A few weeks before this current phase, the Israelis, the Saudis and the US were deep in negotiation around the Abraham Accords. The Israelis were being held over a barrel by the Saudis on trade to make concessions, the Palestinian Authority was involved in shaping the deal they were putting together. Hamas then attacked. Now, it might have been justified, it might have been as a product of prolonged antecedents…. But it sure as hell wasn’t in the interests of the Palestinian people.

I’m not here to defend Israel, they are more than capable of doing that themselves. Netanyahu has played right into the propaganda tactic being waged. One which relies on him being a belligerent idiom and Hamas leaders fully understanding the Palestinian population are an expendable factor in their war aim.

Backing Hamas as freedom fighters against oppression and colonialism isn’t the win it seems. The Palestinian people are being played by both sides.