After Gaza War, Palestinian Factions Must Reassess Policies, Says Top Official
RAMALLAH: Immediately after Israel’s war in Gaza ends, all Palestinian factions, including Hamas, must take a serious look at the failure of their policies to achieve freedom for their people, a top Palestinian Authority official said.
Hussein Al-Sheikh, 63, said war in Gaza after the Oct. 7 attacks on southern Israel meant Hamas should make a “serious and honest assessment and reconsider all its policies and all its methods” once fighting subsides.
Sheikh, the general secretary of President Mahmoud Abbas’s Palestine Liberation Organization, is seen by some as a potential successor.
The Failure of Current Policies
His comments were the first time a senior PLO leader has talked publicly about Hamas tactics since the Oct. 7 attacks. Sheikh also acknowledged the political path under the Oslo Peace Accords was faltering and, as it currently stands, would not achieve the ambition of the Palestinian people for the establishment of a Palestinian state within pre-1967 borders.
International Efforts for a Comprehensive Solution
Sheikh and Abbas met senior White House aide Jake Sullivan in Ramallah on Friday. The Palestinians told him a new international effort was needed to persuade Israel of a comprehensive solution that includes the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, Sheikh said.
“There must be a single Palestinian government governing the Palestinian homeland,” Sheikh said in a rare interview in sleek offices adorned with portraits Abbas and his predecessor Yasser Arafat in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.
Lack of Concrete Mechanisms or Political Initiatives
Despite offering welcome verbal backing for a Palestinian state in the meetings, Sheikh said, Washington had not proposed concrete mechanisms or political initiatives. He reiterated a call by Abbas for an international peace conference to forge a new route.
Reassessing Roles and Approaches
Sheikh said the Palestinian Authority was the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and would be ready to take control of Gaza after the war. However, he recognized that the Palestinian Authority needed to reassess its role.
Referring to Hamas, Sheikh said “it is not acceptable for some to believe that their method and approach in managing the conflict with Israel was the ideal and the best.
“After all this (killing) and after everything that’s happening, isn’t it worth making a serious, honest, and responsible assessment to protect our people and our Palestinian cause?
“Isn’t it worth discussing how to manage this conflict with the Israeli occupation?”
Rebuilding Gaza
Sheikh said 60 percent of Gaza was destroyed, and it would cost $40 billion to rebuild over decades. The 1993 Oslo peace accords with Israel were partially successful, he said, in that they gave Palestinians an identity and led to the repatriation of 2 million refugees to the West Bank and Gaza from countries they fled to during the 1948 and 1967 wars with Israel.
Challenges Faced by the Palestinian Authority
He said the PA had been weakened by Israel’s military raids and expansion of settlements. Abbas promoted Sheikh last year. His new role makes him the second most powerful man in the PLO.
In response to a request for comment, Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said Sheikh was “on the side of the Israeli civil administration, and him attacking the Palestinian resistance is not surprising.”
Working Towards Reducing Suffering
Sheikh said it was his job to work with Israel to reduce the suffering of Palestinians.
Conclusion
The recent war in Gaza has highlighted the need for Palestinian factions, including Hamas, to reassess their policies and methods in order to achieve freedom for their people. Hussein Al-Sheikh, a top Palestinian Authority official, emphasized the importance of a serious and honest assessment once the fighting subsides. He also called for a new international effort to persuade Israel of a comprehensive solution that includes the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem. Sheikh acknowledged the faltering path of the Oslo Peace Accords and the need for a new approach. The Palestinian Authority, as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, is ready to take control of Gaza after the war but recognizes the need to reassess its role. Sheikh also emphasized the importance of discussing how to manage the conflict with the Israeli occupation. Rebuilding Gaza will be a significant challenge, with an estimated cost of $40 billion over several decades. The Palestinian Authority has faced weakening due to Israeli military raids and settlement expansions. Despite criticism from Hamas, Sheikh remains committed to working with Israel to reduce the suffering of Palestinians. This period of reflection and reassessment presents an opportunity for Palestinian factions to come together and chart a new path towards achieving their aspirations for freedom and statehood.