Huh? Throughout the last pages I've been saying that they don't have the power to force a solution for the Palestinians. This question would be valid if I was arguing that they can but don't. Then the onus would be on me to explain how.
For me, the question is: could they have chosen not to engage Israel on several subjects such as normalization and arms deals? Or is this something they had to do? And how does that connect with the argument some experts make that October 7th's goal was to put the Palestinian cause back on the map.
From a national point of view, they realistically had to, as neither the economic or military odds were in their favor and there was too much to gain by joining the other side. The Abraham Accords epitomize the ultimate betrayal, making a juicy deal with the enemy at the cost of your own "brothers".
I don't presume to know what every single autocrat in the region truly thinks, but siding with the winner or at least not opposing them when in an inferior position was the only logical way for them to survive and thrive under these circumstances. Gaza and the West Bank were out of sight for years, therefore out of mind. Major Arab governing assholes like Bin Salman in SA or Mohammed VI of Morocco thought that it was time for the next step and quietly close the ultimate curtains on Palestine without causing major protests among the Arab populations who currently have enough to deal with on a domestical matter. And signed the Abraham Accords.
Then Hamas, backed by Iran which had also a lot to lose, said "No".
Left with no choice, it decided for the politics of the worst to force the issue. It went on a desperate but despicable, murderous rampage fully knowing what Israel's answer would be, even betting on it, and played the good old rule in asymmetric colonial wars, "you can lose military battles as long as you win the opinion war on the international scene". Whether they will succeed or not remains to be seen, but the undeniable fact is that Palestine is talked about like never before and will continue to do so.
The status quo that prevailed until now and based on the Gaza being under blockade whilst the West Bank saw itself being slowly and quietly eaten away will never be valid anymore. Israel's actions and exactions are creating a rift in the western populations, particularly in the younger ones who aren't so viscerally attached to Israel like the previous ones and only see what Israel's doing right now. It might not mean anything now but the seeds of doubt have been sowed. The next western rulers will never be as accommodating the current geriatric ones are.
It's not new either. It kinda reminds me of European nations being liberated from Nazi occupation and then trying to hold onto their colonies with violence and war. For example, France with Indochina and the Netherlands with Indonesia.
The two countries you mentioned had a history of colonizing what they considered as "lesser races", France in particular, which was very successful in dominating not only peoples in the Middle-East and Africa but also in Europe.
Americans People tend to fixate on WWII when it comes to France, and gleefully give them shit for that, but it was a formidable country and military power for centuries up to WWII, that fought countless wars on the European continent, with much, much more wins than defeats. And if you want to mention a post WWII independence conflict involving France that's close to what's happening in Gaza, you should take a better look to the Algeria Independence War from 1954 to 1962.
Both Netherlands or France never were as bullied and persecuted as the Jews were throughout History. That's not even close. Jews have had a target on their back since the Assyrian Empire. Rome ultimately broke them as a nation a couple of thousands years ago and they've never recovered from it until 1945. In between they've been a diaspora, regularly the subject of admiration, fear, and mostly hate in Europe, depending on the national mood.
It explains their absolute determination and hate towards any perceived threat their new found Homeland (generously given by the reigning colonial powers at the cost of another "lesser race", in order to get definitely rid of them) and they will do literally anything to preserve what they consider to be their God given own land. They'll use any means at their disposal to defend it. If you add to this a healthy dose of institutional contempt and racism towards Arabs, a gift of the Zionism which is incepted in the very early years of every single Israeli, you get what you see right now.
Sorry for the text wall, but I'm an old school guy who can't limit himself to the mandatory Twitter three sentences.
Whatever floats your boat, buddy. I love the new settlements are illegal.
