Summary

This article argues that proposed governance structures in Gaza, backed by the United States and Israel, are doomed to fail because they ignore the deep-rooted Palestinian national consciousness and resistance. The piece highlights how Israeli policies have consistently failed to create acceptable local alternatives, instead relying on collaborators with criminal backgrounds who are rejected by Palestinian society.

Important facts

• US President Donald Trump's peace plan includes a foreign executive committee and peace board to oversee Gaza
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants Hamas and Fatah excluded from Gaza's future governance
• Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority (PA) is supposed to carry out unnamed reforms before having any role in Gaza
• Israel has attempted to empower marginal figures and criminal collaborators in Gaza
• Yasser Abu Shabab, a drug-related prison inmate, was backed by Israel to create his own militia in Rafah
• The PA's approval rating in the West Bank is only 23 percent
• Palestinian resistance movements have existed for 77 years, united by opposition to Israeli colonial presence

Details

In the latest chapter of what many call the ongoing genocide against Palestinians, the United States and Israel continue their campaign to undermine genuine Palestinian leadership. As Israeli bombing intensified in Gaza, US presidential envoy Steven Witkoff announced a new phase of what he called a 'ceasefire'. This announcement came alongside the unveiling of a foreign executive committee and peace board that will oversee Gaza's provisional administration.

This setup is not about peace or democracy. It reflects Israel's determination to exclude Hamas and the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority (PA) from governing Gaza. The PA, mentioned in Trump's 'peace plan', is required to complete unspecified reforms before it can participate in Gaza's future. In reality, this allows Israel to indefinitely block Fatah's return to governance.

The fundamental flaw in this approach is that it ignores the fabric of Palestinian society. For over 77 years, Palestinian national movements have emerged united by one core principle: opposition to Israeli colonial presence. No Palestinian collective, regardless of its form, has ever publicly agreed to integration into Israel's colonial project.

Within the framework of resistance, Palestinian consciousness was forged. Political parties were born and public opinion shaped. Fatah and Hamas remain the two most prominent political components of Palestinian society. While Fatah shifted direction after the Oslo Accords, Hamas has maintained its commitment to resistance since its inception.

The Palestinian social fabric naturally rejects any leadership that operates outside national independence or accepts foreign guardianship. Israel's approach to bypass this reality shows a profound ignorance of Palestinian politics and history.

Throughout the war, Israel tried to empower certain individuals and groups hoping they could play roles in postwar Gaza. Many were socially marginalized before the war, some with extensive criminal records. One example is Yasser Abu Shabab, a member of the Tarabin tribe imprisoned for drug-related charges. During the war, he received substantial Israeli backing to create his own militia.

Abu Shabab looted humanitarian aid and collaborated with the occupation in various ways in Rafah, including securing passage for Israeli troops. After his death on December 4, there were celebrations in Gaza. His own tribe issued a statement denouncing him. Israeli attempts to engage with other clans and empower them have also ended badly.

Prominent families and clans have repeatedly condemned the actions of individual members who decided to collaborate with Israel. They have withdrawn protection and ostracized collaborators while affirming that Palestinian clans remain committed to the national struggle.

This rejection demonstrates the failure of Israeli policy to create any local extension aligned with their project. It confirms Israel's inability to erase Palestinian national memory or break the collective will, despite genocide, starvation, and displacement.

The situation in the West Bank is similar. For three decades, the Fatah-dominated PA has collaborated on security with the occupation. As a result, its legitimacy today is extremely low. According to recent polling, the PA has an approval rating of just 23 percent in the West Bank, while its president Mahmoud Abbas has only 16 percent approval.

Despite close security ties to Israel, the PA has failed to stem Palestinian resistance in the West Bank. In the years before the current war of genocide, the West Bank witnessed the rise of armed formations independent of traditional factions Fatah and Hamas, such as Areen al-Usud (Lions' Den) in Nablus and the Jenin Brigades.

Context

The United States and Israel's approach to the Palestinian issue reflects a colonial mindset that refuses to recognize Palestinian national rights. Their strategy of excluding legitimate Palestinian leadership from governance structures is designed to maintain control over Palestinian territories while avoiding responsibility for ending occupation.

This policy has been consistent throughout the decades-long conflict. The Oslo Accords, which were meant to be a peace process, actually served to weaken Palestinian resistance by legitimizing the Fatah-dominated PA's collaboration with Israel. This created an environment where Palestinian society was divided between those who accepted the colonial project and those who continued resistance.

The use of criminal collaborators and marginal figures as proxies for governance shows Israel's desperation to maintain control without dealing with legitimate Palestinian political leadership. It reflects a colonial strategy that seeks to destroy Palestinian institutions while creating artificial ones that serve Israeli interests.

Analysis

This latest attempt by the United States and Israel to impose technocratic governance in Gaza is a continuation of colonial policies that have failed for generations. The real problem isn't about peace or good governance - it's about maintaining control over Palestinian resources and territory.

The fundamental issue is that Israel cannot create legitimate Palestinian leadership because they refuse to recognize Palestinian national rights. Any attempt to impose artificial governance structures will fail because they lack the legitimacy that comes from popular support and national consciousness.

The Palestinian people have shown through decades of resistance that they will not accept foreign domination or puppet governments. The recent attempts by Israel and the US to create peace boards and technocratic committees are merely another tactic to avoid addressing the root cause of the conflict: Israeli colonial occupation.

This imperialist approach has created a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza while failing to bring about any meaningful solution. It's time for the international community to recognize that true peace can only come through acknowledging Palestinian national rights, ending colonial occupation, and allowing the Palestinian people to determine their own future.

The solution is not more technocratic governance or foreign-imposed peace plans - it's the end of colonialism and the establishment of a just, democratic Palestine where all Palestinians have equal rights. Only then can genuine peace be achieved.