Iran-Israel strife leaves Palestinians feeling in the middle, yet sidelined
| RAMALLAH, West Bank; and AMMAN, Jordan
With soaring Israel-Iran tensions听threatening to tip the Middle East into a wider war, the saber-rattling is being met with a mixture of suspense and disinterest by war-wary Palestinians in the West Bank.
Amid the threats of incoming Iranian and Hezbollah rockets and drones 鈥� retribution for Israel鈥檚听assassination听of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran 鈥� shoppers move hesitantly in Ramallah supermarket aisles.
But they鈥檙e听passing up听the听canned foods听and flour they normally stock up on in national emergencies. Instead, they鈥檙e gravitating toward snacks, such as nuts and chips. Instead of stocking up on water, they are stocking up on spirits.
Why We Wrote This
A story focused onWith the world preoccupied with preventing another Iran-Israel military confrontation, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza say their urgent needs amid a brutal war are in danger of being forgotten, and that they stand to be punished regardless.
Families are going ahead with weddings across the West Bank this week and weekend, as part of the packed summer wedding season.听
It is partly a laissez-faire attitude, partly a surrender to听a grim reality听for Palestinians in the West Bank.听They are beset听by violent Israeli settler attacks and are in the firing line of Iran and Hezbollah鈥檚 anticipated response, which has caused increasing resentment and a sense of helplessness.听
Palestinians here are without bomb shelters to run to听or an听option to flee听the region听on a flight.
Making matters worse is the complete lack of leadership and guidance from the Palestinian Authority, political factions in the West Bank, or Hamas in Gaza.
Neither the Palestinian Authority听nor听Hamas has issued a single statement about the prospect of Iranian听or Hezbollah听missile strikes in听or听near the West Bank and Gaza.
With the threat of missiles听being听launched听without听a moment鈥檚 notice, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are on their own.
鈥淲e absolutely feel something not normal is going on, but what can we do about it?鈥� asks听architect听Ghanem Omar as he shops at a neighborhood supermarket in Ramallah Wednesday.听鈥淎ll we can do is wait and see. And watch.鈥�
鈥淧eople here can only count on God and their neighbors if anything happens or if a war actually breaks out,鈥� he adds. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not like we can count on the leadership to provide anything.鈥�
Instead, West Bank Palestinians鈥� emergency fallback plan is to 鈥渦nite, like in the first and second intifadas and in earlier crises.鈥�
Paying the price
Like many Palestinians in the West Bank, Raghad Abu Amer, a听young听mother, does not anticipate that a full-blown war will break out between Israel, Iran, and its proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon.
鈥淚 doubt anything would happen,鈥� she says.
But she does fear that the West Bank will 鈥渃ontinue to pay the price,鈥� as deadly Israeli military operations and settler attacks increase 鈥� killing 14 West Bank Palestinians on Tuesday听alone. These attacks have been pushed out of the world鈥檚 headlines听amid the focus on the dangers of听a regional war.听
鈥淢y fear is that no one will pay attention to the destruction and daily killing in the West Bank. Not the Palestinian Authority nor the international community,鈥澨齭he says.
And should missiles fall and a wider war erupt, in a worst-case scenario she is stocked up on 鈥渟nacks, milk, and diapers for my daughter.鈥�
Bader Abdel Razek, owner of a neighborhood supermarket, says another reason for West Bankers鈥� lack of preparedness is the fact that the economy has dried up and salaries have been slashed听since the war began in Gaza.听
鈥淭he West Bank has become like an old T-shirt forgotten on a drying rack since the beginning of the听war,鈥� says Mr. Abdel Razek.听
Normally when a Mideast-wide听crisis hits the West Bank, Mr. Abdel Razek says he stocks up on basic goods. Not this time.
鈥淲e have seen a clear economic impact of the war [in Gaza] on the West Bank since the beginning of the year,鈥� he says. 鈥淪ince then, we haven鈥檛 seen much purchasing power or anything to encourage me to stock,鈥� he adds, with few customers able or willing to stock up on essentials and food 鈥渆ven with a possible war around the corner.鈥�
Gazans tired of war
Meanwhile, besieged, starving, and beleaguered Palestinians in Gaza fear that escalation by Iran or Hezbollah would prolong the war there 鈥� and dash any hopes for a cease-fire, healing, or rebuilding anytime soon.
Rafat Naim, a businessman, says Gazans are against Iran opening a new front in response to Mr. Haniyeh鈥檚 assassination as that would 鈥渢ake attention away and cover the massacres taking place in Gaza.鈥�
鈥淲e prefer that [Iran鈥檚] response is used as political leverage, rather than a military option that would prolong the war,鈥� says Mr. Naim. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want war to expand. This war needs to stop so we can start dealing with the problems it has created.鈥�
Tala Albanna, a law student at Gaza University and aspiring writer, says she doubts Iran would trigger a regional war 鈥� but still fears the fallout.听
鈥淪uch a move would distract people from Gaza. We are starving, and we are beginning to see new problems emerge that we need to find solutions for,鈥� she says of the destruction, famine, and health crises gripping Gaza.
鈥淲e hope that a war does not break out on a new front because听people would forget us. We want it to stop,鈥� says Ms. Albanna.
Distrust of Iran
The prospect of Iranian and Hezbollah rockets fired into Israel has not听led听to Palestinians听publicly cheering on听Iran.
Many retain听deep-seated suspicions听about Iran鈥檚 attempts to use the Palestinian cause to further its aims, with some accusing Iran of using Palestinian lives as pawns in its geopolitical struggle and asymmetrical warfare.
Many Palestinians say their enemy鈥檚 enemy is not their friend.
In an Arab Barometer survey carried out between September and October 2023, 47% of Palestinian听respondents said they听viewed growing Iranian influence in the region as a 鈥渃ritical鈥� threat to their national security, and a further 25% saw the threat as 鈥渋mportant.鈥� Less than one-third, 28% of Palestinians听surveyed, had a favorable view of Iran, and 65% had an unfavorable view.
A majority of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, 57%, said they viewed Iranian drone and missile strikes听against听Israel in April as 鈥渏ust a show鈥� and not 鈥渟upport for the Palestinian people,鈥� according to a June poll by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research.听
鈥淚ran talks about the Palestinian cause, but they are not coming here with an army to liberate us; they are not protecting us from settlers,鈥� says Lutfi, a Ramallah landlord, who gave only his first name.听
鈥淭hey only follow their interests and launch some rockets to boost their popularity at home. Israel and Iran are the perfect partners in destruction, and we are in the middle,鈥� he adds, 鈥渇orgotten.鈥�
