On Tuesday, 11 February 2025, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies held its monthly Ibn Rushd Salon under the title ‘What Strategy Lies Ahead for the Palestinian National Movement After the New Nakba?’ The discussion featured Dr. Sari Hanafi, Professor of Sociology; Palestinian political analyst and writer Dr. Majed Kayali; and Dr. Dalal Al-Bizri, a scholar in the social sciences. The discussion was moderated by Tunisian human rights advocate Messaoud al-Romdhani.
Dr. Sari Hanafi opened his remarks by stating that he believes the Palestinian national movement currently lacks a clear strategy for the post-genocide phase. While Hamas is expected to have no role in Gaza’s governance, it is under pressure to relinquish any authority. Meanwhile, internal power struggles and the pursuit of unilateral control among Palestinian factions are undermining efforts to unify voices in confronting the genocide’s aftermath. These grave dynamics create a troubling reality that calls for serious reflection from all Palestinian actors.
Dr. Dalal Al-Bizri contended that the most urgent strategy at present is to rescue Gaza from Trump’s proposed plan. She emphasized that this should now be the central priority for Hamas, Fatah, and all Palestinian factions. The ability to protect the people of Gaza from forced displacement, she underscored, will ultimately shape the next phase of the struggle.
Building on that perspective, Dr. Al-Bizri argued that the Palestinian movement has no option but to pursue two essential paths to confront the Trump plan. The first is to rescue the people of Gaza from hunger, thirst, and displacement—ensuring access to basic necessities as a critical safeguard against the forced expulsion of its population. The second is achieving unity among the factions by placing national interest above all temporary or narrow partisan disputes, and prioritizing the well-being of the Palestinian people above all else.
Dr. Hanafi, meanwhile, affirmed that the aspiration to hold power is a legitimate aim for any political faction. However, no faction should behave as though it is the sole ruling party or insist on staying in power despite the people’s rejection. A refusal to abide by the principles of democracy, he noted, is a fundamental driver of division.
Political writer Majed Kayali focused primarily on assessing the current ssituation of the Palestinian movement, in order to gauge its capacity to propose any viable alternative strategy in the future. Kayali concluded that the movement has now reached the end of its lifespan—we are, he argued, witnessing its decline. Si nce the 1970s, he noted, the Palestinian movement has offered nothing substantially new. It achieved everything it could within the context of its founding era, but has made no meaningful gains since. For the past fifty years, Kayali remarked, the movement has not achieved any significant national progress for the Palestinian people.
As for the position of Arab states regarding Trump’s displacement plan and any potential rescue strategy in the coming period, the speakers unanimously agreed that the strength of these states’ stance depends on the legitimacy of their regimes in the eyes of their own people. The more fragile these regimes become—due to authoritarianism, repression, and dependence on foreign powers to maintain their influence and control—the less capable they will be of standing up to the United States and European countries that support Israel, such as Germany and the United Kingdom.
Hanafi added: ‘Israel has carried out a genocide against the Palestinians, and no Arab country has been able to save the people of Gaza. Biden’s policy allowed for the genocide, while Trump is now trying to capitalize on it for his own gains’. He continued: ‘The difference between Trump and Biden is not as significant as it seems. Biden supported and implemented the genocide, while Trump took advantage of the weak Arab reactions and pushed further with the step of displacement’. Al-Bizri added: ‘If the upcoming Arab summit fails to produce in a clear political strategy or a political solution for the Palestinian issue, and if they are content only with a rejection statement, they will have fallen into the trap of reacting to Trump’s statements, without offering concrete plans or actions on the ground beyond declarations and counter-statements’.
The Palestinian cause has become a graveyard for international and humanitarian laws. The dire situation of the Palestinian issue before October 7 reflects decades of neglect, with no decision from the United Nations regarding the occupation, and a global disregard for the daily Israeli crimes committed. Today, Palestine serves as a test for the credibility of those who claim to uphold human rights, much like the historic struggles against slavery and discrimination, which led to the establishment of binding laws and principles that demonstrate the universality of human rights.
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