As many as 148 rights violations by the ‘Israeli’ occupation regime against Palestinian journalists were recorded in the occupied Palestinian territories last month, an Arab NGO documented the violations, as cited by Anadolu Agency.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Journalists Support Committee said the month of May witnessed a surge in attacks on Palestinian journalists by ‘Israeli’ occupation forces and settlers.
It termed the attacks as “an attempt to prevent Palestinian journalists from covering ‘Israeli’ assaults against Palestinians and their holy sites.”
According to the NGO, the ‘Israeli’ violations varied from kidnapping, intimidation, shooting, verbal and physical assaults to car-ramming incidents.
It said 11 journalists were kidnapped by ‘Israeli’ occupation forces in the occupied West Bank during May, while the custody of five others was extended without trial.
“‘Israeli’ forces, in collaboration with settlers, disrupted the work of 61 journalists and media institutions while covering ‘Israeli’ violations in the cities of al-Quds, al-Khalil, and Jenin,” it added.
The NGO also noted that the social media accounts of 11 Palestinian journalists were suspended for alleged violations of publication rules.
Last month, Al Jazeera journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, 51, was shot dead while covering an ‘Israeli’ military raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.
Palestinian officials and her employer, Al Jazeera, said she was killed by ‘Israeli’ forces.
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Leader of Yemen’s Ansarullah resistance movement, Sayyed Abdul-Malik Badreddine al-Houthi, said in a televised address on Monday that the ‘Israeli’ attacks on al-Aqsa Mosque were provocative and desecrated Muslim holy sites.
“The Jewish-Zionist threat is a threat to all Muslims, that targets the sanctities of the nation,” Sayyed al-Houthi said.
The desecration, incursions and attacks are carried out with the aim of demolishing al-Aqsa Mosque, he added.
“With all earnestness, we announce that we are part of the equation stated by [Hezbollah Secretary General His Eminence] Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and that we will be ready to fight for the sake of God,” he said.
Sayyed al-Houthi said the goal of the Americans and the ‘Israelis’ is complete and direct control over the wealth and destiny of the Islamic Ummah.
Pointing to the Saudi aggression in Yemen, the Ansarullah leader said the invasion of Yemen is within the framework of empowering and strengthening ‘Israel’ and removing any hurdle and challenge to the regime.
“The ‘Israeli’ enemy encouraged fools and hypocrites to invade Yemen to pay the price, no matter what,” Sayyed al-Houthi said, referring to Saudi Arabia and the war coalition against Yemen. “The Saudi and Emirati media operate similar to the ‘Israeli’ media, although in different languages.”
The Ansarullah leader also said the world is on the brink of a food crisis due to US, ‘Israeli’ and Western conspiracies which, he said, are “preparing to block the export of some countries to the Islamic world in order to create a food crisis.”
[…] Before I address the specific issues of this meeting and our upcoming (electoral) battle in two days, let me spend a few minutes on the crime perpetrated by the soldiers of the Zionist occupation that led to the martyrdom of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
On the one hand, Shireen Abu Akleh was a witness to the crimes of the enemy for many years, as well as a witness to the oppression of the Palestinian people and the daily crimes, massacres, aggressions and violations that they suffer, both in terms of the (oppressed) population and the (desecrated) holy places. And today, she has become the oppressed martyr, the victim of one of these crimes. She is therefore both the witness (chaahid) and the oppressed martyr (chahiid) [in Arabic as in the Greek root of this word, “martyr” has the double meaning of witness and martyr, designating a person who died to attest to the truth of religion].
On the other hand, such is the true face of this enemy. Such is his bestiality which has never changed one iota. From the massacres of Deir Yassin (in 1948) to all the massacres in Palestine, to the massacres in Lebanon, in Qana, Sohmor and the other villages, to the massacre of the Egyptian soldiers trapped in Sinai, etc., etc., etc. This is the true identity of Israel, its essence and nature: monstrosity, tyranny, arrogance, bloodshed, and, in the depths of history, the murder of the Prophets [mentioned by the Bible and the Quran]. Nothing has changed, nothing at all.
Those who should feel ashamed, humiliated and degraded in the first place are (all Arab-Muslims who) normalize with the enemy, be it regimes, governments, elites and particular individuals who try to persuade our peoples that Israel is an entity whose existence is natural (and irrevocable), an obvious choice, a well-established and developed State with which one can coexist in peace. The first thing that came to my mind as I watched this martyr and her blood on TV is that her blood is on the hands of the (Arab-Muslim) leaders and elites who normalize their relations with Israel. This blood is on their face, on their cheeks, on their temples, on their lips and on their hands.
The message of this (tragic) event, O my brothers and sisters, is very strong, both for the Palestinian people, the Arab, Muslim (and Christian) peoples and the whole world. Unfortunately, some have been quick to try to shift the debate on this dangerous crime perpetrated by the enemy, turning it into a debate on Shireen Abu Akleh’s religion and her religious affiliation. I declare to you that the strongest message in the martyrdom of this oppressed woman is that she is a Christian. The strongest message in the martyrdom of this oppressed woman is that she is a Christian. This message declares to all that Israel, the temporary usurping entity, has attacked both Muslims and Christians, both the Palestinian people and the peoples of the region, and has killed, oppressed, expelled, imprisoned and destroyed the homes of both Muslims and Christians. Israel, the usurping occupying entity, has attacked both Muslim and Christian holy places. And just a few days ago, during the month of Ramadan, we saw the aggressive Zionist behavior against Muslim worshippers praying on Friday at Al-Aqsa Mosque, and against Christians during the Great Saturday of Holy Fire at the Basilica of the Resurrection (Church of the Holy Sepulchre).
We are witnessing Israel assassinating journalists and terrorizing their funerals ON LIVE TV. They won’t stop. Because they know they won’t face any consequences. they know the west won’t sanction them. They know if the Palestinians dare to resist they will be called “terrorists”
The message of Shireen Abu Akleh’s martyrdom states that all are in danger (against Israel), whether it is their lives, their blood, their children, their property, their homes, their future and their Muslim and Christian holy places. The message states that this racist entity… Today, the only entity on the face of the earth that openly declares its segregationist (Apartheid) regime is Israel.
