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Will Protests Against Hamas Transform into a Genuine New Path?
(Newsweek) Jason D. Greenblatt - Where were the Palestinian protests after the brutality of Oct. 7? We witnessed celebrations in Gaza, not condemnation, jubilation, not anger at the heinous crimes committed by Hamas and others terrorists, including Gazan civilians. The critical question at the heart of the Palestinian protests is: Do they signal the protestors' transformative recognition that Hamas's ideology of destruction has brought nothing but catastrophe upon them and that it is time to chart a different path forward? Or is this merely exhaustion - a desperate attempt to find any possible reprieve from their current condition? In other words, are they against Hamas because they are for a better future which might even include ending the war against Israel, or merely because Hamas has failed so miserably? Ultimately, what is likely driving the protests is that these Palestinians are exhausted from the sheer misery Hamas has brought upon them. What we do know is that Palestinians rejecting Hamas and the terrorism it stands for is - as it has always been - the only genuine pathway to a better future for Gaza and meaningful dialogue and coexistence with Israel. Hamas' only reason for existence is to seek to destroy Israel, so the odds are low that things will change. Palestinians have appeared ready for peace in the past, only to turn back to rejection and terrorism. The writer, Assistant to the U.S. President and Special Representative for International Negotiations (2017-2019), played a key role in developing the Abraham Accords.