Gaza and the next day… challenges and the wanted knight!!

Written by Dr. Ahmed Youssef

The future of the Gaza Strip remains shrouded in mystery, with fears of forced displacement haunting the tent-dwellers, while the Arab and Muslim world remains silent, helpless and deafening. Meanwhile, threats by war criminal Netanyahu and the extreme Zionist right to invade Gaza are escalating, as part of their grand vision. The official and factional Palestinian scene, meanwhile, evokes nothing but disgust and frustration.

In light of this catastrophic situation experienced by the displaced, besieged by policies of killing, starvation and destruction, news comes out that someone is waiting for us on the threshold of the "next day": Samir Halila!! The crowds of displaced people wondered: Who is this man, what is his background in struggle? What are the selection criteria and who is the decision-maker? Unfortunately, only the Israeli side appears in the picture. As for what is happening behind the scenes, only God knows!!

In fact, the media was the first to reveal the truth, and the story began to be presented as if it were a “sensor” to gauge the reaction of Palestinian public opinion, especially since official bodies do not issue statements, and we hardly hear their positions at all!!

In our popular literature, we often hear the saying: “The land is only plowed by its own bulls.” This is a common proverb in many Arab countries, and carries connotations and dimensions that can only be understood by those who have suffered the fire of occupation and tasted the bitterness of subservience to those who bargain over the blood of their people and the destinies of their homelands.

It's worth noting that many Palestinians don't know who Samir Halila is. When his name was mentioned as a possible candidate to govern Gaza, opinions varied between those who were surprised, those who welcomed him, those who protested, and those who questioned the man's background and the "unspecified" qualifications and advantages he possesses, which are not found in hundreds of elites and leaders from the Gaza Strip.

I had previously met Mr. Samir Halila more than once in 2006, during the meetings of Brother Abu al-Abd Haniyeh (then Prime Minister) with Mr. Ahmed Qurei (may God have mercy on him), the veteran politician and former Prime Minister.
I did not feel – even for a moment – that Mr. Halila enjoyed anything more than being one of Qurei's men.

After the events of the division that shook the foundations of Palestinian political stability and resulted in the fragmentation of the entire nation, I never heard Halila's name mentioned in any political forum related to our national unity. The man, as the saying goes, was "a clove of salt that melted away."

I may be mistaken or biased in my assessment of the man's status and role in the context of the national struggle. Therefore, I sought to inquire about him, hoping to find someone who could shed more light on some aspects of his personality that we do not know. This is so that we do not do him an injustice in our assessment, nor do we over-criticize a knight who may carry within him the promise of national salvation.

Unfortunately, however, the impressions were not positive regarding the magnitude of the task the man could be entrusted with. It is a task that would be too heavy for mountains to bear, and requires a personality with a solid background in struggle, genuine national experience, a popular base, and a history full of service interaction with Palestinian concerns, especially in the areas of relief, providing food, drink, and tents to alleviate the pain of the displaced and the suffering of their catastrophe.

Mr. Samir Halileh, as a Palestinian, may be served by the elections—if they ever take place—to present his account to the voters and convince them of his eligibility. As for “the next day,” I don’t think he is the man for that day, due to his alienation from the place, and his biography that doesn’t carry the awe and credibility that the displaced people of the tents and the people of the second great catastrophe in the Gaza Strip await. The eyes of the displaced will turn to those who watched over their pain and offered them so much to satisfy their hunger, quench their thirst, and preserve their dignity. They know best who will be their chivalrous knight for the next dawn.