The Hamas gimmick
that failed
By Yoni Ben Menachem
web posted April 16, 2018
According
to official statistics released by the Palestinian
Health Ministry, 10 Palestinians were killed during the “Friday of
Tires�? in
Gaza. Around 1,400 were injured, 33 of whom were in serious condition.
The second
week of the “return�? campaign organized by Hamas ended
in failure, according to IDF estimations, which the Palestinians do not
deny.
Only around 20,000 people took part in these events, compared to 40,000
people
who participated during the previous week.
Why
Is This a Failure?
In fact,
the first Friday of the campaign (March 30) was
originally declared a memorial day for those who were killed on what
was termed
“Land Day�? in 1976. However, this date has gradually become the “Friday
of
Tires.�?
The Hamas
leadership, who did not want to lose too many
participants at its events, gave into pressure from the younger
generation in
Gaza, who brought up the idea of the old-new gimmick of burning
thousands of
tires, They wanted to use the tactic to hinder the actions of IDF
marksmen
across the border, thereby “protecting the lives of the protesters.�?
According
to Fatah sources in Gaza, the Hamas leadership believed
that this new gimmick would succeed following the failure of the
underground
tunnels project.
Burning
tires is not new. This tactic first appeared during the
civil war in Lebanon from 1975-1990, and it was also used extensively
during
the first intifada in 1987 and the second intifada in 2000.
Using
thousands of burning tires was intended to draw the IDF to a
new front, where it would have to deal with thousands of protesting
civilians
in conditions of poor visibility, which will cause it to make mistakes.
However,
an assessment of the results shows that the purpose for
which thousands of tires were burned was not achieved. The IDF forces
at the
Gaza border were prepared in advance. Whenever necessary, they used
water
cannons, fans, and fire hoses, and they also used aerial drones to
overcome the
heavy smokescreen. Anyone who attempted to approach the border fence,
damage
it, cross it, or carry out terror attacks under cover of the smoke from
the
tires was hit by sniper fire.
The
Palestinians did not manage to infiltrate the territory of the State of
Israel
in their vast numbers, and the Israeli deterrent was preserved.
From
the
view of Hamas, the campaign was an operational failure.
The movement’s consent to use thousands of burning tires diverted the
“return�?
campaign from its original objective. Also around the world, it is
obvious that
there is no connection between burning tires and the “right of return�?
for
refugees. There were no great marches toward the border fence – only a
massive
burning of tires.
Hamas,
which is well aware of the murmurings and mood on the Gaza
street, tried to boost participation in the events of the “Friday
of
tires�? by promising financial incentives to those who took part and to
those
who were injured in the events of the most recent “Land Day.�?
Hamas
announced, through its spokesmen, that the families of those
killed in the “return�? campaign would receive the sum of $3,000, while
anyone
seriously injured would get $500, and anyone sustaining moderate
injuries would
be given $200.
At the
same time, they announced $1 million would be distributed
among needy families in the Gaza Strip, including the homeless and
divorced
women.
Fatah in
Gaza considers Hamas’ promise of financial incentives to
the demonstrators to be an attempt to encourage the culture of
“martyrdom�? (shahada
in Arabic) for the sake of monetary gain and the exploitation of the
suffering
of civilians caused by the humanitarian crisis.
There have
been calls among other Palestinian factions for Hamas
to establish a “national committee�? that would include all parties, and
it
would determine which of those injured during these events were
entitled to a
financial payment. Hamas would not be the only one to decide, as this
would
intensify its strength.
Using
Yasser Arafat as a
Symbol
One of the
surprises of the “Friday of Tires�? was a statement made
by Yahya Sinwar, leader of Hamas in Gaza.
Sinwar
only arrived in the area in the afternoon, and in the
speech he delivered to the demonstrators, he said:
“We are
continuing the path of Yasser Arafat, of tipping the
scales and resisting the enemy.�?
Sinwar’s
words surprised the residents of Gaza because he deliberately avoided
mentioning his teacher and mentor Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, founder of the
Hamas
movement.
Sinwar was
very close to Sheikh Yassin, who, when he founded Hamas
in 1987, appointed him as the head of the security bureau known as the
“Majd.�?
Fatah
elements in Gaza say that the omission was not an error and
that Sinwar’s words reveal the troubles of the “return campaign,�? which
has
gradually lost many participants.
