Arab Writers: The Arabs And The Resistance Axis Must Acknowledge Their Defeat In The War With Israel; We Must Strive For An Era Without War

With the conclusion of the fighting between Israel and Hamas, Hizbullah and other members of the resistance axis, articles in the Arab media condemned the rhetoric regarding the historic victory over Israel promoted by spokespeople for these organizations.[1] The articles argued that these organizations, far from defeating Israel, actually suffered a crushing defeat in the war, as evident from the heavy damage and losses sustained by them and by and the local populations. They also stated that the outcomes of the war proved that the doctrine of 'unity of the fronts' formulated by the Iran-led resistance axis – whereby all the axis members would assist each other in the event of a war against Israel – had collapsed.

The writers described this defeat as another link in the chain of defeats suffered by the Arabs in the wars they have waged against Israel since its establishment under the banner of the "Palestinian cause." They argued that these defeats are the final nail in the coffin of the Palestinian issue as the foremost cause of the Arab world and are a reflection of Israel's power in the region. The writers therefore called on those who fought against Israel and on the entire Arab nation to recognize their defeat and dedicate their efforts to developing their countries instead of engaging in futile wars.

The following are translated excerpts from these articles:

Hamas And Hizbullah Were Defeated; The Doctrine Of The "Unity Of The Fronts" Has Collapsed

One of the major arguments presented in the articles against Hamas and Hizbullah's claims of victory is the extent of the damage and losses sustained by them and their environment.  This, the writers said, not only represents a defeat for these two central members of the resistance axis, but also shows that the "unity of the fronts," a key doctrine of this axis, has completely collapsed.

Lebanese journalist Jean Al-Feghali, chief editor at the LBCI News channel, wrote in the Lebanese daily Nidaa Al-Watan: "...Hamas, which started this war... was defeated in it, and anyone who wants to contest this should examine the balance of gains and losses: the part of Gaza that is aboveground no longer exists; it is completely destroyed; [Hamas'] leaders have been eliminated, from Yahya Sinwar [the architect of the October 7 attack] to Isma'il Haniya... So how can this be considered a victory?

"What is true for Hamas and its 'victory' in Gaza is also true for Hizbullah and its 'victory' in Lebanon: more than 20 towns and villages on the southern "front" [i.e., on the border with Israel] have been destroyed... Most of Hizbullah's leaders, from Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, through field commanders, to Radwan Force fighters have been killed, not to mention the [destruction of] the ammunition and missile depots. So how can this be considered a victory?

"The outcome is 'a unity of defeats,' stemming from 'the unity of the fronts': Hizbullah has been defeated in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza… The collapse of the 'unity of the fronts' is patently evident from the fact that Hizbullah agreed to a ceasefire without conditioning it on a ceasefire in Gaza… So where is the unity of the fronts?"[2]

The 'Victory' Of The Resistance Axis Is Imaginary

Khalid bin Hamad Al-Malik, the chief editor of the Saudi government daily Al-Jazirah, likewise came out against the rhetoric of the resistance axis and called on it to acknowledge its defeat. He wrote: "Hamas talks about defeating Israel in [Israel's] war of extermination. Hizbullah also claims to have defeated Israel in the war, and so do Iran and the Houthis. They [all] deny the blows they have sustained, which have weakened them, and deny their failure to respond in kind. This shallow perception of the outcomes of the war against the Israeli enemy means that the victories are imaginary and have no connection to the course of the war and the results of the Israeli offensive… How did Hamas win if all its commanders in Gaza have been killed, as well as the ones who stayed in Lebanon and Iran[?] Where is the victory, if tens of thousands of Palestinians are dead, wounded or missing[?] How can anyone believe Hamas has won when Israel occupied all of the Gaza Strip after destroying 80 percent of it[?] It is not the weapons of Hamas and the [Palestinian Islamic] Jihad that will force [Israel] to withdraw [from Gaza]. [It will withdraw] in an agreement that will include an arrangement preventing Hamas from returning to its condition before the war. 

"The same is true for Hizbullah, which claims to have defeated the Israeli aggression against Lebanon even though Israel has killed all of its leaders, including Secretary-General [Nasrallah], occupied South [Lebanon], destroyed buildings and eliminated [Hizbullah's] weapons, which were the source of its power. It has [also] prevented future [arms] deliveries from Iran via Syria or via the sea, and now this organization [too] has been forced to accept an agreement that will [preclude it] from returning to its past condition.

"As for Iran, which claims to have withstood the Israeli attacks… we did not see it retaliating in a way that compares with the killing of its leaders and of a guest who was staying in its territory [i.e., Hamas leader Isma'il Haniya, who was killed in Tehran].

"The imaginary victories persist [only] in the minds of those who allow themselves to lie and lie until they eventually believe their own lies, like the Houthis, who launched drones and missiles at Israel that did no significant damage to Israeli [military] bases."[3]

Syrian cartoonist Dijwar Ibrahim mocks Hamas' and Hizbullah's claims of victory: the Hamas fighter, walking with a crutch, says, "You won too??," and the Hizbullah fighter in a wheelchair replies "Yes, we won" (X.com/dijwar123123121, January 28, 2025)

The Era Of Arab Wars Against Israel Has Ended In Another Arab Defeat; The Palestinian Cause Has Declined

Some of the writers pointed to the damage and destruction caused to societies and countries in the Arab world by the wars waged over the decades against Israel in the name of the Palestinian cause. Some even argued that these wars not only failed to further the Palestinian issue but actually harmed it and caused it to be marginalized, while Israel managed to establish its legitimacy. The writers called on the Arab countries to recognize their defeat against Israel and focus on internal development.

