Arabs in general and Pals in particular squandered 17+ years to accept the borders and live peacefully next to Israel. This would have included half of Jerusalem too.
there is much truth to this as well....
apart from 1973 --during the days of lingering ''pan arab nationalism'' -- the Arabs themselves have allowed themselves to become divided politically.
the thing is though --- there was no Palestinian ''army'' fighting the israelis in 67 or 73. Those were surrounding states fighting the battles of a greater war. The israelis used its victory (one which wouldnt be possible without liberal support from outside) as an excuse to say ''we are in a hostile neighbourhood; as Gods chosen people we have rights to this land'' etc. etc.
the israeli PR machines were working over-time (and they are VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY good at that kind of stuff --regardless of facts vs. propaganda)
it is really a blunder of the ''Arab world''; Palestinian nationalism existed for long time, and their blunder was when they allowed themselves also to be factionalized, used and abused (Fatah, PLO, Jihad Council, Hamas, etc. etc.)
Too bad Pals wanted guns and bullets instead of peace, and in the end poor people got what they wanted. guns and bullets and now rockets.
the guns, bullets and suicide bombings were a direct reaction to Palestinians being killed, homes being bulldozed, forced evacuations from farmlands, and endless checkpoints and humiliation (all of which are illegal to begin with)
of course, sending a suicide bomber on a bus loaded with civilians is inexcusable and wrong.
the Palestinians I think (even the ''militant outfits'') are maturing; they know that if they attack, they must be prepared for disproportionate retaliation by israelis....that is why Hamas is adopting the Hezbollah model:
have a political wing, have a strong media etc. and be vocal; work closely with the people.......and then of course the armed wing which is in charge of the defence (through regular and irregular means)
Hamas and Fatah need to unite and work towards a greater cause...nobody will recognize or support Palestinian nationhood when the people themselves are divided on political lines.
looking to today -- Turkiye is a rising regional power, can't deny that. They are becoming increasingly confident in their diplomacy, and increasingly assertive as well. While the Arabs are busy in their revolutions and insurrections, Turkiye economically and militarily is in a position of strength. I was in Turkiye during the israeli operations in Gaza which took many lives. This had a huge impact on Turkish society --one that regularly reads newspapers and watches the news. The Palestinian flags went up, emotions ran high. The government is merely mirroring the sentiments of the people on the ground.
Mavi Marmara was simply a manifestation of that.
sending supplies, aid goods, etc. should never be mistaken as a hostile act. It was a humanitarian one. Those 9 Turks should NOT have been attacked. It was very fool-hardy of the israelis to alienate and anger one of the few allies it had.
and in fact, an apology and compensation is very much in order as far as i'm concerned...the damage was done!
a favourable outcome