Truth: Palestinian factions have repeatedly destroyed their own chances for peace and progress—even turning on their own people.
It’s a common talking point: “Israel blocks peace.” But the truth is far more complicated—and often far more uncomfortable.
Peace hasn’t only been obstructed by Israeli policy. In fact, some of the most devastating sabotage came from within the Palestinian leadership itself. At multiple turning points, Palestinian factions chose ideology over dignity, slogans over progress, and power over their own people’s well-being.
Here are just a few examples.
Cheat Sheet: Who Really Sabotaged Peace?
- 1955: Palestinian nationalists burned down a refugee education center built by a fellow Palestinian because it conflicted with the narrative of total return.
- 2000: Israel offered 97% of the West Bank + shared Jerusalem. Arafat walked away without a counteroffer. The Second Intifada followed.
- 2007: Hamas overthrew Fatah in Gaza, creating a violent civil split—making a unified peace process nearly impossible.
- Internal Repression: Moderate Palestinians pushing for negotiation or dignity-based solutions were harassed, marginalized, or assassinated—sometimes by their own.
- Key Point: Israel didn’t burn the school. Israel didn’t start the 2007 civil war. Israel didn’t silence moderate Palestinians. Not all sabotage comes from the outside.
Case Study: Burning Down Hope — The Musa Alami Story
In 1955, Palestinian rioters torched a refugee rehabilitation project near Jericho. But this wasn’t a Zionist initiative or colonial collaboration. It was built by Musa Alami, a respected Palestinian nationalist, in the Jordanian-controlled West Bank.
Alami had created the Arab Development Society (ADS) to give Palestinian orphans and refugees real tools: education, housing, jobs, land, and dignity.
So why was it burned?
Because some Palestinian factions viewed his vision as betrayal. Helping refugees rebuild their lives threatened the absolutist demand for the “right of return”—and anything short of returning to 1948 homes was seen as surrender.
The attackers weren’t Israelis. They were fellow Palestinians who saw dignity as a threat to their political narrative.
🔗 Read the full story: When Palestinians Burned Hope →
The 2000 Peace Talks – Rejected
At Camp David in 2000, Israel offered a proposal that included:
- 97% of the West Bank
- Shared control of Jerusalem
- A Palestinian state with land swaps
Yasser Arafat walked away. He refused to offer a counter-proposal. Months later came the Second Intifada—launched by Palestinian factions, not in response to Israeli aggression, but as a political gamble. Over 1,000 Israelis and 3,000 Palestinians died.
The 2007 Hamas-Fatah War
After Palestinians voted in democratic elections, a civil war broke out between Hamas and Fatah. By 2007, Hamas had seized Gaza through violence, executing Fatah members and throwing rivals off rooftops.
Since then, Palestinians have been ruled by two rival governments—one in Gaza, one in the West Bank—making peace negotiations impossible. Again, no Israeli policy forced this split. It was entirely internal.
Moderates Targeted by Extremists
Palestinian voices who advocated for coexistence or negotiation were often silenced by their own side. For example:
- Ismail Abu Shanab, a moderate Hamas leader who called for a long-term ceasefire, was assassinated by Israel after Hamas broke the ceasefire. But even before that, he was isolated by radicals.
- Sami Abu Shehadeh, Zuhair Mohsein, and others faced pressure or threats for promoting compromise.
Final Thoughts: You Can’t Build Peace by Burning Bridges
None of this erases Israeli mistakes, injustices, or failures. But the claim that “Israel is the only obstacle to peace” is not just wrong—it’s dangerous. It erases the role of Hamas, Fatah, rejectionist ideologies, and decades of internal decisions that have cost the Palestinian people dearly.
Peace will never be possible if the only stories we tell are one-sided. Acknowledging the truth—all of it—is the first step toward a better future.
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