Leaders of almost the entire Muslim world, from Morocco to Indonesia, recently signed on to an extraordinary statement. They endorsed a call for Hamas to end its control of Gaza and hand over its weapons. In effect, the demand, led by the 22-state Arab League, acknowledges that the individual sovereignty of the people in Gaza, not Hamas, must determine the territory’s governance.
While the statement is a historic first for Arab nations, the universal principle of individual sovereignty – or a person’s inherent right to be free and treated equally – has been gaining ground among Gaza’s 2 million residents.
Even before its 2023 attack on Israel, Hamas had lost much of its legitimacy. As its popularity further dropped, protests began to break out in March openly condemning the Islamist group – despite threats of retaliation.
“Gaza is not held hostage by anyone,” declared one statement by a prominent group of protesters. “Gaza will be liberated by the will of its people.”
That spirit of independence has been driven in part by the war itself. “We’re persecuted by both sides,” Sharif al-Buheisi, a former university administrator, told The New York Times. “Israel bombs us without mercy and Hamas doesn’t care if we die.”
Just who would run Gaza during a transition to self-governance is not yet clear. The July 29 statement by Muslim leaders suggests the Palestinian Authority take over for now. But its legitimacy is suspect as well, forcing the people in Gaza to determine how their sovereignty and other basic civic values will lead to an inclusive government and collective security.
For years, the Arab people have tried to balance individual liberties and social unity. “Arab societies understand that the prerequisites for real progress … include respect for the role of the citizen as a person endowed with freedom, dignity and rights,” wrote Leila Sharaf, a former minister in Jordan’s government, in a 2002 United Nations report. A 2018 survey by the Arab Barometer found two-thirds of those in the region say they could criticize the government without fear. The polls also showed less acceptance of violence for political purposes.
The possibility of a free – and rebuilt – Gaza seems far away for its people. Yet the war, and now help from the Arab and Muslim world, has pushed them to claim their basic rights. A liberty of conscience is the bedrock for the liberty of a people.
