Vuyolwethu Mkhuseli Xulu
Vuyolwethu Xulu is a Social Science Strategist who partners with CEOs, executives, and municipalities to create social development strategies. After spending nearly, 4 years working with SOEs and non-profit organizations, Vuyo knows what drives conversions, spurs on socio-economic change, and creates sustainable models for start-ups. Vuyolwethu is a member of the ruling ANC political party and is actively working within the organization to change its stance of how it chooses to tackle the economy, developmental issues, and also its stance on Israel and Palestine.
The terrorist attack on the 7th of October was devastating against the people of Israel, an attack planned and executed by Hamas. This attack resulted in the death and kidnapping of numerous people in the state of Israel. This attack has led the Israeli state to start a military action against Hamas who are based in Gaza. It is important for us to understand that this action has a three-pronged approach by Hamas against Israel. We should understand that Hamas was seeking to provoke Israel to be able to claim victimhood and isolate it from the international community.
The Hamas attack must be taken into context, they sought to destroy any progress that Israel had made in the Middle East in its quest to normalise relations with its Arab neighbours. We had found that there was huge progress with Israel normalizing relations with the Kingdom of Saudi which would have been the biggest thing since the establishment of the State of Israel. This move by Hamas was to provoke Israel in attacking Gaza allowing them to record and distribute videos and pictures of the damage to rally the Arab world against any possible normalization of relations with Israel. This was a method of destroying the Abrahams Accord and making sure it goes no further.
The second part of Hamas’s plan, despite being a proxy for Iran and Qatar, was to make Israel look to the world like a proxy of the West in the Middle East, they knew if they attacked Israel the USA, and its allies would come to its aid. This may be seen as a positive during normal times in global politics, but during this period it is negative to be seen as a Western proxy in global politics right now, this has alienated Israel and made it seem like a non-Middle Eastern state in the Middle East. This has a deeper and sinister implication for the Jewish state, it delegitimises it, making it seem like a colonial state in the region, even going so far as changing the historical roots of the Jewish people within the region. This is done purposefully, and it must be seen as a political attack.
Thirdly Hamas set a trap for Israel knowing very well that the Russia-Ukraine war has made the world unwilling to stomach another war anywhere, this has made the world turn its back on Israel due to its military actions. Hamas was betting on the reaction of Israel; they knew that self-defence would have a huge human toll on Gaza and lead to the world turning its opinion on Israel. They knew Israel would not be able to let this crime happen to them, they would respond with force and that would make Israel look like a violent occupier. We see how the UN and many countries are acting towards Israel, with them starting to try to alienate them. They have been made out to look like warmongers.
Hamas planned this sinister plot against Israel, a plot that was geared not only to kill its people but to also destroy its standing in the region and in the world. Hamas has shown that it is fully able to use innocent people as pawns to carry out its political objectives. The damage done by these attacks has echoed globally, not only by leading to the killing of Israelis, and Palestinians but also by destabilizing the Middle East.