Tel Aviv...What next

There are parties who want an escalation in Gaza - the Israeli side, of course. And there are Arab parties and non Arab parties seeking to use the Gaza children's blood to cover up the massacres committed by the regime in Syria. Therefore when we are dealing with the tragedy of Gaza, it is now necessary more than ever to adopt calm. There is a need for prudence instead of constant cheering of slogans that will only lead to further tragedies in Gaza. Do the people of Gaza need more misery? Or are they really in need of logic, reason and learning from past mistakes? The funny thing is (and the sad thing is), there are those who think retaliation efforts against Tel Aviv are a massive accomplishment and are shifting the political balance in the Middle East, especially between Palestinians and Israelis. How could the Palestinians in and out of Gaza, or members of Hamas not ask themselves, 'What next after firing missiles on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem? Who will be responsible for the damages and the deaths of so many victims from the Israeli aggression that is protected by our society?' In 1991 during the war to liberate Kuwait, Saddam Hussein fired missiles onto Israel. How did that end? Unfortunately, hundreds and thousands of Arabs went out in protests in the streets, with people dancing in joy at the demise of the late Iraqi President. They are assuming that the battle to free Palestine and has already begun and that the fall of the President will spark a battle to liberate all oppressed people in the region. Those who put their faith on Saddam Hussein as a beginning to the liberation of Palestine, were immensely disappointed. It is similar to the disappointment of when Hezbollah fired missiles from Lebanon in 2006. Since these two incidences, not much has changed in Palestine nor in Israel. But, we can go so far as to say, things have become much worse. In 2008 up to early 2009, Israel was at war with Palestine and had missiles falling like shooting stars. The world stood watching and didn't do anything. Until now, the aggression on Palestine continues. There are still Palestinians sleeping in the streets, or in tents on the best circumstances... four years after the destruction of their homes. What's happening in Gaza is now a trap that Hamas has fallen into. There are forces in the region, primarily Iran, who are seeking to comfort the Syrian regime. Iran thinks fuelling a war in Gaza will benefit it's agenda as well as stirring trouble in Jordan. Most of all, what Iran hopes to do is embarrass the new government in Egypt like they did previously with former President Hosni Mubarak. Egypt will not lead a war for Gaza. There is no significant difference between the old and new regime in Egypt. Suddenly, the Palestinian Liberation Front is on the spotlight. Who is behind this front? Why does this front, based in Damascus, find justification to Israel's newly launched war on Gaza? Hamas needs to have the courage to ask these questions before waving victory flags and signs based on delusions. There are more important issues. There are the Palestinian people in Gaza and who need to be liberated rather than pain and tragedy added to their struggles. --- The views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent or reflect the editorial policy of Arabstoday.