Dr. Hani Anouti, a lecturer on Middle East policy, wrote in the Lebanese daily Al-Nahhar: "There is a long history of struggles and victims for the sake of Palestine. Tens of thousands of dead are buried in the ground, and millions of wounded are suffering in ruined cities that have been denied development and peace as a direct or indirect result of the Palestinian and Arab conflict with Israel. This conflict, which is approaching its 100^th year, has had negative political, military and security effects on all the countries and peoples of the region…

"In practice, the Palestinians waged only one war against Israel, in 1948… As for the Arab countries, they have jointly waged three wars against Israel. Some of them fought with armies, fire and blood, and others by providing financial, political and diplomatic support. But the result was catastrophic for these countries and their societies, so much so that Egypt [decided to] end the cycle of violence and the erosion of its capabilities and signed the peace agreement with Israel, bravely defying the Arab and Islamic consensus. It [thereby] established the legitimacy of Israel's existence for the first time in the history of the conflict…  

"Unfortunately, the Palestinians are unable to approach this conflict realistically, unlike Israel, which has established its legitimacy and existence through force and diplomacy... No country has managed to achieve in a century what Israel has achieved, transforming from an ostracized and illegitimate state surrounded by powerful enemies into a legitimate and strong state that, along with several other countries, has the power to change the fate of the Middle East.

"Anyone who examines the history of the [Arab] conflict with Israel cannot ignore an important fact, namely the gradual disappearance of the Palestinian cause on both the political and practical levels, and even among the public, in many countries, both Arab and non-Arab. Despite its importance, this cause has lost its momentum and vitality for many unfortunate reasons... As for Israel, it has succeeded in eliminating all its enemies... There is no longer any military power in the region, legitimate or illegitimate, capable of effectively fighting and defeating it, and thus it has put an end to the era of Arab wars against it.

"Now that the era of conventional and direct wars against Israel is over, the discourse on the future of the region and its countries and on their role in the world has reemerged… Are we really at the dawn of a new era of growth, development and innovation in the region, an era without wars against Israel?"[4]

Arab Regimes Have Exploited The Palestinian Cause To Commit Crimes And Silence Dissidents

Falah Al-Mash'al wrote in his column on the Saudi website Elaph: "The Arabs were defeated in all the wars they waged against Israel. Regardless of the many reasons for these defeats, the result on the ground proves the enemy's superior strength...

"The Arab regimes must internalize the reality of the past 75 years, namely defeat in the war means harming our relations with the West and also losing in terms of technological progress, science and economy. The regimes lose [the support of] their peoples, and the peoples lose their future. Ignoring these facts perpetuates the defeat in all the wars, not just the military ones. The same applies to the perception of Palestine as the foremost Arab cause, when the Arab peoples have come to despise Palestine, because it has become a talisman for the continued existence of the corrupt and oppressive regimes, and [because] horrible crimes have been committed in the name of liberating Palestine and of resistance, [crimes of] silencing rivals and dissenting voices...

"I listened to the speech of [Hamas political bureau member] Khalil Al-Hayya… after the announcement of the ceasefire agreement.[5] It was a very long speech, full of flowery sentences, boring rhetoric, words of congratulation, slogans and so forth. However, he ignored the real reason for the war waged by the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza,[6] and [ignored] the complete destruction of the city of Gaza, its facilities and its services – which is the only thing Hamas achieved with over 200,000 dead and wounded!

"The Gaza war and its outcomes exposed the full scope and depth of the reality, as well as the deception of the countries that brandished the slogans of [liberating] Jerusalem so that Gaza and its people would pay the price for the continued existence of their regimes… Another discovery was the deception of the resistance axis, which proved to be a mercenary axis of international  made-to-order deals.

"The Gaza war will be the last Arab war and the last [Arab] defeat if the Arabs learn a lesson from its outcomes and its hidden motives, after they have not bothered to internalize [the lesson of] 75 years of defeat!"[7]  

Victory Is Achieved By Admitting Defeat, Even At The Hands Of The Criminal Israel

Khalid bin Hamad Al-Malik, chief editor of the Saudi government daily Al-Jazirah, urged the Arabs and the resistance axis to acknowledge their defeat in order to better prepare for the next war. He stressed that he opposes Israel and yearns for its defeat, but that "the reality is different. [The reality is that Israel] has neutralized Iran, occupied the Gaza Strip and South Lebanon and carried out painful attacks against Iran and the Houthis…"

He added: "Victory comes once you acknowledge defeat, even at the hands of a criminal like Israel. Victory comes after you address the reasons for the defeat and prepare for victory with action rather than words, by planning and not by means of escapades with unpredictable results.

"The outcome of the Al-Aqsa Flood [i.e., Hamas' October 7 attack] was more Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners incarcerated in Israel's jails, the destruction of Gaza and South Lebanon, the death of Hamas and Hizbullah's leaders and of Iranian commanders, the occupation of Gaza and South Lebanon, thousands of people dead, wounded, displaced and missing in the Gaza Strip, and the return of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas in return for a limited number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel…

"Victory is not achieved by means of talk and rhetoric or by drugging people with misinformation and lies. We should have eliminated that culture after the 1967 war, whose outcomes shocked people in light of the information that had been spread and proved to be false."[8]