Famous is the tale of the crow that tried to imitate the walk of the partridge and failed. When he finally admitted defeat and attempted to return to his original walk, he could no longer remember it. In his tireless efforts to perfect the partridge’s gait, he forgot how to fly and move like a crow. Thus, he staggered awkwardly—no longer a crow, nor a partridge. In short, he lost his native identity and failed to assume another. He became an oddity among birds: no longer welcomed among crows, and a stranger in the world of partridges. Yet, the turning point came when the crow realized the danger of his experiment and decided to abandon it, attempting to return to his original walk—despite the threat it posed to his survival.
The Day Arafat Visited Iran
Yasser Arafat was the first to visit Iran in 1979 after Khomeini’s revolution succeeded. He believed that his victorious allies—whom he had supported and trained in Lebanon and who had now become Iran’s rulers—would return the favor. But the first meeting with Ayatollah Khomeini was deeply disappointing.
From the seating arrangements, designed to convey hierarchy, to Khomeini's decision to use an interpreter (despite speaking fluent Arabic after 14 years in Iraq), every signal hinted at ethnic and sectarian superiority. This was fundamentally contrary to Islam’s principles, considering the Quran was revealed in Arabic.
A Moment in a Moscow Museum, 2016
In 2016, during a training course in Russia, a visit to a museum commemorating the so-called Great Patriotic War (WWII) took an unexpected turn. A man in his early fifties approached our group and, in a loud voice, scolded us: “You should learn from these scenes rather than pursue what you call a fake peace.” It was clear he knew who we were and meant every word. We later discovered he was a high-ranking member of an Iranian delegation visiting Moscow.
Russian security intervened and apologized, promising to deal with the offensive behavior, stressing the sanctity of the place. Though rare, such an incident carried deep implications: the complexity of Palestinian-Iranian relations and the level of hostility ingrained in Iranian institutions against the Palestinian Authority and the PLO.
From Gaza to Tehran: Echoes of the Crow’s Walk
Standing today in the ruins of the Crescent of Rubble and Rust—from Gaza to Tehran—one cannot help but recall Yasser Arafat, the man who introduced the concept of independent Palestinian decision-making into the political dictionary. He paid dearly to protect that principle. A cause as complex and entangled with global politics as the Palestinian cause demands its leaders steer clear of religious polarization.
Khomeini’s slogans—"Death to America, Death to Israel"—delivered from a French Boeing by the awaited Mahdi, became a perfect tool for Israel’s right-wing and its Western allies, especially the U.S., to delegitimize the Palestinian cause. They turned Gaza into a place hostile to life, Lebanon into a disaster, and the same for Syria, Yemen, and Iraq.
Had this ideological project been allowed to persist—before Gaza’s de facto rulers took their gamble—the West and Israel would’ve shifted from a strategy of managing conflict to one of redefining borders. This is exactly what’s happening now in Gaza—a historic opportunity to end the Palestinian national project once and for all.
The Night Gaza Slept, and Death Awoke
It was 2:00 AM in Gaza, the 18th of Ramadan and March alike, 50 days after the last chapter of the "War of Legends." Gaza, worn and weary, finally believed it could sleep peacefully—trusting an international truce mediated by the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar. But Netanyahu had other plans.
One hundred fighter jets bombed Gaza as families sat for suhoor. Within hours, over a thousand were dead or injured—most of them women and children. And the war began again in full force, backed explicitly by the White House.
Despite propaganda (especially Arabic-language media close to Hamas like Al Jazeera) calling it a “betrayal strike,” nothing about it was surprising. Netanyahu, his cabinet, his war minister, and the IDF chief had all publicly threatened it. Trump’s envoy, Wietkoff, had issued multiple warnings to Hamas. It was clear to everyone—except perhaps those who analyze through wishes rather than facts.
The supposed second phase of the truce is now off the table. The goal now is limited: a hostage exchange. Wietkoff proposed five live hostages; Netanyahu pushed for eleven. Hamas offered one live hostage and four bodies, linking this to a phase that no longer exists in Israel’s or Trump's plans. Other mediators are powerless.
A Deadly Miscalculation
Airstrikes targeted senior Hamas leaders—six confirmed dead, others still beneath the rubble. They were with their families, suggesting they felt safe. Why? Three possibilities:
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They believed Netanyahu wouldn’t dare breach the truce without U.S. approval.
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They underestimated Israeli intelligence.
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They were falsely assured they weren't on the immediate hit list.
In any case, Hamas misread the severity of the situation it created on October 7. Its continued presence in Gaza is no longer tenable. Its existence is now tied solely to the fate of the hostages—who are now causing more death than saving lives.
A War Designed to Last
Military operations are expanding cautiously, with incursions in five areas. Rafah is being destroyed. Israel is carving a buffer between Egypt and Gaza, taking over 20% of the Strip—including the Morag corridor—and 10% around the Netzarim axis.
The goal is to establish intelligence networks across 360 square kilometers to better coordinate future air and ground operations. There's complete alignment between Trump’s administration and Netanyahu’s government: immediate goal—rescue hostages without a permanent ceasefire; final goal—disarm and dismantle Hamas.
No one knows what Gaza’s future looks like. Not even Trump or Netanyahu can promise mass displacement. Gaza’s fate will be part of a broader regional deal that includes the Palestinian issue, the Iranian nuclear file, Arab normalization (especially with Saudi Arabia), the Ukraine war, and the situations in Lebanon and Syria.
?One Month Later: Does Hamas Still Not See It
A month after the latest round of death, does Hamas still not understand that its rule and its weapons have no future in Gaza? The 59 hostages—dead or alive—are now seen as low-value in the current equation. They are soldiers, not civilians, and thus viewed as legitimate losses in the eyes of Israel’s “Government of Legends.”
With the release of female soldiers and civilians, Israel reduced the complexity of continuing the war. Now it fights with fewer moral or political constraints.
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