they killed Sinwar, they probably killed Arafat—but they can’t kill the desire for liberty.

resistance is not and was never one person.

Good day, spectators,

For decades now, Israel has relied on the tactic of killing key Palestinian leaders, hoping that resistance will magically die with them. From the beloved Yasser Arafat—who became ‘mysteriously ill and died quickly’ just as Israel was seeking ways to eliminate him—to the more hardline, recently killed-in-battle Yahya Sinwar, Israel seems convinced that the path to peace is paved with… assassinations? They genuinely believe that eliminating a few figureheads could ever erase the collective Palestinian desire for freedom. But this strategy has failed time and time again as I will show you. The idea that resistance can be wiped out by killing individuals is absurd, and it demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of what drives people to resist occupation in the first place.

in a resistance, leaders are just the same as every other soldier

This misunderstanding is rooted in the erroneous and, frankly, almost delusional assumption that Palestinians are only driven to resist because of a few charismatic leaders with Islamist ideologies. It’s as if Israel expects that by killing Sinwar, the Palestinian people will suddenly think, ‘Oh well, I am now perfectly content with my situation under violent occupation and blockade.’ This notion is not only shallow but also puts on full display a deep, racist bias—the belief that the drive for freedom is something imposed on Palestinians rather than a natural, human response to oppression that any people on the planet would have.

Leaders come and go, but it’s the daily reality of living under a foreigners boot, the routine violence, and the denial of even the most basic rights that truly fuels the flames. Resistance in Palestine isn’t an ideology to be labelled and condemned; it’s a demand for the right to exist freely. Killing one leader, or ten, or one hundred won’t change that.

far beyond religion

The Israeli narrative aims to paint Palestinian resistance as a monolithic, bloodthirsty, Islamist-driven movement, but as usual, it conveniently ignores its own history—specifically, decades of diverse political and ideological resistance. Before the rise of Hamas (which was partially facilitated by Israel itself), there were groups like the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) and Fatah—secular organisations striving for Palestinian autonomy. Other groups, such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), carried a more Marxist ethos, rallying Muslims, Christians, and secular Palestinians under one common goal: liberation from Israeli oppression.

It’s simply unintelligent to think that the Palestinian struggle is the product of any single ideology or religion. It’s a universal human demand that transcends faith, faction, and even time. The Palestinians resisting today would be fighting just as fiercely if they were Christians, Buddhists, or atheists because it isn’t religion driving them—it’s the desire to live free from foreign control and violence. Israel’s refusal to acknowledge this truth speaks volumes about its disconnect from the very people it oppresses.

a young boy during the ‘First Intifada’, 1987.

‘cutting off the head’ doesn’t work in an insurgency

It might work if your enemy is an organised, traditional military that isn’t accustomed to the idea of martyrdom. But history is full of examples that prove a clear reality: you can kill a leader, but you can’t kill a people’s desire for freedom. From countries like Ireland to South Africa, we’ve seen colonial powers attempt to put an end to resistance by assassinating key figures. The problem is, however, they usually only inflame the situation, create new leaders, and the movements grow stronger.

Using Ireland’s struggle against British rule as a perfect example. Leaders like Michael Collins were assassinated, but the Irish resistance didn’t die at all—in fact, it intensified and culminated in the IRA winning the war and kicking the Brits out of Dublin. Each attempt to weaken the Irish independence movement by targeting its leaders only solidified the resolve of the people. The same was true in South Africa, Algeria, or even the Civil Rights Movement with the legendary Martin Luther King Jr.

In Palestine, Israel’s policy of killing leaders mirrors these historical missteps. Like every people living under the boot, Palestinians don’t rely on figureheads alone. Resistance will persist as long as occupation remains—it’s that simple.

You can copy and paste the above and apply it to Lebanon as well with Hezbollah.

will it ever learn?

No.

Israel is trapped in an endless cycle of violence, repeating the same old mistakes. True peace will never come from eliminating figureheads and indiscriminately killing civilians. It’s crazy I even have to write those words. Peace will come by ending the occupation and addressing the core injustices that drive people to resist.

When you look at Israeli media, it’s painfully clear that this nation is entrenched in its own Hasbara, entirely deluded that it’s in the right when the whole world knows it’s not. It’s rogue, and I personally don’t think Israel is mature enough as a country to look at itself and say, ‘We’re the bad guys.’

For peace to truly come to Palestine, we may need a much more powerful nation or coalition to step in—one that can administer genuine justice and establish Palestine without Israeli meddling.

That’s all for today, folks. I’m not sure I’ll be writing another post this weekend, but I do have about 84 drafts waiting to be completed. Thanks for being here, as always,

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