The Unity of Social Fabric as a Lifeline for Survival

Author: جمال زقوت

The Rise of Genocide and Liquidation Crimes

The crimes of the Israeli occupation against our Palestinian people have reached an unprecedented peak, whether through the escalation of crimes of genocide, forced displacement, and starvation, targeting all elements of human life in the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that the number of martyrs has exceeded 65,000, with over 139,000 injured as of September 2025 (OCHA – UN update), or through the systematic expansion of the fascist annexation and settlement government in executing annexation plans, further seizing land, water, and all life necessities, aiming to undermine people’s ability to survive throughout the West Bank, including Jerusalem. This occurs in full view of the world, especially the international decision-makers in Washington and other Western capitals, confirming Washington’s direct involvement in the plans to eliminate the Palestinian cause, with no significant or impactful European response to stop the slaughter of an entire people.

Is There Any Hope for Change in the Arab Position?

The Doha summit failed to take practical steps that could recalibrate the mutual interests with Washington, putting an end to these crimes and the plans that have now transcended Palestine and its people, revealing the nature of the Zionist-American ambitions towards what is called "Greater Israel." What emerged from the summit reflects the absence of any serious Arab initiative while Washington and Tel Aviv work to redraw the borders of the region’s countries and attempt to impose Israel's political and security hegemony. It also highlights the severe erosion in the structure and role of the Palestinian national movement and its inability to formulate a unified national position in light of geopolitical changes, which could serve as a foundation for an Arab stance commensurate with the challenges facing the Palestinian cause and the overall region. Nonetheless, the extent of Israeli ambitions in the region may open up various possibilities.

The Crisis of Palestinian Leadership and the Decline of the National Project

The pressing question for us as Palestinians has surpassed mere abstract discussion regarding the priorities before the Palestinian leadership; the course of the genocidal war over the past two full years has underscored how determined this leadership is to distance itself from the consequences of the genocide in Gaza or the acceleration of Israeli steps to resolve the conflict in the West Bank and beyond. This requires abandoning any illusion about the possibility of changing this reality without mobilizing civil society activists and advancing toward tangible initiatives that contribute to enhancing people's ability to steadfast and survive, as this remains the top priority for our people, which is inseparable from the absolute priority of stopping the genocide, and the relentless struggle together with the people to negate its direct and strategic implications alike.

The Struggle Legacy and Traditions of Solidarity

In this context, the struggle legacy of the Palestinian people contains tangible values from the traditions of solidarity that date back to before the Nakba, as well as successful experiences that played a crucial role in enhancing the resilience of the Palestinian people over many decades. The first intifada created valuable lessons in this domain, which was a critical element in absorbing and overcoming collective punishments aimed at subjugating Palestinians and breaking the will of the protesters from various popular sectors. The secret to their steadfastness has always been the innovative forms of familial solidarity and social cohesion. While the factions of the national movement were the driving force behind such initiatives, the objective need transformed the frameworks of these initiatives into a grassroots movement that transcended the traditional tools of the forces at that time, evolving into an effective network and advanced fence against the plans of occupation and collective punishments.

The Disintegration of Social Fabric and Economic Crises

It is clear that the deterioration of economic conditions and its social impact, including the continuous decline in the ability of National Authority institutions to address its repercussions—whether due to what the fascist settlers’ government is pursuing, including targeting the authority itself, or because of the nature of the structure and role of these institutions and their alienation or inability to meet popular needs—necessitates thinking about forms, no matter how simple, in an attempt to fill the growing void, which dangerously contributes to the disintegration of the social fabric and promotes a culture of individual salvation. This culture unfortunately emerged as the most dangerous byproduct of the Oslo process, due to the decline of the collective project of the national movement and the dominance of factional and individual interests over what was known as the national project. Data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (April 2025) indicates that the unemployment rate in Gaza has reached about 68%, while it has risen to 31% in the West Bank, exacerbating social crises and pushing more families into poverty.

Terrorism of Armed Settler Militias

The government of terrorism and fascism is actively invoking all self-tools to resolve the conflict. In addition to the military, political, and economic support and the "legal" cover provided by Washington, this government has succeeded in establishing armed militias of settlers who carry out daily terrorist attacks, continuing to seize most of the areas referred to as "C," particularly in the Jordan Valley, through what has come to be called pastoral settlement, and escalating terrorist attacks by settlers, including on roads linking Palestinian cities, which have now fallen under a system of comprehensive control that tears apart the unity and coherence of the West Bank areas. Such a policy, which aims to impose geographical realities, will also generate economic repercussions and social crises that enhance the search for individual solutions in the context of silent displacement before the Tel Aviv government attempts to resolve the battle through mass forced displacement.

Social Solidarity Initiatives as a Lifeline for Survival

The question here, without absolving official institutions of their responsibilities: have community structures, represented by civil society organizations, the private sector, sector-specific movements, and popular committees in the camps, begun to sketch even preliminary outlines for engaging in wide-ranging campaigns of solidarity and social support at all possible levels and with the available self-resources? This is in light of the suffocating unemployment crisis, rising poverty rates, and public sector employees not receiving their full salaries for years, considering the social responsibility of these employees not only toward their immediate families but also their extended families.

Solidarity is a Duty and a Legal Right

It is high time for all forces, groups, institutions, personalities, and activists in various areas to innovate methods that suit the realities and capacities of each area. The essence of these means is not only to restore the values and roles of social solidarity and preserve the social and national fabric, but also to restore the place of collective values and action, which represents the most significant lifeline in facing the plans of dismantling and liquidation, not only for the national cause but fundamentally for the ability of the social fabric to steadfast and survive. Perhaps initiating such initiatives and expanding their scope will provide a form and model capable of reviving networks of popular and social action and linking national and social tasks, thus contributing in the not-so-distant future to transitioning popular movement and its active forces from a state of advocacy and influence to the ability for change, and possibly rebuilding the national movement to thwart the Zionist plans targeting everyone without exception.

For the people’s survival on the ground is the cornerstone in confronting these plans and the essential criterion of defeat and victory in the course of the struggle with the Zionist project. Solidarity and social cohesion are not only a moral or humanitarian duty but a right of legitimate defense of existence. Activating social support and solidarity networks, documenting violations, popular resistance, and gradually moving towards civil disobedience against the occupation, alongside enhancing cooperation and joint work with forces of peace, democracy, human justice, and solidarity committees with the Palestinian people, are all necessary tasks and legitimate legal tools for protecting inalienable rights, foremost among them the right of return and self-determination, as stipulated in UN resolutions, particularly Resolution 194.