Is Reviewing Valid After Malta's Destruction?

 

It is neither a shame nor a sin for political and social forces, military factions, as well as states, to review and evaluate their programs, scrutinize their priorities, reshape their alliances, and consider their means and methods of action within the framework of achieving the sacred triad of legitimacy: "popular support for the program, trust in institutions and individuals, and satisfaction with both," as well as the interests of their people and their continuity and sustainability. Evaluation or review cannot be effective without criticism, examination, and inquiry based on rational thought, openness to both friendly and opposing parties, careful analysis of changes, precise rationalization of entities and their principles, and deep understanding of the causes and implications of events; following the approach of Ibn Khaldun in history or his record-keeping.

It is said that the best times to evaluate come at the peak of successes, the optimum during crises, and the worst during failures. However, it is a necessity that cannot be avoided at all times. The review here is not only for the available spaces for politicians or the remaining will of fighters at the party level but also for reexamining institutional structures, political programs, national priorities, and means and methods of struggle, prioritizing citizens' interests over those of politicians, and elevating the interest of the state "the people" over that of the party while reconsidering necessary and potential alliances with various parties across different regions.

Evaluation and review are corrections of past misunderstandings and actions in politics and life; that is, acknowledgment of mistakes and recognition of them without evasiveness or blaming others, which is a first step towards building the future, armed with lessons from the past and a precise understanding of the necessities of the present and the needs of tomorrow. However, evaluation in times of failure becomes "like a surgical operation" more difficult for the group, costlier for individuals, and deeper in pain for supporters, requiring extensive sacrifices and a heavy price to exit the current situation. As a result of this type of evaluation, political forces may be forced to make changes in their structure, ideology, methods, and alliances, and this may be realized if these forces expedite the evaluation process and begin to initiate change.

In my opinion, the Palestinian political forces are still unable to comprehend the earthquake that struck the Gaza Strip, understand the nature of the catastrophe that has befallen the Palestinian people and its implications on the dynamics of life and the mechanisms of transformations in the cultural and social structures that generate social movements and political movements. Hence, it becomes necessary to ask: Is reviewing and evaluating valid after Malta's destruction?