If Israel does something stupid well crush it, If Israel starts a war well crush it — these were the top headlines in most Israeli newspapers and news sites, quoting the Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, at a media briefing a month ago. Why did Israeli editors choose these headlines, noting only in the subhead or body of the item that Sinwar also said Hamas doesnt want a confrontation with Israel?
The answer is clear. The headlines matched the populist theres no partner for peace attitude, that reassures the Israelis and obviates the need for them to think. Did any journalist mention that Israel has made the same warning — attrition will be met with a pounding (as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in 2014)?
For Israel, such belligerence is part of the heroic talk that makes us stand tall, puff out our chests and remind everyone in the regional neighborhood of our power. But when the Palestinians take the same tack, its a threat that reminds us once again of the nature of our adversary, and that theres no possibility of change.
And so, instead of settling for the interpretations in the Hebrew media, I offer an annotated summary of Sinwars remarks in Arabic.
1. Hamas is not at all interested in war with Israel. The longer the war is postponed, by an hour, a year or years, it serves the Palestinian interest, and its better to put it off as long as possible. If the occupation government dares to attack militarily, the resistance forces will regain what they lost in the last war, and theyre willing to conduct the next confrontation over a long period and even to crush the Israelis. Hamas has weapons of deterrence that make Israel think 1,000 times before attacking Gaza, and if it behaves foolishly, it is liable to regret it.
2. Hamas coordinates closely with the Jerusalem Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and is ready to cooperate with all factions of the armed resistance. Sinwar needs his political rivals in Fatah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine to prevent the erosion of his political legitimacy and his patriotic image in light of the security coordination with Egypt, but also to warn the Hamas leadership on the West Bank and abroad against getting close to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas behind his back.