The State of Ramallah and the State of Gaza

In good time, four more of our abductees were released in a well-planned event by Hamas. This event must be understood in its true light – the bottom line is that Hamas adheres to the doctrine of muqawma, resistance.

Israel’s starting point must be that Hamas is preparing for another round with Israel, that it is returning to internal terrorism against the Gazans under its rule, and that Hamas is making it clear to Ramallah and the world that it is the government of Gaza, without Ramallah.

The message to the Gazans was embedded in the handcuffs that Hamas fighters put on Hazm’s chest in Palestine Square in Gaza, and the message to Ramallah and the world was that Hamas signed the agreement with the Red Cross – it, not Ramallah.You could say that this signature is the official death certificate of the Palestinian state. There is a government in Ramallah and another government in Gaza. Period.

The ceremony with the Red Cross has another meaning. For the first time, Hamas recognizes the international organization that bears the cross, something it has refused to do until today. One could say that with this, Hamas is separating from ISIS, which sees the Red Cross as a “crusader” organization and an enemy.

This recognition is related to the fact that the released abductees were dressed in uniforms, and by doing so, Hamas wanted to say that it was moving from the stage of an ISIS militia to the stage of a state army, seeking global recognition.

It is suspected that this move is in line with, or was inspired by, the Golani state in Syria, which is a regime aligned with Hamas. It too is seeking global recognition, and is in the process of transitioning from militias to an army. Are Qatar and Turkey the mentors of these processes, which are parallel in their occurrence in Gaza and Syria? There is no proof, but that is what it seems.

The nature of the state of Gaza can be learned from the appearance of the flags that waved in the square: Most of the flags are green, belonging to Hamas, and are large and prominent. A minority are small Palestinian flags. In other words: this is the state of Hamas before it is a Palestinian state.

The nature of the state of Gaza can be learned from the appearance of the flags that waved in the square: most of them are Hamas green and are large and prominent. A minority are small Palestinian flags. In other words: this is the state of Hamas before it is a Palestinian state.

But the “Palestine” brand had significance in choosing the location for the hostage handover. Unlike the previous exchanges, in Saraya Square, this time Palestine Square was chosen. Saraya is a symbol of Hamas rule, and in that event Hamas sought to demonstrate that it alone owns the house in Gaza.

But the participation of Islamic Jihad in the liberation ceremony expresses that Hamas is not a government of Hamas alone, but that other groups are partners in it – for now, only Islamic Jihad. This is reminiscent of the process that Jabhat al- Nusra went through , when Hayat Tahrir al-Sham was formed, along with other militias.

A very prominent motif was the desire to humiliate Israel. “Zionism will not win,” was the inscription on a prominent sign printed in Hebrew and hung on the stage of the ceremony. And it can be said that in the matter of humiliating Zionism, Hamas is on the same page with important elements of the Israeli government.

The organizers put a microphone on the stage, when it seemed that one of the freed women would speak, but in the end someone convinced Hamas to give up that part. Qatar?

The desire to humiliate Israel was very evident in this ceremony. The insistence on all the signs of the Muqawama and the alliance between Hamas and Islamic Jihad – the coalition currently fighting against Israel in Jenin – should send us a clear message: the war will resume when Hamas is able to do so.

The desire to humiliate Israel was evident at the ceremony. The insistence on the symbols of the Muqawma and the alliance between Hamas and Jihad – the coalition currently fighting against Israel in Jenin – is a message: the war will resume when Hamas can do so.

The unregulated division between Ramallah and Gaza was also evident in the way Ramallah welcomed the liberated Palestinians. The modest flags in Ramallah were those of Fatah and the Democratic Front.

Palestinian security confiscated Hamas flags that were in the hands of Hamas supporters. The Popular Front has disappeared – both in Gaza and in Ramallah. So, Hamas and Jihad control the state of Gaza. Fatah and the Democratic Front control the state of Ramallah.

Ramallah is already working among donor countries to ensure that they do not provide any aid to Hamas. Because despite all the antics, Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people, and aid must only pass through the channels of the PA, the only legitimate entity of the Palestinian people.

The donor countries accept this. Without any representation for the legitimate Palestinian cause, no one will invest in Hamas’ puppet state. In other words: Gaza will remain in ruins for a long time to come.

Despite the messages from Hamas, which tries to present itself as the government of Gaza, when you step out of the focus of Al Jazeera’s cameras, even the Gazans themselves are not part of it. The mayor of Rafah said that everything is destroyed, and that the residents of Rafah have nowhere to return.

What concerns Gazans today is finding their loved ones under the rubble of their homes. If we compare what is happening in Gaza to the processes that have taken place in Syria, the Syrians have understood that it is the entire culture of muqawma of the Bashar Assad regime that brought the great disaster upon the Syrians.

Ramallah is working to ensure that donor countries do not provide aid to Hamas, which, despite its antics, does not represent the Palestinian people. Without representation for the legitimate Palestinian entity, no one will invest in Hamas’s puppet state, and Gaza will be left in ruins.

It seems that similar processes will occur in Gaza, especially if it becomes clear to them that the culture of muqawma that Hamas insists on adhering to will deepen their disaster further.