An attempt to understand Israeli actions in Gaza, and a lament that the Palestinian story is still not properly heard
, an 18-year-old member of the Israeli army’s medical corps, arrived at an incident in the city of Hebron, in the West Bank. Twenty-one-year-old Abdel Fattah al-Sharif was lying on the ground. He had been shot after allegedly trying to stab an Israeli soldier. Azaria did not administer first aid, but instead shot the young Palestinian in the head. The Israeli army’s decision to prosecute Azaria caused national outrage. Azaria was celebrated across the right as “our son, our hero”.
Shehadeh’s short book, What Does Israel Fear from Palestine?, is a response to Israel’s assault on Gaza following the. It is divided into two chapters. The first asks simply, “How did we get here?”, reflecting on key events since 1948, while the second analyses the last six months.
Nonetheless, Shehadeh admits he was shocked by the recent war. The Israeli defence minister, Yoav Gallant, declared at the start: “There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed” and Netanyahu boasted he would “turn Gaza into a deserted island”. Shehadeh reflects: “I reasoned that political leaders usually speak with such bravado … Yet as the war progressed I could see that they meant every word and did not care about civilians, including children.
This book analyses Israeli society from a Palestinian perspective. It also tells a Palestinian story full of missing people, both the dead and refugees long absent from their homes. Shehadeh answers the question posed by his title in despairing terms: “The very high human and material cost of the war in Gaza proves that what Israel fears from Palestine is Palestine’s very existence.
Yet Shehadeh continues to reflect on a question that he asks about Elor Azaria: “Who would help this young soldier regain his humanity?” His searching analysis offers insights for readers coming new to the situation and others who wish to face it afresh. He acknowledges that peace requires pressure from outside, but that there are precedents, including in the Middle East, for “great upheavals” leading to positive change: “In the course of this devastating war I have had one hopeful idea.
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