DESPITE the recent war in the Middle East having continued for a year, the cycle of destruction continues to expand. According to recent reports, a ground assault has now been launched on Lebanon as well. The impact of this destruction needs to be analyzed from two angles: firstly, the loss of life in Gaza, and secondly, the financial loss that has resulted in the complete destruction of infrastructure. Scale of this devastation is so widespread that its effects will be felt for a long time.
It wouldn’t be fair to compare the damage caused by this war to the damage Pakistan suffered in the 1965 war against India. Before the war, Pakistan was considered a rapidly developing economy with great potential, but the economic damage it suffered had long-lasting effects that are still felt today. Current destruction in Gaza is thousands of times greater than what happened in 1965. Thus, it is not difficult to understand that this devastation will become a part of the Palestinian psyche, and it will take not just decades but centuries to recover from this loss.
The greatest strength of any self-determination or resistance movement lies in its leadership. If the leadership is far-sighted, courageous, and aligned with contemporary requirements, it can energize even a weak movement and not only stand up against its rival forces but also become a formidable challenge to them. Founders of Hamas, despite many weaknesses of its nation, managed to gather resources and transform it into a major military force that Israel perceived as a threat. Hezbollah’s situation is quite similar. Question is: how did such strong and determined forces turn to dust within a year?
To understand this, it is essential to know how the recent war in the Middle East started. It must be remembered that this war began when Hamas launched missile attacks on Israel, resulting in the death of around 1,500 Israelis. Second question is: what was the need for these attacks? Several hypotheses have been discussed in this regard. It is commonly said that there was no immediate reason for these attacks other than being pushed to the point of desperation. Another reason stated is that there was a new political wave in the region aimed at recognizing Israel. If all the countries in the region, including the Muslim countries, recognized Israel, the Palestinians would have been left isolated. It is claimed that these attacks disrupted the foundation of this movement.
Third viewpoint, often dismissed as a conspiracy theory, suggests that Hamas’s attack was influenced by Iran and Russia. Why this happened is still a matter of speculation, and there is no confirmed information available. Another theory, which can also be labeled as a conspiracy theory, includes some points that have gradually been validated over time. It suggests that this attack was a trap into which Hamas and other forces in the Middle East fell easily.
How was Hamas’s attack a part of the enemy’s conspiracy? There are a few indications. As soon as the attack occurred, a specific type of narrative started circulating internationally. First statement that emerged was: “If Hamas has made a mistake, it must be eliminated.” In this context, the statement made by Nobel Prize-winning Pakistani social activist Malala Yousafzai is noteworthy. She stated that civilians should not be harmed in retaliation. This statement implicitly indicated the elimination of the resistance forces. Everything happened as expected, from the martyrdom of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to Hassan Nasrallah. This clearly shows that whether it was the Hamas attack or other incidents, they were all part of a conspiratorial trap into which the resistance forces of the Middle East fell easily.
This hypothesis can be questioned, but it will retain its validity until the complete and accurate facts come to light. History shows that such facts are rarely ever revealed fully. Facts are understood through context or are gradually disclosed over time, sometimes taking decades or even centuries. If we accept this hypothesis, it means that the leadership of both Hamas and Hezbollah fell prey to a conspiracy rather easily. Self-determination and resistance movements have always faced conspiracies and many such movements have failed due to these conspiracies. This does not mean that the leadership was not sincere or self-sacrificing, but it does indicate that they failed to comprehend the situation. If we assume that Iran and Russia’s influence was behind Hamas’s attack, it also implies that these forces were not part of the conspiracy. Then what was it? This question demands a long and detailed analysis. —To be continued…
—This writer is former advisor to the president of Pakistan, author & mass media theorist.
(farooq.adilbhuta@gmail,com)
