Divided and conquered

Nothing much can justify what is currently transpiring in Gaza today. It is far too easy to lay blame on the Israeli occupation for all our woes, even if valid points can be made in defense of this argument. As mentioned previously, the Gazans in particular, have been caged up in this small and grossly overpopulated corner of the world with no room for expansion or economic improvement. This claustrophobic situation can only compound existing problems between the components of one people and exasperate otherwise ordinary issues.

Still, we must bear responsibility for our own misjudgments, and what catastrophic misjudgments there have been. Not only have armed men from both sides killed each other in numbers that exceed even those resulting from Israeli military operations, they have burned homes, fired shells at colleges and kidnapped men from their homes. Both sides are guilty of these crimes, make no mistake. On June 12, Hamas activists stormed the home of PLC member and former foreign minister Nabil Shaath, causing extensive damage. Earlier in the day, mortars were fired at President Abbas’ Gaza headquarters. Apparently, this was in retaliation for a rocket-propelled grenade being fired at Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh’s home where material damages were incurred but no causalities reported.

This tit-for-tat mentality has continued unabated for the past 48 hours with no end in sight. The “million-dollar question” that remains unanswered however, is what exactly are Fateh, Hamas or anyone else involved in this absurd fighting, hoping to achieve? What are they fighting for? Seats of power? Independence ? Fortune? Our leaders, and hence, those poor and unguided souls that blindly pledge their allegiance to them, have become so embroiled in these power struggles that they have forgotten that those “seats” can easily be pulled from beneath them by the oppressive hand from which we have so far failed to shake ourselves free.

Joharah Baker for MIFTAH.