https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/01/opinions/gaza-hamas-israel-protest-opinion-robertson/index.html
Human waves moving forward, slingshots in the hands of some, the tide turning as one fell, crowds parting as
rough hands hurriedly carted another victim from the confrontation.
But these are no coincidental casualties — a calculated plan is unfolding.
to throw down civilian lives to
achieve it. For Israelis, there exists a deep-seated fear that
Palestinians and Arabs will become emboldened and flood over fences and walls in numbers too great for a
civilized army, even one with America’s moral support, to confront.
In public statements before the confrontation, Israeli ocials
said an attack on the border fence is an attack on Israel’s
sovereignty and pulled no punches on what a response could
look like.
To make their message clear, the Israel Defense Forces’
Arabic website posted a video of a young man being shot in
the leg; it was accompanied by the caption: “This is what will
happen to you if you try to get close to our border.”
The fact that Israelis see these messages as warnings and
Palestinians understand them as threats shows how deeply
entrenched divisions are. Nonetheless, Hamas has called its
supporters forward to demonstrate a right of return, fully
aware of the situation they are creating in doing so.
It is hard to ignore the calculation on Hamas’s part that some
of their protesters would get killed; even harder as they acknowledged to CNN that a good many would be their
valuable fighters. And indeed, Friday saw at least 17 Palestinian deaths.
In New York, UN Secretary General António Guterres called for an independent investigation into the clashes while
Security Council members have condemned the killing of Palestinian citizens. A statement was blocked by the US,
according to two UN diplomats who talked to CNN.
Meanwhile the European Union has called for a transparent investigation.
This rush to international judgment brings back memories of
an interview I had with Hamas’s political leader, Khaled
Meshaal, during the 2014 Gaza war.
As the Palestinian death toll climbed, there was a growing
perception among many international observers that Meshaal
and his cohorts were willing to see Palestinians killed if it led
to more calls for Israel to end its bombing campaign.
When I met Meshaal in 2014, he denied he was sacrificing
Gazans for his own objectives. At that time, more than 2,000 Palestinians, according to UN estimates, had been killed
under Israeli bombardment following an escalation of tensions
as Hamas fired rockets toward Israeli civilians.
He told me that Hamas does not seek international sympathy
through its own victims. Today, that notion is increasingly questioned amid criticism that the group is once again
sacrificing civilians for political gain.
Now Hamas’s leaders indicate another agenda in their protest — not just the right of return.
On Friday, Hamas’s spokesman said the confrontation was also a message to the US President over his recognition
of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, calling it “a strong blow to Trump and his administration.”
Since that announcement in December last year, Palestinian negotiators have refused to meet Trump’s peace
envoys, most notably shunning a meeting with Vice President Mike Pence during his visit to the region in January.
Even if Hamas didn’t have the intent, it certainly will have the opportunity to turn the Gaza protest into a timely
outcry over Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. In doing so, it would stand to score political
points against its rivals in Fatah, the Palestinian nationalist party.
Hamas may also be achieving another aim: isolating the US
and Israel from European support, as indeed early indications
from the UN and the European Union show is happening.
Already, the middle of May is set to be a trying time for Trump
in the region and in his relations with Europe’s leading
nations. Just days before the embassy is expected to open in
Jerusalem, he must decide whether to sign a new sanctions
waiver on Iran, something Europeans support and his new
national security adviser and potential incoming Secretary of State are likely to oppose.
Hamas will likely have an interest in this too, as it has recently been rearming
old ties with Iran and will see these
sanctions as yet another means to isolate Trump from European support — adding more incentive for
confrontational protests in Gaza.
What’s happening now in the undulating grass fields abutting the fence at Gaza’s border will in the coming weeks
likely be a growing overseas concern for Trump.