Why Palestine will never be a state… because of Hamas
Several scenarios can be imagined for the Palestinian population. The first is still relatively “optimistic”, though terrible in reality. Subjected to the ever-increasing influence of the Israeli army and orthodox settlers, they will definitively lose the meagre territory they currently enjoy. They will then continue to claim their independence, but their situation will be similar to that of the Iraqi Kurds. At best, the Palestinians would have a kind of autonomy like Iraqi Kurdistan in a dominant Israeli state, but they would constantly live with the feeling of being under siege.
At worst, the Palestinians could suffer the same fate as Turkey’s Kurds. Deprived of any recognition as a state or even as an autonomous region, Palestine would be a kind of permanent war zone. Violence would be structural and hopeless, because Israel wants security and will get it on a regular basis, at least for a while.
As for Hamas, it is an anachronism not only because of its ideology inspired by the century-old Muslim Brotherhood, but also because Islamist movements everywhere have had to mutate in order to participate in the “classic” electoral game without resorting to violence (Turkey, Tunisia), or have had to give in to states that are often intransigent and more or less violent (Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Syria).
The idea of a Palestinian state may be a thing of the past, Hamas may be a thing of the past, the two-state “solution” may be a thing of the past, and Israel may already have “won” – but at which price ! – by annexing more and more of the West Bank and imposing its military power, albeit at the cost of structural and lasting violence against Palestinians. The Hamas offensive of October 7 is impressive from a military point of view and terrible from a humanitarian point of view. But it may well bury the idea of a Palestinian state forever.
OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Baudry Pierre (November 15, 2023). Why Palestine will never be a state… because of Hamas. Deciphering international politics - religion, economics and international affairs. Retrieved March 18, 2025 from https://doi.org/10.58079/tl3r