In the alternative history books of the Middle East there are meetings of note that took place to illustrate the concerns that people had over the trajectory of things. Saddam Hussein used to rank as one. The seeming spread of poverty was another. Then, there was the question of Gaza and what might happen to an oddly shaped piece of land stuck in the middle of nowhere.
Today, the events that have engulfed the strip of land on the Mediterranean Sea make for a scene of terror and tragedy. There are whole towns and cities waiting to be liberated from a terror group that has dominated for decades. Their hope is its annihilation, a return to self-determination, and if it’s possible, peace with Israel.
The move to end the presence of Hamas is long overdue. Its influence has grown beyond the small area defined by war and infighting and into Europe and beyond through infiltration and antagonism. The poison of its violent ideology is documented fact. The merciless advance of its soldiers is beyond doubt a menace.
Forward thinking analysts see glimpses of a future for the people that are stuck there. Their claim to unique identity is harmed by rampant and ignoble protests in the West, but they cling onto more fundamental beliefs that are in their own history books. Their endurance is proof of community, more than scattered plans.
However, the struggle for control has an agenda of its own. It cannot be owned by European leaders failing to keep their own borders safe, and it cannot be robbed off them by perverted news agendas. If people in Gaza are determined, their eyes may yet see a real government formed and the best chance it’s got for a political redemption.