S. African police in '87 attacking the coffin of Ashley Kriel to seize the ANC flag that draped it; Israeli police attacked the coffin of #ShireenAbuAkleh today, trying to seize Palestinian flags. Apartheid regimes waging war on their victims, even after death pic.twitter.com/oDkMmIoBg1
This inhuman, tyrannical regime against all human beings (non-Jews) will never change one iota, because this is its real identity and essence. No matter what the normalizers do, and no matter what it may do in demonstrations of hypocrisy, its bestial and criminal nature will always drive it to perpetrate such mistakes and acts of imbecility that will (reveal its true face and) destroy all its efforts to appear as a normal State (with a human face).
We hope that the blood of Shireen Abu Akleh, and the blood of the men and women, young, adults and children of Palestine will awaken the dead and withered consciences, and cause all the good and dignity that remains in this (Arab & Muslim) Community, both among Muslims and Christians, to rise up.
Allow me also today to extend my condolences to the families of the martyrs in Nubl and Al-Zahra of the local defense forces attached to the Syrian Arab Army who saw more than 10 martyrs fall today in a brazen and open attack by the terrorist armed groups in northern Aleppo.
Syria: Hezbullah's Syrian auxiliary in Nubl & Zahraa, which fights under NDF, mourns the martyrdom of 10 of its fighters after Turkish-backed terrorists attacked their bus earlier today. pic.twitter.com/SnrBzYVmqH
— Lebanese News and Updates (@LebUpdate) May 13, 2022
I ask God the Most High to grant their families the strength to endure this loss and console their pain. […]
The battle fought between the unified Palestinian resistance factions and “Israel” completely changed the trajectory of the region’s conflict with the Zionist regime.
Seif Al-Quds: The Battle Which Ushered In A New Era Of Palestinian Armed Struggle
Although for many, the Seif al-Quds (Sword of Jerusalem) battle, last May, represented significant suffering and loss of Palestinian life, the war fought between the unified Palestinian resistance factions and “Israel”, completely changed the trajectory of the region’s conflict with the Zionist regime.
Lasting between May 10 and May 21, dubbed the “11-day war”, Palestinian armed factions in the Gaza Strip combined their strength with that of the entire Palestinian population inside occupied territories. After consistent Israeli incursions into al-Aqsa mosque last Ramadan, the spokesperson for the al-Qassam brigades [armed wing of Hamas], Abu Ubaydah, gave Israeli occupation forces a 6 PM deadline to withdraw from Al-Aqsa Mosque and stop a far-Right settler march. On the deadline, a barrage of rockets was fired from Gaza, into Israeli settlements surrounding Jerusalem. It was then that “Israel” officially announced it was going to war with Gaza.
Around 270 Palestinians were killed across the occupied territories by Israeli occupation forces and settlers, however, the story of human suffering during the war was not the only significant element. Unlike had been the case in 2014, 2008-9, and even in 2012, all years when the Israeli occupation forces launched military operations against the Gaza Strip, no significant win could be taken from the side of the Palestinian resistance. With the exception of the 2012 war, the other battles between Gaza’s armed groups and “Israel” had resulted in the weakening of the position of the Palestinian armed struggle. During Seif Al-Quds, things were quite the opposite, for the first time, it was a real strategic victory on the part of a unified front of armed factions, making up what has become known as the ‘Joint Room’ of resistance factions.
“Israel” was forced into political and military disarray, as the victory of Seif Al-Quds only further led to the downfall of former Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, ushering in a new Israeli ruling coalition. “Israel”’s military strategy of attempting to draw the resistance forces into the attack tunnel systems, in order to bombard them and kill hundreds, failed tremendously and completely took the Israeli military by surprise. The Gazan forces had somehow figured out, most likely through intelligence gathering methods, what “Israel” had been planning – a fake invasion announcement – preemptively preparing themselves for such an Israeli attack. Hamas even dictated to the Israelis in “Tel Aviv” when they could come out of their bomb shelters, telling them that they would stop their rocket attacks for 2 hours on one given night. The sight of Israelis listening to the guidelines set to them by Hamas and the other armed factions, made “Israel’s” air defense systems and military strategy seem weak, proving the Zionist forces useless at defending their own population.
Furthermore, the tactics used by the armed groups, such as; slowly revealing new weapons technology, striking everywhere inside the 1948 territories, putting Israeli airports on temporary lockdown and controlling the course of the battle, all showed the entire region the weaknesses of “Tel Aviv”. If little besieged Gaza could foil “Israel’s” military strategies that they had worked on for years, not lose their military capabilities, force “Israel” to accept a non-conditional ceasefire, imagine what a force like Lebanese Hezbollah, or the Syrian Arab Army, would do to them? This was the question in the minds of world leaders at the time. To conclude the battle of Seif Al-Quds, “Israel” did not fire the final shot by midnight when the ceasefire kicked in, it was Hamas that had the last say.
Seif al-Quds proved for the Palestinians, as well as regional allies of the camp of resistance to “Israel”, that the armed struggle was the only way forward. The Palestinian Authority (PA), based in Ramallah, chooses the path of “security coordination” and refuses to resist “Israel” with violence and has failed to achieve a so-called “two-State solution”. The PA, of President Mahmoud Abbas, has little legitimacy left in the eyes of Palestinians and has no negotiating chips to bring to the table of any talks with the Israeli side, on top of this, no Israeli ruling coalition will have anything to do with the PA and talks of “two-States”. Now, the answer, following the era of Oslo, which really died with the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, is again the armed struggle and this is clearly what we see, as the rising belief, all throughout occupied Palestine.
A regional coalition, to fight for al-Aqsa Mosque, is now developing in its coordination and capabilities, included in which will be; Hezbollah, Ansarallah, groups from within the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) and the Palestinian armed factions. The head of the Hamas movement in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, has vowed that the war for Jerusalem will begin after Ramadan and that the armed factions in Gaza will be on high alert to thwart Israeli plots against the Palestinian people and Jerusalem’s Holy Sites.
