Unser langjähriger Co-Reiseleiter mehrerer politischer Reisen nach Israel und Palästina, Hannoch Katsir, berichtet aus Israel und schildert seine Sicht auf den Terrorangriff der Hamas auf Israel und die aktuellen kriegerischen Auseinandersetzungen:
Dear IAK readers,
For the past few years, I have been involved in inviting you to understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israeli society, and, as Germans, the way the Shoah still shapes both our societies.
I had planned a new IAK tour for this autumn 2023, which is now canceled. I believed it would address the most current topic – the protest movement fighting for Israeli democracy.
Little did I know that this topic would be overshadowed by other news. The savage attack on some 20 kibbutzim, villages, and army bases near the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, is the worst attack on my country ever. It was soon declared to be the „worst since the Holocaust.“
The shock of the surprise attack and the need to act quickly in the face of an unfolding military and civil crisis have somewhat suppressed public anger towards the government. Everyone understands, though, that there will be some harsh criticism after the war.
The collapse of the „Konzeptia,“ as we often say here – alluding to the term used after the Yom Kippur War, stating that there is no partner for peace on the Palestinian side – is not restricted only to military failures. I see a lack of intelligence, the absence of concrete alerts, and the seemingly easy way the border barrier was compromised.
The collapse of the „Konzeptia“ is also connected to the political idea that the „Palestinian problem“ could be set aside while Israel achieves peace accords with the rest of the Arab world. This was specifically pushed by the Israeli government, which promoted the idea of „divide and rule“ towards the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. It was openly argued that if we do not want a Palestinian state in the West Bank, we need to support money for Hamas in Gaza.
It is hard to believe today, but ignoring the moderate Palestinian Authority in favour of the extremist Hamas was Israeli policy (see references below this text). As the Prime Minister speaks of creating a new Middle East, let us humbly remember the limits of such „political engineering.“
While I write this, I hear helicopters and jet fighters in the sky. The tragedy of both Israelis and Palestinians in and around Gaza – civilians kidnapped, missing, or buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings – will unfold in the coming days.
Hanoch Katsir
„The Israeli cultivation of Hamas, intended to ensure that Palestinians remained split between the more moderate Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and the rulers of Gaza, so making Palestinian statehood impossible, is a policy in shreds.“
(zitiert aus: Cohen, Robert. 2023. „Peace, a Forgotten Word, Renews its Claim in the Holy Land.“ New York Times, 22. Oktober 2023)
Caspit, Ben. 2023. „לחמאס להפוך למפלצת | בן כספיתהעיקר שלא יהיה מו“מ עם הרשות: נתניהו נותן.“ Maariv (Jerusalem), 12. Mai 2023 (auf Hebräisch)
Eldar, Akiva. 2019. „Netanyahu’s ‚divide and rule‘ policy against Palestinians.“ Al-Monitor (Washington, D.C.), 15. November 2019
Raz, Adam. 2023. „אבו יאיר, יקיר חמאס.“ Haaretz (Tel Aviv), 12. Oktober 2023 (auf Hebräisch)
