The Palestinian Return March: the Other Face of the Coin

Einstein has once defined insanity as the act of doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. We, the Palestinians have never tried to take time to face reality, It is hard for us to stick to facts, our religious propaganda has blinded us and madness has conquered every single aspect of our political, social and economic life. One of the greatest madnesses on earth is the so-called "the Great March of Return". It is a weekly event in which thousands of Palestinians march to the eastern border of Gaza Strip to protest their right to return, the same event is used by Hamas to serve its own political and financial interests.
Today, the world witnesses one of the ugliest clashes between the Israeli military and unarmed civilians across the border of Gaza Strip. Every Friday after the payers, Hamas would call people to march. Hamas facilitates the transportation from the centers of cities and refugee camps to the clash zone, it has rented several buses for the purpose. It has announced financial rewards for the victims “heroes” of the clashes. 200--$-- for injuries, 1000--$-- for martyrdom. In the circumstances under which the population of Gaza lives currently, suffering collective punishment by Mahmoud Abbas government in the West Bank, the Israeli siege and Hamas taxation, some might find these rewards encouraging. The majority join the march to put an end to their miserable lives. The madness has ended the life of 257 protestors, tens of thousands were injured.
A high number of children is among the casualties, over 60 killed and 4500 injured which indicates a systematic targeting by the Israeli soldiers, but it also indicates the large number of minors and teenagers joining the protest. The majority of the families which suffered the loss of a child had no idea that their minor was joining the protests. Ramzi Al-Satari from Rafah has lost his 11 years old boy Magdi in the protests. A video showing the father stating he had no idea his child was taken to the protest became viral on social media and it raises the question about the moral responsibility of Hamas as the organizer of these events. Magdi was not the only child taken there. These kids would not have been able to reach the clash area without being picked in Hamas’s busses. Last week Hasan Al-Shalabi a 14 years old schoolboy had the same fate. A day before Hasan was shot he was recorded on a video saying he just wants to find a job to help his family only to be taken to the clash zone the next day. The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced he has dedicated a seat on both the Executive and the Revolutionary councils of PLO, Mr. Abbas has forgotten that history will remember him for his collective punishment against Gaza, it will not remember how he rewarded a child after he died. What matters is what he does and will do to hundreds of thousands of other kids still struggling with life, death, poverty, and hunger in Gaza due to his policies and those of Hamas and Israel.
The responsibility for these unnecessary losses lies with the soldiers who pulled the trigger, but also it lies with the local community, the organizers, the bus drivers, and mosque Imams. These children should not have been taken there. The world observes today the ugliest face of Machiavellianism practiced by Hamas.

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