The battle of May 2021 represents the opening of a new chapter in the conflict with “Israel”, forcing the entire region and beyond to pay attention. Having said this, the questions to now be answered are; How will a regional coalition launch a successful military campaign against “Israel”? When will the Israeli ruling coalition collapse and how will the resistance deal with this? When will the PA change hands from its current rulers or collapse? And, when will the international community begin to start approaching Hamas as a representative of the Palestinian movement and people? The answers to these questions will be determining factors to how the Palestinian cause will once again emerge as a top priority on the regional and international stage.
The opinions mentioned in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Al mayadeen, but rather express the opinion of its writer exclusively.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stresses that the United States is covering up corruption in Lebanon while its allies cast the blame on the resistance.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah (Click for the video)
The strongest message sent through the martyrdom of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh is the fact that she is Christian, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Friday, in a nod to the Israeli occupation’s indiscriminate criminality that knows no bounds and is not only directed toward Muslims.
“The Israeli enemy killed Christians and Muslims, violated their sanctities, and demolished their homes […] everyone is jeopardized by the policies of the racist and inhumane Israeli occupation that will not change,” Sayyed Nasrallah said during an electoral rally in the northeastern Bekaa region of Lebanon.
He stressed that martyr Abu Akleh was a witness to Israeli criminality and the occupation’s oppression of Palestinians. “The brutal reality of the Israeli enemy has not changed throughout its massacres in Palestine, Lebanon, and Egypt.”
Sayyed Nasrallah offered his condolences to the families of the Syrian soldiers who were killed at the hands of terrorist groups in the countryside of Aleppo earlier today.
Bekaa always been integral part of resistance
“The Bekaa region and its people have always been an integral part of the resistance,” Sayyed Nasrallah stressed, citing the people’s support for the resistance since its establishment and their contribution to the founding of the movement. “It is [in Bekaa] that the most important confrontation took place in 1982, which halted the progression of the Israeli enemy.”
“The shelling of the region was not only in revenge for the resistance’s operations, but in compliance with an Israeli policy [Tel Aviv] closely follows to pressure people and to send a message to the people of Bekaa to expel the resistance from the region,” he added.
“They want the people of Bekaa to give up the resistance and its arms through political, financial, and media aggression,” he explained, recalling that the operations had been launched from the region as a whole and led to the martyrdom of many prominent leaders until the entire region was liberated, “and still, the [resistance did not halt its] operations on the Western Bekaa front.”
In the southern region of Bekaa, Sayyed Nasrallah highlighted, “the most prominent and dearest men in Bekaa were martyred, Sayyed Abbas Al-Mousawi and [his wife] Um Yasser.” He also praised the region for its participation in resisting the Israeli occupation during the July war of 2006, mourning the martyrs lost in Baalbek and the Western and Central Bekaa.
“You are Hezbollah, and you are the resistance. It would not be right to say you are with the resistance, because, throughout the past 40 years, you did not refrain from offering your dearest people, and you chose the resistance as your ideology,” the Hezbollah chief underscored.
“There are parties conspiring against your sacrifices and your victories, and your response must be appropriate.”
According to Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the people must not forget those who stood with Lebanon, i.e. Syria and Iran. “They are part of the electoral campaign today. We must also remember those who stood by Israel and offered it support while today, they advocate ‘freedom’ and ‘independence’, especially the United States and several Arab States [who are supporting the occupation] behind closed doors.”
Parties prevented Lebanese Army from battling ISIS on Syria-Lebanon borders
“If the terrorist groups succeded in Syria, they would have jeopardized Bekaa and the entirety of Lebanon […] those who supported the terrorist organizations only cared for toppling the authorities in Syria,” he explained.
Sayyed Nasrallah also revealed that there had been a political decision to prevent the Lebanese Army from combatting the terrorist groups on the borders. “If [the parties that prevented the Army from combatting terrorism] had the majority in the government, they would never dare take a decision as per which the Lebanese Army responds to any aggression.”
Resistance’s weapons never prevented reform
Commenting on the electoral campaigns in the 2022 Lebanese legislative elections, Sayyed Nasrallah said, “We heard many funny things in the slogans and speeches. We saw a remarkable campaign of hatred, and this is an indication of the moral and intellectual decadence of some figures representing themselves as leaders who want to solve crises.”
“One of them is responsible for the vanishing of $11 billion and the economic policies that led to the current crises, and he is currently saying that the path toward saving Lebanon starts with liberating the country from Hezbollah,” Sayyed Nasrallah stressed.
He also stressed that there are parties “taking the Lebanese people for fools by fearmongering and spreading misinformation against Hezbollah […] the resistance’s arms never prevented anyone from repairing the power grid and building dams, nor did it take the catastrophic financial policies during the past decades.”
The Hezbollah chief accused the United States and its allies of smuggling depositors’ funds abroad, calling on the parties that “made their electoral lists in the US embassy” to ask Washington to return the smuggled money. He also accused it of preventing investments in Lebanon, covering up for corruption, and working to starve the Lebanese people.
“We heard that on May 15 (the day the elections will be held in Lebanon), this finger (pointing to his index finger) will be broken… I know that this finger infuriates the United States, the terrorists, and the enemies of Lebanon,” Sayyed Nasrallah stressed.
“Casting your ballots on the election day is a message to those conspiring against the resistance and its arms, as well as the future of the Lebanese people,” he concluded by telling the people of Bekaa and Lebanon as a whole.
السيد نصر الله: الاقتراع يوم الأحد رسالة إلى المتآمرين على المقاومة ومستقبل لبنان
الأمين العام لحزب الله، السيد حسن نصر الله، يؤكّد، خلال المهرجان الانتخابي في البقاع، أنّه “لا بد من الدولة العادلة والقادرة، من أجل معالجة مشاكل المنطقة، في مختلف الملفات التي يواجهها الناس”.
وفي كلمةٍ له، خلال المهرجان الانتخابي في البقاع، أضاف السيد نصر الله أن “الرسالة من شهادة شيرين أبو عاقلة هي أنّ العدو الإسرائيلي قتل المسيحيين والمسلمين، واعتدى على مقدساتهم، وهدم بيوتهم”، وأنّ “الجميع في خطر من سياسات النظام الإسرائيلي العنصري واللاإنساني، والذي لن يتبدل مهما فعل المطبّعون”.
