The violence that erupted on Friday at various Gaza border checkpoints is rooted in three factors.
First, the emergence of a more violent and energetically anti-Israeli populism on the part of Palestinians. Notable here are the agitation efforts by Hamas to persuade young Palestinians, men in particular, to take to the border checkpoints for the protection of their honor and their families’ better future.
From Hamas’ perspective it offers perfect propaganda: the images of Palestinians throwing rocks at heavily armed Israeli soldiers attracts a sense of solidarity and sympathy from observers in the west.
The ensuing news reports of Palestinians having been killed in the exchanges is also beneficial for Hamas in that it sharpens Palestinian anger, thus feeding into Hamas broader political agenda and encouraging western governments to condemn the Israeli government.
It would be wrong, however, to suggest Palestinians are now in lock-step with Hamas.
Because as much as anything, these protests also reflect Palestinian anger over the continuing corruption and dysfunction of President Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority in Ramallah. Many Palestinians have lost hope in their leaders.
Second, the protest reflects the increasing hawkishness of the Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Never more dependent on hardliners in his cabinet to keep him in power, Netanyahu has endorsed steps that appeal to those constituencies but agitate Palestinians. Most notably, Netanyahu has authorized new settlement constructions in the West Bank.
These steps further delegitimatize Abbas’ more moderate government in Ramallah and simultaneously feed Hamas narratives that violence is the only way that Palestinians will be able to improve their situation.
Third up is the failure of the Trump administration to present a peace proposal that both sides can unify around. As I’ve explained, the issue here is not so much a consequence of the Trump administration’s efforts, but rather that neither the Israeli or Palestinian leaderships are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to move the peace process forwards.
In turn, Friday’s events make Hamas the ultimate victor and Israel the unfortunate loser. Hamas gets to present itself as the only vehicle for Palestinian aspirations, and Israel has no choice but to defend its territory with force.
