People used to say that the negotiations by the Palestine Liberation Organization were futile, delusional, defeatist, and submissive—accusing them of compromising on fundamental principles. But these were the very negotiations that freed Gaza and the West Bank from the humiliation of occupation and the despair of the Intifada. They were the negotiations that brought back over 1.5 million Palestinians from exile to their homeland.

These negotiations created a real airport, crossings, and secure passages that connected Gaza with the West Bank, granting us a genuine passport. They built an authority with ministries, institutions, laws, legislations, and courts—considered the nucleus and an inevitable start toward building a real sovereign state.

These negotiations established a police force with ranks, uniforms, firearms at their sides—100% Palestinian military attire—with national security, intelligence, anti-narcotics, naval forces, traffic, and emergency services.

They emptied the occupation prisons of 99% of our heroic prisoners, until only a few remained, and the pressure continued to free them.

They secured our membership in international institutions, forced our presence worldwide despite the world’s stiff resistance—most recently, gaining membership at the United Nations.

They preserved the Palestinian national identity, creating an educational curriculum that instills our history, rights, dreams, and goals deep in the minds of our children and future generations.

These negotiations rolled out the red carpet for our president, who carries the name of Palestine in over 200 countries, where the Palestinian flag is raised like any major state’s, and the national anthem is played.

They gave us ministers, ambassadors, and diplomatic relations, after decades of statelessness.

These negotiations were the result and conclusion of 50 years of armed struggle and popular resistance. In the end, they preserved the Palestinian human being, protected his existence, immortalized his identity, and safeguarded his blood, honor, and dignity.

They moved us away from the harsh military battlefield—one we could never withstand alone—given the huge gap in power between us and them: between stones and sticks versus aircraft carriers; Molotov cocktails and slingshots versus F-25s and tanks.

This vast disparity is the same between dreams, ambitions, and illusions versus harsh, painful realities our Arab nations live, asleep and weak. No matter how we fool ourselves, we are weak compared to the tyranny and brutality of our enemies, and reality is a live witness.

There were opponents of negotiations who never conceded on our principles but still extracted rights we never dreamed of reclaiming in exile. Unfortunately, they worked hard against these negotiations and the entire national project until they destroyed it—through betrayal, takfir, slander, lies, delusions, false hopes, interests, corrupt alliances, and destructive adventures.

I don’t know how to describe the farce happening now—the negotiations underway while people die by the dozens every hour. Every hour of negotiation means continuing humiliation, misery, and oppression for hundreds of thousands left in the streets.

Negotiations to allow a few tents, a few water barrels, a few cans of peas. Negotiations begging them to stop the killing and destruction, to stop the fire, so we can return to how we were.

Negotiations for the tanks to retreat a little from a corner or two in Gaza, for the displaced to return to the rubble of their homes, for an end to the war that took more than 200,000 of our people and left Gaza crushed on its friends’ heads.

This is the reality everyone sees—except those blind in heart, mind, and eyes. Those who refuse to see the truth are fooling themselves into thinking they are negotiating parties.

The truth, unfortunately, is that the occupation and its backer—the global tyrant America—do not negotiate. They don’t see anyone before them. They are trampling their liquidation plan and Gaza’s destruction.

Sadly, fools and stubborn people remain defending what has happened, following the principle of “even if the goat flies…” God knows how much bitterness and sorrow fill our hearts.

I swear, I cannot hold back my tears while writing this. God is sufficient for us and the best disposer of affairs.