وأشار إلى أنّ “الشهيدة أبو عاقلة كانت شاهدة على جرائم العدو الإسرائيلي، وعلى مظلومية الشعب الفلسطيني”، مشدداً على أنّ “حقيقة العدو الإسرائيلي الوحشية لم تتغير، من مجازر فلسطين، إلى لبنان، إلى مصر”.
وأضاف السيد نصر الله أنّ “أول الذين يجب أن يشعروا بالخزي والعار هم المطبّعون، ودماء أبو عاقلة وصمة على وجوههم ونواصيهم وأيديهم”، آملاً أن “توقظ دماؤها الضمائر الميتة وتستنهض الخير والشرف المتبقّي في هذه الأمة”.
كذلك، عزّى السيد نصر الله عائلات قوات الدفاع الشعبي في الجيش السوري الذين استشهدوا، في وقتٍ سابقٍ اليوم، على أيدي الجماعات التكفيرية في ريف حلب.
البقاع كان دائماً جزءاً أساسياً من المـقاومة
وتوجّه السيد نصر الله إلى أهل البقاع المشاركين في المهرجان الانتخابي، قائلاً إن “البقاع وأهله كانوا دائماً جزءاً أساسياً من المـقاومة، تأسيساً وجبهةً وحضوراً في الميدان، وإسناداً ودعماً. وفي أرضه حدثت المواجهة الأهم عام 1982، والتي أوقفت تقدم العـدو الإسرائيلي”.
وأضاف أن “معركة السلطان يعقوب ومعركة المديرج أعطتا رسالة واضحة إلى الاحتلال، مفادها أنه خلال أيام قليلة بدأت عمليات المقاومة، بحيث تفاجأ باستنفار أهل البقاع. وبالفعل، فإن الاجتياج توقّف”.
وذكّر السيد نصر الله، في السياق، بالأعوام الأولى للمقاومة، منذ عام 1982، بحيث كانت العمليات تحدث في المناطق المحتلة، بينما “كان يحدث رد الفعل الإسرائيلي في البقاع”، لافتاً إلى أنّ “القصف الإسرائيلي لم يكن فقط للانتقام من عمليات المقاومة، بل كان سياسةً إسرائيليةً متَّبَعةً دائماً من أجل الضغط على الناس، وهدفه أن يقول لأهل البقاع: أَخْرِجوا المقاومة من بلداتكم”.
وأضاف: “يريدون من أهل البقاع التخلي عن المقاومة وسلاحها، عبر القصف، سياسياً ومالياً وإعلامياً”، لكنّ “العمليات انطلقت من البقاع إلى البقاع الغربي، وسقط شهداء قادة إلى أن تحرر البقاع، ومع ذلك لم تتوقف العمليات في جبهة البقاع الغربي”.
وأردف السيد نصر الله بالقول إنّ “في أرض الجنوب استُشهد من البقاع أغلى وأعز رجال البقاع، السيد عباس الموسوي والسيدة أم ياسر الموسوي. وفي حرب تموز/يوليو كنتم حاضرين في هذه الحرب، ورجالكم يشاركون في الجبهات”، لافتاً إلى أنّ”هناك لائحة طويلة من الشهداء الذين سقطوا في بعلبك الهرمل والبقاعَين الغربي والأوسط”.
وخاطب أهل البقاع قائلاً: “أنتم حزب الله وأنتم المقاومة، ولا يصح أن نقول أنتم مع المقاومة، لأنّكم خلال 40 عاماً لم تبخلوا بدمٍ ولا بعزيز ولا بشيء، وكانت المقاومة خياركم وعزمكم وبصيرتكم”، مؤكداً أنّ “هناك من يتآمر على تضحياتكم وعلى انتصاراتكم، ويجب أن يكون جوابكم في هذا المستوى أيضاً”.
وبحسب السيد نصر الله، “يجب تذكّر الذين وقفوا إلى جانب لبنان، أي سوريا وإيران”، مؤكّداً أنّهما “جزء من الحملة الانتخابية اليوم”، مضيفاً أنه “يجب أن نتذكر الذين وقفوا إلى جانب إسرائيل وساندوها، واليوم يتحدثون عن الحرية والاستقلال، وفي مقدمتهم أميركا، وبعض الدول العربية من تحت الطاولة”.
الجيش اللبناني مُنع من المواجهة في معركة الجرود
وتطرّق السيد نصر الله إلى معركة الجرود، مؤكّداً أنّه “لو قُدِّر لمشروع الجماعات الإرهابية أن ينتصر في سوريا، لشكلت هذه الجماعات خطراً على البقاع وكل لبنان”.
وذكر أنّ “الذين دعموا الجماعات الإرهابية كان همهم سقوط الدولة في سوريا، ومحاصرة المقاومة في لبنان”، لافتاً إلى أنّ “الجيش اللبناني مُنع، بموجب قرار سياسي، من مواجهة الجماعات الإرهابية في الجرود”.
وأضاف السيد نصر الله أن “في معركة الجرود هناك مَن منع الجيش من المواجهة. هؤلاء لو كانوا أكثرية في أي حكومة، فلن يجرؤوا يوماً على اتخاذ قرار، ليردّ الجيش اللبناني على أي عـدوان. هؤلاء أرسلوا الوفود وعقدوا المؤتمرات الصحافية” هناك دعماً للمجموعات المسلحة.
لا بدّ من الدولة العادلة والقادرة
وفيما يتعلّق بملف الإنماء في المناطق اللبنانية، قال الأمين العام لحزب الله إنّه “في كل مكان حضرنا فيه بقوة، استطعنا أن نكون فيه أكثر في خدمة الناس”، مضيفاً: “نحن إذا تولّينا مسؤولية وزارة لا نأخذ منها مالاً، بل ننفق فيها مالاً”.
وأوضح، في السياق، أنّه “لا بد من الدولة العادلة والقادرة من أجل معالجة مشاكل المنطقة، وتطويرها في مختلف الملفات التي يواجهها الناس”، واعداً اللبنانيين بمشروع استراتيجي لكل البقاع، و”هو مشروع النفق الذي يصل بيروت بالبقاع”.
وكشف السيد نصر الله أنّ “النفق هو بمثابة اتوستراد داخل النفق، وله فوائد متعددة في اختصار الوقت، وفي النقل، ويعيد مرفأ بيروت إلى موقعه الاستراتيجي في المنطقة”، مصرّحاً أيضاً بمشروع سكك حديدية إلى جانب الأتوستراد ومشاريع أخرى.
