From the very onset of "Operation Flood of Al-Aqsa," multiple wars have ensued. Parallel to the military operations in Gaza and the West Bank, these conflicts concern narratives and the demonization of the adversary. Amidst this atmosphere, an overt war surfaced between two perspectives: one aligning the conflict within a global struggle, encompassing ideologies and geography, and another viewing it as a localized bilateral conflict related to occupation and its inhumane policies.
Gaza War: A Tale of Two Narratives
The narrative spun by the occupying state framed the events as a continuation of the worldwide war on terror—an extension of the Western perspective that has persisted for decades.
Constructed through selective language, terminology, and fabricated propaganda, the invocation of the September 2001 attacks and the usage of "ISIS" formed the bedrock of the internationalization narrative.
The opposing narrative remained clear — the conflict in Gaza is a battle between an occupying government and a people resisting subjugation, devoid of substantial global support, with the occupant at the forefront, bolstered by influential global entities, prominently the United States.
Facing these currents, the occupying state initiated a narrative suggesting that the events were not an isolated attack on itself but a threat to the Western world at large.
In the primary context, the occupying government underscored the 7th of October as the onset of its prolonged conflict against Palestinian resistance, conveniently omitting the 75-year history of occupation and over 56 years of Gaza's occupation.
Next, a narrative was crafted to stir Western fears, leveraging the September 2001 events and the subsequent war on terror embellished with the specter of ISIS. These were highlighted to invoke Western support through parallels of terrorism and barbarism projected upon Islamic groups, backed by theatrical presentations from the occupier's state.
The third context is the portrayal of the 7th of October events as state-sponsored, hinting at Iran. Capitalizing on prevailing Western fears concerning Iran’s Middle Eastern role, naval forces such as the USS Gerald Ford were deployed to validate and support the occupier's storyline.
The fourth aspect involved maritime threat proclamations from the Houthi group in Yemen, declaring intentions to target vessels to and from the occupier's state until Gaza's basic needs were met. In response, endeavors to foster an international coalition against the Houthis echoed previous actions against piracy in the Arabian Sea. Yet, the coalition’s fate remains uncertain with notable non-participation from several European countries.
Fifthly, the narrative included the threat of renewing assassination policies against Hamas leaders, even at the cost of infringing upon the sovereignty of other nations, as illustrated by Turkey’s stern warning against any such actions on its territory.
Despite these threats, the state progressed by assassinating Salah al-Arouri, Deputy Head of Hamas' Political Bureau, on January 2, 2024, in Beirut, signaling a strategic move in maintaining the internationalization of war and countering the impacts of an Israeli Supreme Court decision that could weaken the right-wing coalition.
The final context sees the repercussions of the internationalization narrative impacting the domestic politics of supporting nations, as criticisms of the occupier's state or its supporters became increasingly suppressed under anti-semitism allegations—a stark manifestation of global conflict portrayal led by the occupier's Prime Minister since October 7.
On the flip side, resistance movements like Hamas define the struggle as a defense against an occupier waging war on a captive people.
The Assassination of Salah al-Arouri and the New Phase
The war on Gaza, under these narratives, enters a new chapter following the January 2, 2024 assassination of Salah al-Arouri, leading to three potential scenarios:
Firstly, the scenario of escalation could embolden Hezbollah's response, transforming the conflict into a regionally intricate affair—a preference for the head of the occupying state given his internal challenges.
Secondly, a deferred escalation strategy could allow calculated reprisals, leading to a drain on security and political stability.
Lastly, the push for a ceasefire requires domestic Israeli action to curb Netanyahu's capabilities, along with American pressures supportive of this internal movement.
The ongoing war, influenced and shaping these contexts, undoubtedly enters unchartered territory with the targeting of al-Arouri, a move that forenounces profound shifts in the complex tapestry of regional conflict.
