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Exempting Palestinians from accountability perpetuates a hopeless future | Avi Melamed special to the USA TODAY Network | This article has already published in more that 227 other media and newspapers.
3-minute read
In early December, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority convened to discuss the future governance of Gaza in the aftermath of the war. According to reports, the two parties — the Palestinian Authority, controlled by Fatah, which renounced violence in its pursuit of Palestinian statehood with the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords, and Hamas, its longstanding rival — agreed to establish a nonpartisan technocratic committee to govern Gaza, independent of both factions. As the international community observes closely, a pivotal question remains: Who will truly take charge of Gaza once the war ends? Hamas will not simply vanish; it will continue to exert influence within Gaza, Palestinian society and the broader political framework. The risk is clear: Postwar governance could revert to Hamas, either directly or through its affiliates operating under a rebranded identity. Such an outcome would be a significant setback — not only for Gaza, but for the prospects of peace across the region.
Addressing this challenge requires confronting a hard truth that has long been absent from Western discourse: Palestinians must acknowledge their own role in shaping their circumstances. Accountability is essential for building a better future — for themselves and for the generations to come.
Frustratingly, Western discussions often fail to hold two key parties accountable: Palestinians, for supporting Hamas and benefiting from its rule, and Hamas itself, which must be held accountable for the people living under its authority. This lack of accountability has trapped both Gazans and Israelis in cycles of violence and despair. To break this cycle, it is not only fair but necessary to demand accountability from Hamas as well as from the residents of Gaza and Palestinians at large.
Hamas was founded in Gaza in 1987. In 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza and transferred governance to the Palestinian Authority. Two years later, Hamas took control of Gaza by force, overthrowing the Palestinian Authority’s rule. Since 2007, Hamas has governed Gaza, benefiting tens of thousands of families — whether as officials, military personnel, police officers, members of its military wing, educators, clerics or businesspeople. Because Hamas was born in Gaza and is from Gaza, many Gazans are members, supporters or sympathizers; they support Hamas either because they share its ideology or because they benefit materially from its rule. Those who gain from Hamas’ governance — tens of thousands of Gazans — could demand that their leaders prioritize their safety, security and prosperity, entitlements that people in Western nations enjoy. Yet, since 2007, they have not done so. Since 2007, many of Hamas’ supporters have prioritized the personal advantages they derive from its rule, even as Hamas has consistently brought devastation to Gaza, including to their own families.
Hamas’ leaders have mastered the art of deflection, perpetually blaming everyone but themselves for Gaza’s dire situation while avoiding responsibility themselves.
In October 2023, senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk, speaking in Arabic to an Egyptian interviewer — an interview that received extensive coverage throughout the Arab world — placed responsibility for Gaza’s suffering on everyone other than Hamas: the United Nations, Israel and the international community. Pressed by the Egyptian interviewer on Hamas’ failure to protect civilians, Abu Marzouk unabashedly admitted, “We [Hamas] built the tunnels because we [Hamas] have no other way of protecting ourselves [Hamas] from being killed in airstrikes. We [Hamas] are fighting from inside the tunnels.” Without equivocation, Abu Marzouk reiterated, “Hamas is not responsible for the people of Gaza. The world is responsible for the people of Gaza.” This interview exposed Hamas’ twisted priorities — tunnels for Hamas militants, not shelters for the citizens it governs.
This indifference was compounded in October 2024 when Khalid Mashal, a billionaire who serves as the chief of Hamas’ Diaspora Office, spoke from his comfortable life in Qatar. Mashal referred to the death of Palestinian civilians after the war Hamas provoked as mere “tactical losses” and “death and destruction for the sake of Allah.”
The international community — particularly Western nations and leading Arab states — must take decisive and coordinated action to end Hamas’ decades-long ability to impose its radical and violent agenda. This requires more than condemnation; it demands a strategic and united approach to dismantle Hamas’ stranglehold on Gaza and to establish a foundation for accountable, responsible governance. Global leaders must champion a governance model that prioritizes the well-being of Gaza’s citizens — their peace, stability and prosperity — over militancy and extremism. Achieving this vision requires bold diplomatic coordination, strategic support and an unwavering commitment to accountability. By replacing the politics of violence with structures that enable genuine self-determination and hope, the international community can help set Gaza on a sustainable and transformative path forward toward a better future.
Until a call for accountability takes hold, Gaza will remain trapped in violence and its people will continue to suffer. The vision of a peaceful and prosperous Gaza — one day standing side by side with Israel in a two-state solution — will remain a distant dream. Ultimately, Gaza’s destiny rests in the hands of its own people, supported by a focused and resolute international community. A true path to hope begins with an uncompromising demand for accountability — where Palestinians themselves take ownership and bear responsibility for their choices and decisions.
Avi Melamed is a former Israeli intelligence official who went on to serve as deputy and then as senior Arab affairs adviser to Jerusalem Mayors Teddy Kollek and Ehud Olmert, operating as a negotiator during the first and second intifadas. He is the author of “Inside The Middle East: Entering A New Era,” and his latest docuseries, “The Seam Line,” available on the Izzy streaming platform, focuses on Jerusalem’s flashpoints and his work during the intifadas.
Exempting Palestinians from accountability perpetuates a hopeless future | Avi Melamed special to the USA TODAY Network | This article has already published in more that 227 other media and newspapers.
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