One of the things disadvantages that people in the west have when it comes to understanding what’s going on in Gaza is their lack of knowledge of the structures that exist there. One of these structures are the clans:
Most of these large families are “native” Gazans; as in, they’re not considered 1948 refugees (30 percent of Gazans are labeled “native” – with the Strip being their ancestral origin). Gaza’s clans, such as Dogmosh, Helles, Shawwa, Sweerky, Attallah, Abdel-Aal, Mushtaha, Sager, Abu Amra, and many others, have different forms of power and influence and are prominent in various sectors of Gazan society. They have more money, land, and resources than average families in the coastal enclave, and have had essential roles in governance and political factions. They also tend to have large stockpiles of munitions and arms (not ones used in “resistance” acts against Israel but strictly for internal purposes) that they’ve used in their fights and disputes with others.
This comes from Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib who has a Palestinian American from Gaza has some knowledge of the clans and how they work.
When reports came out that Hamas had executed the head of an important clain in Gaza and that the clan in question has declared open season on members of Hamas over this attack. I suspected this might be big trouble for Hamas but apparently not only have Hamas and the various Clans have been at odds for some time but apparently it was bringing of the clans under control that gave Hamas their popularity:
I remember vividly widespread armed clashes that the Palestinian police were powerless to stop. It was Hamas that reigned in those clans and violently/robustly crushed their thuggery and clipped most of their wings, ensuring almost complete obedience and compliance with the Islamist group’s rule. Part of Hamas’s popularity in Gaza actually stemmed from the group’s ability to force and institute law and order upon clans due to its iron grip that established a monopoly on violence.
To a Sicilian like me it sounds a lot like a mafia turf wars and it was Hamas ruthlessly ending them that gave them and sustains their mandate among those in Gaza. They are playing Tito over and if they go the various clans will try to assert their authority in their own territories.
He seems to think that the clans are not a good alternative to a foreign Arab force taking over. I suspect he knows a lot more about the subject than I do but I don’t see how such a force doesn’t get co-opted by the various clans seeking control over turf and the literally billions that are going to come in to rebuild once the war is over. I suspect you will see the various commanders getting rich by suppressing some Clans and favoring others or if it’s left to the clans it becomes a vast Mafia like territory with each Clan looking for the maximum piece of the pie involving turf wars and the like, either alternative doesn’t sound good for the people of Gaza.
But then given that the alternative is a fanatical Islamic group like Hamas moving in under Iranian control to wage proxy war against Israel if I’m the Jewish state I’m more than happy enough to let the clans have the place and let the Gazans fight with each other over the coming international gravy train as long as they leave Israel alone thus freeing the Jewish state to give Iran’s other proxy Hezbollah their full undivided attention.
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