Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the United Nations today. He asked the UN to help his people (against “the Israeli occupier”) and argued that the blockade of Gaza has to come to an immediate end. 

“How can any people deprived of… all necessities for development…” think about peace, Abbas wondered? He added that the Palestinian people would address their own problems immediately if Israel withdraws from Gaza and ends it blockade of Gaza which has, according to many experts, caused great suffering for all Gazans.

“Let me stress,” Abbas said, “any formula that would impose the status quo through separation.” This means that the PA (Palestinian Authority) wants “Gaza to be part of Palestine.” “How can we accept a different fate for Gaza than it being a proud, integral part of Palestine?” He repeated the demand that Israel will eventually have to withdraw to the pre-1967 borders and called Israel’s military action and occupation of Palestinian territories “genocide,” which is so great of an exaggeration that someone should make clear to him that he should choose different words if he wants the world to take him serious.

Whether or not one agrees with Abbas’ interpretation of recent events and the current crisis, one thing should be clear: Israel and the West will have to give Abbas something, and something very valuable, if he wants to convince Gazans that he, not Hamas, can improve their lot in life. Abbas secretly encouraged Israel to take care of Hamas two weeks ago hoping that an Israeli attack would weaken Hamas which would enable Fatah to stage a countercoup in Gaza. However, his party can only do so if Abbas gives Gazans something – security and, above all, an end to the blockade.

Having said that, Israel gave Gazans something back in 2005; it withdrew all its troops from Gaza, hoping that this would inspire Palestinians to favor moderation and peace. The opposite happened, however; they voted for Hamas which eventually took over through a bloody coup. Of course, this too can be countered by arguing that Israel’s blockade of Gaza did not exactly promote moderation. 

Israel’s representative to the UN spoke immediately after Abbas. She explained the Israeli position quite wonderfully and in a far more articulate manner than Abbas. She explained that Hamas, not Israel, is the bad guy in this was by hiding behind women and children and purposefully targeting Israeli civilians. Civilians die, the Israeli representative said, because Hamas uses them as human shields “while its leaders hide in bunkers.”

Responsibility for the crisis “lies with Hamas, whose leaders hide in bunkers or live in luxurious hotels in Damascus,” she said. “A Hamas spokesman was proud to announce, and I quote, ‘Palestinians have created a human shield of women, children and the elderly’ [...]. There is no equivalence between states that build bunkers in civilian homes and states that use those homes to hide rockets… There is no equivalence between a state that uses violence in an act of self defense and a terrorist organization,” she went on to say.

Although there is room for some criticism with regards to civilian casualties for instance, as I have done recently in other posts, she is mostly right. As she said, supporting peace is not enough, she said, “we have to confront those who work to destroy it.” I do not see, however, how building a wall through Palestinian territories and a general blockade of Gaza helps Israel convince the average Palestinian to favor peace over violence. In the end, both sides will have to agree to a compromise. Israel will have to end its blockade of Gaza, but it has to be sure that Hamas will not carry out any terrorist attacks nor fire any rockets at Israel once the blockade is lifted.