وأضاف: “يجب أن يتابَع المشروع من جانب النواب الذين سيمثّلون البقاع في المجلس الجديد، بناءً على ما بدأه وزير الأشغال الحالي، وهو ابن البقاع، من اتصالات بسفارات دول وشركات خاصة، وقد تحدث مع إيطاليين وفرنسيين وصينيين ومصريين وأتراك وإيرانيين”.
وأكّد السيد نصر الله أنّه “سيُبذَل مزيد من الجهود التي تتركز على المشاريع الزراعية وعلى التصريف الزراعي”، مؤكّداً أنّ ذلك “على درجة عالية من الأهمية”.
وأفاد بأنّ “هناك مشروعاً سنعمل عليه جميعاً، هو اللامركزية الإدارية، والعمل في الحكومة والمجلس النيابي الجديد على إنهاء ملف العلاقات اللبنانية السورية”، مشدداً على أنّ “عودة العلاقات الطبيعية بين لبنان وسوريا على المستوى الرسمي سيستفيد منه كل لبنان، وخصوصاً البقاع”.
سلاح المقاومة لم يمنع أحداً من الإصلاح
وبشأن الحملات الانتخابية التي جرت، قال السيد نصر الله “إننا سمعنا، في الحملات الانتخابية، كثيراً من الأمور المضحكة، وشهدنا حالة عجيبة من بث الكراهية والضغينة في لبنان”. ورأى أنّ ذلك “يؤشر على مستوى الخفة والانحطاط، أخلاقياً وفكرياً، عند بعض من يقدّمون أنفسهم قادةً، ويريدون حل الأزمات”.
وتابع أن “أحدهم مسؤول عن اختفاء 11 مليار دولار، وعن السياسات الاقتصادية التي أدت إلى الأزمات الحالية، ويقول إن طريق الإنقاذ يبدأ من تحرير الدولة من حزب الله”.
ووفق السيد نصر الله، فإن “هناك استغباءً للناس، عبر التخويف من حزب الله بطرائق سخيفة”، مؤكّداً أنّ “سلاح المقاومة لم يمنع أحداً من إصلاح الكهرباء وبناء السدود، ولم يقرر السياسات المالية المفجعة خلال العقود الماضية”.
وشدّد على أنّ “واشنطن هي التي ساعدت، مع جماعتها، على تهريب أموال المودعين اللبنانيين إلى الخارج”، مضيفاً أنّ “من شكل لوائحه الانتخابية في السفارة الأميركية فَلْيُطالِبْ واشنطن باسترجاع أموال المودعين اللبنانيين بعد تهريبها”. وأردف أنّ “أميركا هي التي تمنع الاستثمارات في لبنان، وتغطي على السرقات، وتعمل على تجويع اللبنانيين”.
This time around, Palestinians fear that Israel aims at more than just mere provocations. Instead, it plans to “impose a temporal and spatial division of Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
Starting on April 15, the Israeli occupation army and police raided Al-Aqsa Mosque in Occupied East Jerusalem on a daily basis. Under the pretense of providing protection to provocative ‘visits’ by thousands of illegal Israeli Jewish settlers and right-wing fanatics, the Israeli army has wounded hundreds of Palestinians, including journalists, and arrested hundreds more.
Palestinians understand that the current attacks on Al-Aqsa carry deeper political and strategic meanings for Israel than previous raids.
Al-Aqsa has experienced routine raids by Israeli forces under various guises in the past. However, the significance of the Mosque has acquired additional meanings in recent years, especially following the popular Palestinian rebellion, mass protests, clashes, and a war on Gaza last May, which Palestinians tellingly refer to as Saif Al Quds – Operation Sword of Jerusalem.
Historically, Haram Al-Sharif – or the Noble Sanctuary – has been at the heart of popular struggle in Palestine, as well as at the center of Israeli policies. Located in the Old City of Occupied East Jerusalem, the Sanctuary is considered one of the holiest sites for all Muslims. It has a special place in Islam, as it has been mentioned in the Holy Quran and frequently in the Hadith – the Sayings of Prophet Mohammed. The compound contains several historic mosques and 17 gates, along with other important Islamic sites. Al-Aqsa is one of these mosques.
Israeli security forces carry out a Ramadhan raid in the Old City of Jerusalem, April 17, 2022. Mahmoud Illean | AP
But for Palestinians, the significance of Al-Aqsa has gained additional meaning due to the Israeli occupation which, throughout the years, has targeted Palestinian mosques, churches, and other holy sites. For example, during the 2014 Israeli war on the besieged Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs said that 203 mosques were damaged by Israeli bombs, with 73 being completely destroyed.
Therefore, Palestinian Muslims, but also Christians, consider Al-Aqsa, the Sanctuary, and other Muslim and Christian sites in Jerusalem, a red line that must not be crossed by Israel. Generation after generation, they have mobilized to protect the sites though, at times, they could not, including in 1969 when Australian Jewish extremist, Denis Michael Rohan carried out an arson attack in Al-Aqsa.
Even the recent raids on the Mosque were not confined to the bodily harm and mass arrest of worshippers. On April 15, the second Friday of Ramadan, much destruction took place at Al-Aqsa, where the Mosque’s famous stained-glass windows were shattered and furniture inside was left broken.
The raids on the Haram Al-Sharif continue, at the time of writing this article. The Jewish extremists are feeling increasingly empowered by the protection they are receiving from the Israeli military, and the blank check provided to them by influential Israeli politicians. Many of the raids are often led by far-right Israeli Knesset member Itamar Ben-Gvir, Likud politician Yehuda Glick and former government minister Uri Ariel.
Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, is undoubtedly using the raids on Al-Aqsa as a way to keep his often rebellious far-right and religious constituency in line. The sudden resignation on April 6 of Idit Silman, a member of the Yamina right-wing party, left Bennett even more desperate in his attempt to breathe life in his fractious coalition. Once a leader of the Yesha Council, an umbrella organization of West Bank illegal settlements, Bennett rose to power on the back of religious zealots, whether in Israel or in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Losing the support of settlers could simply cost him his post.
