Escalating violence in the Gaza Strip, especially the massive air strikes by Israel on the inhabitants there, is becoming the fulfillment of Israel’s strategy to derail the Palestinian unity government, headed by Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah. President Mahmoud Abbas, in a speech delivered July 9 in Ramallah, stated, “This war is not against Hamas or any faction, but it is against the Palestinian people.” It is also against the Palestinian government. This government, thus far, has failed to develop the unified strategy for Palestinian resistance needed at this juncture, but Abbas’ statement expresses the Palestinians’ continued commitment to Hamdallah’s government.

The Palestinians should make clear that the unified leadership is the manifestation of a united leadership of resistance. The violence in Gaza should expedite a strategic guide to serve as an anchor and pivotal policy for legitimate resistance, about which the leadership has so far not been clear or even coherent.

Egypt's limitations in helping the Palestinians to negotiate an enforceable cease-fire with Israel should have been in the strategic calculation. Cairo’s input, however, is restricted at the moment by the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty. Yet, Egypt’s intermittent interventions have in the past eased a number of tensions that could have led to more frequent explosions.

Since the reconciliation between Hamas and the Palestine Liberation Organization, Israel has been conducting an ongoing campaign against it. The reason is that Palestinian national unity will make resistance to Israel consequential. Thus Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has decided to strike a blow against any prospect of Palestinian unity. In this context, Abbas’ statement was, indeed, correct.