Why has the Palestinian authority remained silent on the Gaza War 1 ?
The Palestinian Authority (PA) did not participate in the Hamas-led attack on October 7th, which is reasonable since it does not consider itself an armed resistance group. President Mahmoud Abbas has reduced the Palestine Liberation Organization, which was intended to be an all-encompassing national structure and leadership for resistance, to a subsidiary of the PA.
However, within the range of options between actively leading the armed resistance and remaining quiet, like the PA has done, there were other acts that it could have chosen to undertake.
The events that occurred on October 7th caught everyone off guard, including the Palestinian Authority, who recognized that the scale of the attack would result in an unparalleled Israeli response.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) probably anticipated that this action would lead to the complete eradication of Hamas as both a military force and a governing entity in Gaza. In line with this expectation, the PA adopted a stance of negative neutrality, patiently waiting for this outcome to occur. The PA aimed to seize control of Gaza with substantial financial assistance for the purpose of reconstruction.
This role has required the PA to remain mostly silent and indirectly accept the ongoing catastrophe. Shortly after the 7 October attack, Abbas condemned Hamas. In addition, he has alleged that Hamas has provided Israel with a justification for launching an offensive on Gaza.
The eventual action of the PA amounted to nothing; it allowed the Israeli military machine to accomplish what it was incapable of achieving on its own.
Indeed, while it is true that the PA is unable to stop the war, its appeals to cease it, which were mostly unobjectionable and focused on promoting itself, have not resulted in any concrete policy measures. The Palestinian Authority has consequently positioned itself in alliance with the Jordanian-Egyptian-Saudi-Emirati coalition, which regards the war as a necessary evil, particularly if it results in the removal of Hamas from power in Gaza.
The bias exhibited during this significant moment has diminished the international reputation of the Palestinian Authority, particularly considering the evident hostility displayed by Washington towards the aspirations of the Palestinian people.
Prior to the Gaza war, the Palestinian Authority (PA) occupied a position along the same axis. However, it strategically employed its connections with Russia and China to exert pressure on the United States. Unlike Saudi Arabia, nonetheless, it lacks the ability to exert substantial influence through these strategies.
One may inquire: Was there an alternative stance that the PA could have adopted? There are always other options available. In this scenario, it would have been preferable for the Palestinian Authority to actively pursue a sense of cohesion among the Palestinian people, a move that Hamas, facing efforts to isolate and vilify it, would probably have embraced.
Multiple local and regional groups have proposed ideas in relation to this matter. However, the Palestinian Authority, in its endeavor to take over Hamas in controlling the Gaza Strip, has successfully obstructed all such endeavors.
This mistake proved to be fatal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing cabinet, who seek to eradicate Hamas, reject the Palestinian Authority (PA) as a viable option. They view a unified PA in the West Bank and Gaza as a potential political danger to their leadership. The formation of a cohesive Palestinian leadership would also represent a significant advancement towards Palestinian statehood.
Furthermore, the Palestinian Authority's reluctance to hold elections has rendered its legitimacy vulnerable to manipulation by external actors, particularly the United States. The ideal American alternative to periodic elections is a "renewed" PA, as long as this renewal is coordinated with Washington. This results in the Palestinian Authority being held hostage to the stance of the United States, which in turn aligns with the position of Israel.
Israel's goals in the nearly eleven-month genocidal war in Gaza have consistently fallen short, unless the goal was to result in the deaths of thousands of innocent Palestinians. While Hamas may not have the same level of control over Gaza as it did previously, it will still have significant influence in shaping the future course of events.