Bennett’s behavior is consistent with those of previous Israeli leaders, who have escalated violence in Al-Aqsa as a way to distract from their own political woes, or to appeal to Israel’s powerful constituency of right-wing and religious extremists. In September 2000, then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon raided the Mosque with thousands of Israeli soldiers, police, and like-minded extremists. He did so to provoke a Palestinian response, and to topple the government of his archenemy Ehud Barak. Sharon succeeded, but at a high price, as his ‘visit’ unleashed the five-year-long Second Palestinian Intifada, also known as Al-Aqsa Intifada.
In 2017, thousands of Palestinians protested an Israeli attempt at installing ‘security cameras’ at the entrances of the holy shrine. The measure was also an attempt by former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to appease his right-wing supporters. But the mass protests in Jerusalem and the subsequent Palestinian unity at the time forced Israel to cancel its plans.
This time around, however, Palestinians fear that Israel aims at more than just mere provocations. Israel plans to “impose a temporal and spatial division of Al-Aqsa Mosque”, according to Adnan Ghaith, the Palestinian Authority’s top representative in East Jerusalem. This particular phrase, ‘temporal and spatial division’, is also used by many Palestinians, as they fear a repeat of the Ibrahimi Mosque scenario.
Following the killing of 29 worshippers in 1994 at the hands of an Israeli Jewish extremist, Baruch Goldstein, and the subsequent killing of many more Palestinians by the Israeli army at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron (Al-Khalil), Israel partitioned the mosque. It allocated a larger space to the Jewish settlers while restricting access to Palestinians, who are allowed to pray at certain times and barred at others. This is precisely what Palestinians mean by temporal and spatial division, which has been at the heart of Israeli strategy for many years.
Prayer mats covered in blood at the Ibrahimi mosque in the aftermath of the massacre carried out by Jewish settler Baruch Goldstein, February 25, 1994. (Photo: Al-Khalil)
Bennett, however, must tread carefully. Palestinians today are more united in their resistance and awareness of the Israeli designs than at any other time in the past. An important component of this unity is the Palestinian Arab population in historic Palestine, who are now championing a similar political discourse as that of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. In fact, many of the defenders of Al-Aqsa come from these very communities. If Israel continues with its provocations in Al-Aqsa, it risks another Palestinian revolt as that of May, which tellingly started in East Jerusalem.
Appealing to right-wing voters by attacking, humiliating, and provoking Palestinians is no longer an easy task, as was often the case. As the ‘Sword of Jerusalem’ has taught us, Palestinians are now capable of responding in a unified fashion and, despite their limited means, even putting pressure on Israel to reverse its policies. Bennett must remember this before carrying out any more violent provocations.
Feature photo | A protester uses a slingshot against Israeli security forces in Burqa, north of Nablus, April 19, 2022. Nasser Nasser | AP
Dr. Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of six books. His latest book, co-edited with Ilan Pappé, is “Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak out”. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect MintPress News editorial policy.
أظهر الإمام الخميني بعد نجاح الثورة الإسلامية في إيران في العام 1979 انّ هذه الثورة ليست لإيران وحدها بل إنها ثورة من اجل حقوق الأمة الإسلامية ومن أجل حقوق المظلومين والمضطهدين في العالم. وبصيغة أخرى هي ثورة من اجل نشر الحرية وتأكيد سيادة الحق في العالم. ومن هذا المنطلق أطلق في مواجهة الكيان الصهيوني جملة من المواقف تلتقي جميعها على هدف واحد هو وجوب إزالة هذا الكيان، لأنه قائم على الظلم والطغيان وسلب حقوق الآخرين.
وفي سياق المواقف الإيرانية في ظلّ الثورة، من هذا الكيان، كانت عملية إغلاق السفارة «الإسرائيلية» في طهران وتسليم مبناها للفلسطينيين ليكون مقراً لسفارة فلسطين التي يجب أن تقوم دولتها على كامل أراضيها المغتصبة من قبل الكيان منذ العام 1948 وكان أيضاً إطلاق يوم القدس العالمي الذي حدّد موعده في يوم الجمعة الأخير من رمضان من كلّ عام وتكون فيه دعوة للمسلمين وللعالم أجمع للتوقف عند مأساة اغتصاب القدس والعمل على إنهائها.
وفي تحليل للإعلان الأخير هذا نجد أنه في جوهره يتعدّى الشأن السياسي الإعلامي الاحتفالي ليصل الى المفهوم الاستراتيجي العميق للمسألة في ما يفرز رزمة من المعاني والرؤى تبدأ بوضع عنوان صارخ جامع للقضية الفلسطينية هو القدس التي تحرّك إثارتها المسلم والمسيحي على حدّ سواء نظراً لما فيها من رمزية دينية وما تحتويه من أماكن مقدسة تخصهم، رمزية ومحتوى تمكن إثارتها من التأكيد علي الظلم الواقع وعلى وجوب فرض نهاية له. فإحياء يوم القدس العالمي الذي دعا إليه الإمام الخميني يعني بكلّ بساطة رفضاً للجريمة وتذكيراً بوقوعها واستمرارها وإنكاراً لأيّ قبول او تسليم بها عملاً وتحشيداً لوضع حدّ لها وإنتاجاً لبيئة عدم استقرار عالمي مع استمرارها وأخيراً ومع موجة التطبيع التي احدثتها اتفاقات ابراهام مع العدو الصهيوني فإنّ ليوم القدس في هذا الوقت بالذات أهمية خاصة من حيث الفرز الذي يحدثه بين معسكرين، معسكر نصرة الحق الذي يحتضن فلسطين ويحمل قضيتها ومعسكر التطبيع الذي يعمل بالباطل الذي تقوم «إسرائيل» عليه.
بيد انّ هذا الإعلان الذي بدأت الاستجابة له خجولة يوم أطلق ومقتصرة على دولتين او ثلاث وبعض الأحزاب الحديثة النشأة بات اليوم يظهر في شكل مختلف وبات بالفعل يوماً عالمياً يحتفل به ويشارك في فعالياته تمهيداً او في يومه بالذات، مكونات متعددة من دول وأحزاب لا تقتصر على محور المقاومة بل وتتعداه الى دول وشعوب أخرى خارج منطقة غربي آسيا والشرق الأوسط، ثم انّ هذا الإعلان وفي هذا العام ومع ما آل اليه العالم من المستجدات والمعادلات يؤكد أهمية اعتماده قبل أربعة عقود ويثبت بأنّ فكرة إنهاء الكيان الصهيوني المؤقت ليست وهماً وطموحاً من غير أساس بل انها مبنية على ما يبرّرها ويؤكد وقوعها بشكل أكيد.
