Saudi journalist Tariq Al-Homayed, the former editor-in-chief of the Al-Sharq Al-Awsat daily, wrote in a May 19 op-ed titled "Gaza and the Arab Oversight" that Hamas should be formally condemned for its role in the current Israel-Gaza conflict. This condemnation, he said, should be similar to the Saudi condemnation of Hizbullah during the 2006 Israel-Hizbullah war.
The following is his op-ed, "Gaza and the Arab Oversight," in the original English.[1]
"The Hamas Adventure Must Be Condemned"; "This Catastrophe In Gaza Is For The Sake Of The Narrow Gains Of Iran, Hamas And Netanyahu"
"Yes, we are facing an Arab oversight in developments in Gaza. The Arabs should not be only condemning the Israeli aggression; much more is needed. What is required is the condemnation of Hamas as well, [such as in] the well-known Saudi statement in the 2006 Lebanon war. It must be issued through the Arab League. In 2006, during the Israel-Lebanon war, which broke out in the wake of Hizbullah's kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers, an official Saudi source issued a statement, blaming Hizbullah at the time for the miscalculated 'adventure' that cost Lebanon 2,200 deaths and massive destruction.
"[Hizbullah secretary-general] Hassan Nasrallah later said that if he had known about these consequences, the movement would have not kidnapped the two Israeli soldiers! The Saudi statement was a clear declaration that there is no Arab cover for adventures or for Iran's fake wars under the slogan of Palestine.
"I say the Arab oversight as it is not acceptable, or reasonable, to undervalue Palestinian blood in this way. If the Arabs condemned the 'adventures of Hamas' as well as Israel, many things would have changed. It is unreasonable to repeat the same mistakes and absurdities and to trade in Palestinian blood.
"The story began with a racist Israeli escalation in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. The world's sympathy at the time was towards the Palestinians. Then there was an escalation in Jerusalem and everyone was condemning Israel. Suddenly, rockets were launched from Gaza...
"As I am writing this article, 6,000 people have already been wounded and nearly 200 Palestinians dead, mostly women and children...
"We say that the Hamas adventure must be condemned, because this is not a Palestinian war, but rather a war of narrow calculations, which seeks strategic gains instead of field victory.
"This catastrophe in Gaza is for the sake of the narrow gains of Iran, Hamas and Netanyahu. The losers are the Palestinians and the powerless Palestinian Authority. Everything else is nothing but propaganda.
"Condemning Hamas Means That There Is No Arab Cover For Any False Adventure In The Name Of Palestinian Blood"
"The adventure of Hamas must be condemned because no one can accept a lie that 'Hamas and the Palestinian factions have proven their deterrence ability' in the Gaza war. The evidence is that Israel contacts building owners in Gaza via mobile phone and asks them to evacuate.
"This is happening in front of cameras, while Israeli reconnaissance aircraft are flying at low altitude, and TV crew are filming the targeting of buildings and towers without any attempted response by Hamas!
"What kind of deterrence are they talking about? What kind of victory?! Those who are keen on Palestinian blood must confront the adventures of Hamas. This is not an equation between an oppressor and an oppressed, but it is to support the cause.
"Condemning the Hamas adventure would embarrass Israel, cut off the Iranian trade, and humiliate the hypocritical West, which did neither care about Palestinian blood nor did it shout against the destruction of a building containing twenty-three media offices in Gaza, despite the new American law for the protection of journalists.
"Condemning Hamas means that there is no Arab cover for any false adventure in the name of Palestinian blood, for the sake of Iran and its militias or the cheap calculations of Netanyahu.
[1] English.aawsat.com, May 19, 2021. The English has been lightly edited for clarity.
