Up until about a year ago, Shai Ben-Yaish dedicated his efforts to developing an industrial zone in southern Israel that encompassed Gaza.
This initiative was envisioned to generate wage opportunities for over 20,000 families in Gaza.
“These factories were intended to provide livelihoods for more than 20,000 families in Gaza,” Ben-Yaish, who is vying for the mayoral position in Sderot, shared with RTÉ News.
Before the tumult on October 7, individuals like Ben-Yaish were at the helm of ambitious plans aimed at fostering cooperative enterprises with Gaza, spanning sectors such as industry, agriculture, and fishing.
The blockade introduced drastic living conditions, ushering in extreme poverty and soaring unemployment rates in the enclave.
With Benjamin Netanyahu’s return to the prime ministerial office in December 2022, leading a far-right and ultranationalist administration, despair seemed to deepen.
The Arazim Industrial Zone could have represented a constructive move—a step toward a potential resolution of the two-state quandary.
However, Ben-Yaish now struggles to envision that future.
Following a tragic turn of events, he lost his sister, brother-in-law, and nephew to Hamas gunfire—brutal gunshots that ended their lives.
“They snatched our dreams and attacked our villages. You know what unfolded on October 7,” he expressed with palpable sorrow.
“I think we are incredibly far from paving a path toward a solution now.”
This sense of hopelessness resonates across both sides of this prolonged conflict.
As people held hands at a memorial in Tel Aviv, they honored the memory of those lost in the October 7 Hamas assault—a poignant moment marking a year of pain.
But one must remember that October 7 did not emerge from a void.
While it undeniably initiated a new era of violence in the Middle East, the roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict stretch back decades.
Though Hamas militants launched attacks on southern Israel from Gaza, they cited the escalating tensions in the occupied West Bank—some 50 kilometers away—as justification for their aggression.
Mr. Netanyahu’s government had been rapidly expanding illegal Israeli settlements in that territory, leading to rising violence directed at Palestinians by settlers.
In the shadow of the Israeli military’s devastating actions in Gaza, the situation surrounding West Bank settlements might seem minor.
Nevertheless, at its core, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict boils down to a modern territorial struggle—two nations vying for control over the same land.
The proliferation of Israeli settlements in the West Bank steadily diminishes Palestinian land and sovereignty.
“I realize the world is caught up in various issues today, especially in the Middle East. But the root cause of all this conflict? It’s the land. It’s about this specific patch of earth that everyone is fighting over,” remarked Yaser Alkam, a resident of Turmus Ayya in the West Bank.
On a fundamental level, Alkam noted that these settlements complicate the delineation of West Bank borders, slicing through Palestinian towns and villages.
“Honestly, I don’t think even Ireland fully grasps where the Palestine it recognizes actually lies,” he remarked.
“I mean, yes, they’re acknowledging the state of Palestine, but can you find any official in Ireland who can clearly outline the borders of that proclaimed state?”
This conundrum is weighing heavily on Palestinian policymakers as well.
“If you examine satellite images over the past 30 years, it’s clear that Israel has been methodically inching away at Palestinian land. It’s been expanding settlements, tightening restrictions, and enforcing a complete blockade on Gaza,” stated Dr. Sabri Saidam.
“One of physics’ key tenets is that actions provoke equal and opposite reactions. History provides no examples of an occupied nation receiving its oppressors with open arms; naturally, people will resist, fighting for their liberation,” explained Dr. Saidam, who serves as the Deputy Secretary General of the Fatah party governing the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
On one hand, some speculate that the events of October 7 might catalyze a significant shift in opinions, nudging many toward reconsidering the viability of a two-state solution.
In numerous ways, Israel had lulled itself into an almost deceptive sense of stability.
The political elite seemed convinced they could subjugate the Palestinians indefinitely while ignoring the prospect of a Palestinian state—living in relative peace, shielded by military strength.
A year on, the weight of grief and trauma on the Israeli side remains palpable.
It’s hardly shocking that a considerable portion of Israelis oppose a two-state resolution; activists in Ireland have long understood this reality.
Nevertheless, achieving a two-state solution requires their involvement.
The stark truth is that those ordinary Israelis who had advocated for recognizing a Palestinian state often resided in border communities closest to Gaza.
They were, after all, the most directly impacted by the violence unleashed on October 7.
Among them is Meira Yadgar, a retired educator whose raw honesty during her interview with RTÉ News resonated deeply. Once involved in collaborative educational projects across borders, she confessed that she now feels indifferent toward the plight of Gazans.
When reminded of the staggering loss of over 40,000 lives in Gaza due to Israeli military actions, she proclaimed, “I don’t think about them. I don’t care.”
“Given what they did to us, to our young people, to everyone here in the Kibbutzim, my concern for them has vanished.”
Yet, surprisingly, a glimmer of hope surfaced in her response regarding the two-state solution.
It wasn’t a resounding ‘never’, but rather a sentiment that it was simply “too early” to consider.
“That might change down the line,” she reflected.
Amidst the ongoing devastation and despair, a glimmer of hope emerges.
“For many Palestinians, the window feels shut,” Dr. Saidam observed.
“Still, I choose to be hopeful. I believe that goodness can arise from suffering—solutions can emerge from the cracks formed by pain.”
“I genuinely hope that this collective anguish might compel everyone to awaken and declare, ‘Enough already with the bloodshed.’ ”
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