ففي العام المنصرم استطاعت المقاومة الفلسطينية القائمة في غزة ان تفرض معادلة دفاع عن القدس لم تكن تخطر ببال الصهاينة، معادلة فاجأت العدو الصهيوني بمضمونها وبمفاعليها، حيث إنها قامت على فكرة ان «القدس تحمى من داخلها ومن خارجها». وهذا هو المضمون الحقيقي لأهداف عملية سيف القدس التي ترجمت ناراً تنطلق من غزة لتحمي حي الشيخ جراح في القدس وتمنع تهويده وتثبت أهاليه فيه، وقد رضخ العدو الصهيوني للمعادلة تلك والتي أعيد التذكير بها في الأسابيع الأخيرة من شهر رمضان الحالي حيث ان مجرد التلويح بها كان كافيا ليدفع العدو الصهيوني الى وقف الاستفزاز حول الأقصى ويمنع مسيرة الأعلام التلمودية إليه وبعده في كنيسة القيامة يوم سبت النور.
وبعد سيف القدس كان بالغ الأهمية الموقف والدعوة التي وجهها السيد حسن نصرالله في ٢٥ أيار ٢٠٢١ لإرساء معادلة جديدة في مواجهة العدو مضمونها انّ «المسّ بالقدس يعني حرباً إقليمية شاملة»، ونحن نرى أنّ هذه الدعوة ـ الإعلان تشكل ترجمة استراتيجية وميدانية للهدف من إعلان يوم القدس العالمي أساساً، وفيها اعتبار مسؤولية الدفاع عن القدس لا تقع حصراً على المقدسيين او الفلسطينيين او العرب او المسلمين او المسيحيين، بل انها مسؤولية المنطقة بكاملها وان على شعوبها ان تسعى الى أمنها واستقرارها وازدهارها بإخراج العامل المنتهك لحقوقها منها وذلك باقتلاع الغدة السرطانية المسماة «إسرائيل».
انّ ما أحدثته عملية سيف القدس ٢٠٢١ من مفاعيل وما ترمي اليه الدعوة الى إرساء معادلة الحرب الإقليمية الشاملة دفاعاً عن القدس وما ترمز اليه وما تخفيه في ثنايا قضيتها من شأنه أن يجهز على استراتيجية إسرائيلية ثابتة اعتمدتها «إسرائيل» منذ اغتصابها لفلسطين، استراتيجية تقوم على التفتيت والتجزئة والاستفراد وقضم حقوق الأخيرين لقمة لقمة دون السماح لهم بالتوحد او العمل الجماعي لمشترك ضدّها.
وعملاً بهذه القاعدة الصهيونية رفضت «إسرائيل» في العام ١٩٤٨ التفاوض مع وفد عربي مشترك لتوقيع الهدنة وأصرّت على توقيع الهدنة ثنائياً مع كلّ دولة عربية بمفردها وكررت السلوك في مؤتمر مدريد في العام ١٩٩٢. اما في عقيدتها العسكرية فإنها تعتمد مبدأ «العمل على جبهة واحدة وتثبيت الجبهات الأخرى»، كل ذلك لأنها تخشى من وحدة موقف الأعداء ضدها وقد اختبرت عقيدتها اكثر من مرة ونجحت وكانت حرب الـ ١٩٧٣ الاختبار الساطع حيث إن العرب فتحوا جبهتي الشمال والجنوب معاً في الجولان وسيناء فانهزمت «إسرائيل»، ولكن عندما توقفت جبهة الجنوب عوّضت «إسرائيل» هزيمتها في الشمال.
وعملاً بهذا الشأن نجد منطقياً القول بانّ نهاية «إسرائيل» تقترب مع اعتماد اعدائها لاستراتيجية العمل الجماعي المنسق ومنطق واستراتيجية الحرب الشاملة، شمولاً في الجبهات ما يفرض العمل على جبهات متعددة في الداخل الفلسطيني وعلى الحدود مع الجوار وشمولاً في الأطراف المشاركة ما يمنع «إسرائيل» من استفراد أي طرف منها مهما كان حجمه القتالي وشمولاً بأساليب القتال بين حرب من الجيل الثالث أو الرابع أو الخامس.
وبهذا يكون في مضامين يوم القدس العالمي الدعوة للإعداد للحرب الشاملة تلك وتحشيد الطاقات للانخراط بها من اليمن في الجنوب الى لبنان وسورية في الشمال والى العراق وإيران في الشرق ويبقى العامل والمكوّن الفلسطيني هو الجوهر والمحور والأساس في المواجهة في هذه الحرب الشاملة التي اطلق الدعوة لاعتمادها وإرساء معادلتها السيد حسن نصرالله.
وأخيراً لا بد من الإشارة الي انّ إنهاء «إسرائيل» قد لا يستلزم خوض الحرب فعلياً، وقد يكتفى بالإعداد لهذه الحرب والاستعداد لخوضها بشكل جدّي وفاعل ما يحمل العدو على الانهيار الإدراكي والهروب من المواجهة حتى قبل ان تبدأ. والمهمّ أولاً وقبل كلّ شيء اعتناق عقيدة العمل الجماعي المشترك والموحد في مواجهة نظرية التجزئة والاستفراد التي تعتمدها «إسرائيل» وستكون النتائج إيجابية لمصلحة حقّ الأمة في فلسطين من غير شكّ او تردّد.
Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of six books. His latest book, co-edited with Ilan Pappé, is “Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak out”. Dr. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA). His website iswww.ramzybaroud.net
Starting on April 15, the Israeli occupation army and police raided Al-Aqsa Mosque in Occupied East Jerusalem on a daily basis. Under the pretense of providing protection to provocative ‘visits’ by thousands of illegal Israeli Jewish settlers and rightwing fanatics, the Israeli army has wounded hundreds of Palestinians, including journalists, and arrested hundreds more.
