officials, and it even spread to popular circles [in Gaza]…

"This idea is not new. [Even] before the Al-Aqsa Flood, it had spread very far and had become the focal point of the Hamas leaders' thinking. Below are some examples that clarify this:…

"In September 2021, Hamas held a conference titled 'Promise of the Hereafter,' which dealt with the administration of the Palestinian state after its full liberation from the Israeli occupation.[5]

"In September 2022, [Hamas's] Ministry of Local Government in Gaza organized and appointed municipal councils for over 20 Palestinian cities inside [Israel's] 1948 borders, including Jaffa and Al-Majdal [Ashkelon]. [The councils] comprised figures from families that had lived in those cities, and it [was reported that Hamas] was about to complete [the appointment of councils for] the remaining cities, with the goal of minimizing chaos and ensuring order during and after the liberation.[6]

"On March 2023, [senior Hamas official] Mahmoud Al-Zahhar declared that we were on the eve of the battle of the Promise of the Hereafter, which would culminate in entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the disappearance of the Zionist entity, and the flight of the occupation and all of its settlers from all of Palestine…[7]

"The idea of Israel's complete disappearance as an occupying force, which is naturally the dream of every Palestinian, took root in the minds of the Hamas officials, who began to think that this was just around the corner… But treating [this] idea as an literal fact that is just a single step away, or even less, and focusing on planning an operation [i.e., October 7] that would lead to a crushing war – while ignoring the political and regional situation, the equations of the international system, the balance of powers, science-based combat considerations, and so forth – turns the matter into a utopian and unrealistic approach, [which] leads to dangerous and fateful decisions based on an inaccurate assessment of the situation…

"This optimistic spirit flourished and controlled the thinking of the officials of [Hamas's military wing, the Izz Al-Din] Al-Qassam Brigades, and it may have been the main factor that motivated them to carry out the October 7 attack despite knowing it would have catastrophic consequences. Perhaps Hamas dared to take this step out of an arrogant [belief] in its shows of force, its armaments, its missiles and its tunnels, and because its military parades made it feel it had enough power to defeat Israel, [not to mention] the exaggerations of the Al-Jazeera [channel] in describing Hamas's power, its missile arsenal and its 500 kilometers of tunnels. [As a result,] this confidence in [Hamas'] power reached a level of megalomania.

"This belief in the prophecy [about Israel's disappearance], and the 'Promise of the Hereafter' conference held by Hamas, were not just propaganda with an aura of holiness. They were systematic propaganda aimed at assassinating the collective intellect, first of the [Hamas] movement and then of society, which adapted and remained silent in the face of these fairytales, and perhaps even believed them… This experience has brought Gaza to the edge of collapse. It has led us all to a catastrophe that is beyond our ability to handle, and whose  catastrophic consequences will be felt for decades to come…"[8]

 

[2] The conference, titled "Promise Of The Hereafter – Post-Liberation Palestine," was held in Gaza on September 30, 2021 under the patronage of Hamas's leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar. It was attended by senior officials from Hamas and from other factions, and dealt with the administration of the future Palestinian state that would come into being after the impending "disappearance" of Israel. See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 9575, Hamas-Sponsored 'Promise Of The Hereafter' Conference For The Phase Following The Liberation Of Palestine And Israel's 'Disappearance': We Must Differentiate Between Jews Who Should And Should Not Be Killed, And Prevent A Jewish 'Brain Drain' From Palestine, October 4, 2021. 

[3] Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah (PA), December 9, 2024.

[4] Al-Ayyam (PA), December 1, 2024.

[6] Salameh is referring to a September 23, 2022 Facebook post by Hamas official Atef Adwan, which he had criticized at the time as well. See Al-Ayyam (PA), September 26, 2022.

[7] See Alaqsavoice.ps, March 10, 2023.

[8] Al-Ayyam (PA), November 27, 2024.

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