They claim
that Sinwar used Yasser Arafat as a symbol to encourage
Fatah activists to take part in the “return campaign,�? and especially
the many
supporters of Mohammed Dahlan in the Gaza Strip.
Mohammed
Dahlan often claims that he, rather than PA Chairman
Mahmoud Abbas, is continuing the true path of Yasser Arafat.
Failure
in the Arab
States and the West Bank
After two
weeks of the “return�? campaign, it is apparent that the
Gaza Strip remains isolated with regard to anything to do with this
campaign.
According
to the original plan, marches toward the border with
Israel were supposed to take place in the various Arab states where
there are
Palestinian refugee camps at the same time as the demonstrations in the
Gaza
Strip.
Apart from
an attempt to create such a parade in southern Lebanon
on Land Day on March 30, 2018, this appeal from Hamas did not garner
any
response. Even in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army did not allow the
demonstrators to reach the border with Israel.
The lack
of response to the “return�? campaign in the West Bank was
particularly apparent. This was due to several reasons:
1.
The
residents don’t believe
in the success of the campaign. The strategy of Hamas is similar to
that of
Mahmoud Abbas, which called for “popular resistance in peaceful ways.�?
This has
been a resounding failure in the West Bank.
2.
Mahmoud
Abbas fears that if
mass “return marches�? are permitted in the West Bank, this may
strengthen Hamas
and threaten the stability of his regime.
3.
PA
security cooperation
with Israel obligates the Palestinian Authority to maintain order and
prevent
clashes with IDF forces.
4.
Fatah in
the West Bank does
not actively support the “return�? campaign, providing declarations only.
It is too
early to lay the Hamas “return�? campaign to rest. The
most outstanding achievement of the campaign until now is the
restoration of
the Palestinian problem to the international agenda. Nevertheless, so
far the
Palestinians have failed in their demand for the UN Security Council to
condemn
Israel, announce the establishment of an investigative committee, or
that the
United Nations should take a resolution to provide an international
defense
force for the Palestinians as demanded by the Palestinian Authority.
An
additional achievement is creating obstacles for the Trump
administration to publicize its new plan, known as “the deal of the
century.�?
Mahmoud Abbas also has a problem: it is difficult for him to impose new
sanctions on Gaza while its residents are battling IDF forces at the
border
fence.
The Hamas
movement is highlighting the claim that the “return campaign�?
has embarrassed Israel in the international arena and this is of great
concern
to Israel’s political and defense establishment.
Noteworthy
Dates Ahead
A few more
notable dates lie ahead. On April 15, 2018, an
Arab summit meets in Saudi Arabia, and April 17 has been proclaimed
“Palestinian Prisoner Day.�? These are in addition to Fridays, which
have been
proclaimed as “Days of Rage�? on a regular basis.
It is
reasonable to assume that the organizers of the “Return�?
campaign will try to stir things up on the border between Gaza and
Israel on
these particular days.
The height
of the campaign is supposed to be on May 14 and 15, the
scheduled dates of the transfer of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and Nakba
Day.
On May 15,
the month-long fast of Ramadan, which is sacred to the
Muslims, is also due to begin. The activities of the “return�? campaign
may also
spill over into this month, when extremist organizations tend to carry
out
terror attacks, even though Hamas has announced that the campaign is
supposed
to finish on Nakba Day.
For Hamas,
this is a new intifada that is similar to the first
intifada in 1987 with regard to popular participation.
It is
clear to the Palestinians that this intifada, known as
“marches of return,�? will not lead to the return of the refugees to the
territory of the State of Israel. However, through it, Hamas is trying
to stir
up the frustration and fury of the residents of Gaza toward Israel
caused by
the severe humanitarian crisis.
In light
of the current lack of response and practical cooperation
from West Bank residents, it is hoped in Gaza that the campaign will
eventually
provoke the international community to put pressure on Israel to remove
the
embargo from Gaza and compel the world to take care of the residents of
Gaza
after 11 tough years of sanctions.
Alternatively,
as Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar said at the weekend, “if there is an
explosion in
the Gaza Strip, that explosion will be in Israel’s face.�? 
Yoni
Ben Menachem, a veteran Arab affairs and diplomatic commentator for
Israel
Radio and Television, is a senior Middle East analyst for the Jerusalem
Center.
He served as Director General and Chief Editor of the Israel
Broadcasting
Authority.