Do we know who represents the Palestinians?

Yesterday I heard Kyriakos Mitsotakis argue in Ankara that “Hamas is a terrorist organization that does not even represent the Palestinian people.” There is no doubt that the statement is positive in its general form, because it was a public reaction to Tayyip Erdogan’s well-known positions regarding the organization in question. How does it seem that Hamas does not represent the Palestinians?

During the nearly 18 years he ruled Gaza in a dictatorial manner – no elections were ever held – did we see any protests by its residents? Were they complaining about how the Hamas leadership was managing billions of dollars coming from Kuwait, Iran and Turkey? Did they ask the organization’s warlords not to use hospitals, schools and other public places as military bases?

Of course nothing came of it. Instead, we have before us images of Gazans celebrating every rocket that fell on Israeli territory, as well as the triumphant way in which they welcomed the terrorists who participated in the October 7 attack. According to all opinion polls conducted by research institutes, the vast majority of Palestinians, more than 80%, believe that Hamas did not commit acts of violence on October 7.

Therefore, the question that arises reasonably is, where did it come from that Hamas does not represent the people of Gaza? On the contrary, its acceptance is constantly expanding in the West Bank, which is administered by the Palestinian Authority recognized by Israel. The logical question is why does this happen?

The answer is simple. Because the Palestinians believe, in brutal proportions, that the Palestinian problem will not be solved with a two-state solution, but rather with the disappearance of the State of Israel. This is how they have been taught since 1948. The opposing point of view has not been heard in an organized way. Both the White House Interim Agreement (September 13, 1993) – also known as the Oslo Accord – and Camp David No. 2, attributed their failure to the fact that the Palestinian side did not want to recognize and guarantee the State of Israel for its own safety.

Today the problem remains the same. If all the other problems that divide the two sides, which are many, are resolved, which Palestinian authority will impose a peaceful solution on the dozens of terrorist organizations that are mainly funded by Iran? Let me remind the reader that the Oslo interim agreement was followed by a wave of suicide attacks in crowded areas of Tel Aviv and other cities in Israel.

Israel was destroyed by Palestinian terrorists, which undermined it at its birth. Of course, this agreement was rejected, in reality, by the extremist Jews who also assassinated its initiator, Yitzhak Rabin.

It may seem convenient and painless to say that Hamas does not represent the Palestinians, but this assessment is far from the truth.