Palestinians understand that the current attacks on Al-Aqsa carry deeper political and strategic meanings for Israel than previous raids.
Al-Aqsa has experienced routine raids by Israeli forces under various guises in the past. However, the significance of the Mosque has acquired additional meanings in recent years, especially following the popular Palestinian rebellion, mass protests, clashes and a war on Gaza last May, which Palestinians tellingly refer to as Saif Al Quds – Operation Sword of Jerusalem.
Historically, Haram Al-Sharif – or the Noble Sanctuary – has been at the heart of popular struggle in Palestine, as well as at the center of Israeli policies. Located in the Old City of Occupied East Jerusalem, the Sanctuary is considered one of the holiest sites for all Muslims. It has a special place in Islam, as it has been mentioned in the Holy Quran and frequently in the Hadith – the Sayings of Prophet Mohammed. The compound contains several historic mosques and 17 gates, along with other important Islamic sites. Al-Aqsa is one of these mosques.
But for Palestinians, the significance of Al-Aqsa has gained additional meaning due to the Israeli occupation which, throughout the years, has targeted Palestinian mosques, churches and other holy sites. For example, during the 2014 Israeli war on the besieged Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs said that 203 mosques were damaged by Israeli bombs, with 73 being completely destroyed.
Therefore, Palestinian Muslims, but also Christians, consider Al-Aqsa, the Sanctuary and other Muslim and Christian sites in Jerusalem, a red line that must not be crossed by Israel. Generation after generation, they have mobilized to protect the sites though, at times, they could not, including in 1969 when Australian Jewish extremist, Denis Michael Rohan carried out an arson attack in Al-Aqsa.
Even the recent raids on the Mosque were not confined to the bodily harm and mass arrest of worshippers. On April 15, the second Friday of Ramadan, much destruction took place at Al-Aqsa, where the Mosque’s famous stained-glass windows were shattered and furniture inside was left broken.
The raids on the Haram Al-Sharif continue, at the time of writing of this article. The Jewish extremists are feeling increasingly empowered by the protection they are receiving from the Israeli military, and the blank check provided to them by influential Israeli politicians. Many of the raids are often led by far-right Israeli Knesset member Itamar Ben-Gvir, Likud politician Yehuda Glick and former government minister Uri Ariel.
Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, is undoubtedly using the raids on Al-Aqsa as a way to keep his often rebellious far-right and religious constituency in line. The sudden resignation on April 6 of Idit Silman, a member of the Yamina right-wing party, left Bennett even more desperate in his attempt to breathe life in his fractious coalition. Once a leader of the Yesha Council, an umbrella organization of West Bank illegal settlements, Bennett rose to power on the back of religious zealots, whether in Israel or in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Losing support of the settlers could simply cost him his post.
Bennett’s behavior is consistent with those of previous Israeli leaders, who have escalated violence in Al-Aqsa as a way to distract from their own political woes, or to appeal to Israel’s powerful constituency of rightwing and religious extremists. In September 2000, then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon raided the Mosque with thousands of Israeli soldiers, police and like-minded extremists. He did so to provoke a Palestinian response, and to topple the government of his archenemy Ehud Barak. Sharon succeeded, but at a high price, as his ‘visit’ unleashed the five-year-long Second Palestinian Intifada, also known as Al-Aqsa Intifada.
In 2017, thousands of Palestinians protested an Israeli attempt at installing ‘security cameras’ at the entrances of the holy shrine. The measure was also an attempt by former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to appease his right-wing supporters. But the mass protests in Jerusalem and the subsequent Palestinian unity at the time forced Israel to cancel its plans.
This time around, however, Palestinians fear that Israel aims at more than just mere provocations. Israel plans to “impose a temporal and spatial division of Al-Aqsa Mosque”, according to Adnan Ghaith, the Palestinian Authority’s top representative in East Jerusalem. This particular phrase, ‘temporal and spatial division’, is also used by many Palestinians, as they fear a repeat of the Ibrahimi Mosque scenario.
Following the killing of 29 worshippers in 1994 at the hands of an Israeli Jewish extremist, Baruch Goldstein, and the subsequent killing of many more Palestinians by the Israeli army at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron (Al-Khalil), Israel partitioned the mosque. It allocated a larger space to the Jewish settlers while restricting access to Palestinians, who are allowed to pray at certain times and barred at others. This is precisely what Palestinians mean by temporal and spatial division, which has been at the heart of Israeli strategy for many years.
Bennett, however, must tread carefully. Palestinians today are more united in their resistance and awareness of the Israeli designs than at any other time in the past. An important component of this unity is the Palestinian Arab population in historic Palestine, who are now championing a similar political discourse as that of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In fact, many of the defenders of Al-Aqsa come from these very communities. If Israel continues with its provocations in Al-Aqsa, it risks another Palestinian revolt as that of May, which tellingly started in East Jerusalem.
Appealing to rightwing voters by attacking, humiliating and provoking Palestinians is no longer an easy task, as was often the case. As the ‘Sword of Jerusalem’ has taught us, Palestinians are now capable of responding in a unified fashion and, despite their limited means, even putting pressure on Israel to reverse its policies. Bennett must remember this before carrying out any more violent provocations.
تحوّل نوعي في الصراع يتحقق على أرض فلسطين المحتلة لم يسبق ان حصل منذ نشأة الكيان الغاصب وتماديه في عدوانه وارتكاب جرائمه وتغوّله في تهويد الأرض والمقدسات.. هذا التحوّل النوعي تجلى في نجاح مقاومة الشعب الفلسطيني في إعادة تثبيت معادلة «سيف القدس» مرة ثانية، وهي المعادلة التي حمت المقدسيين في حي الشيخ جراح في المرة الأولى، واليوم تحمي باب العمود والمسجد الأقصى من اعتداءات وتهويد الصهاينة المحتلين.. هذه المعادلة قوامها العناصر التالية:
العنصر الاول، هبّة أبناء فلسطين للدفاع عن الأقصى من هجمات واعتداءات قوات الاحتلال والمستوطنين الصهاينة الذين يحاولون تكرار ما حصل في الحرم الابراهيمي في الخليل من تقسيم زماني ومكاني جديد في المسجد الأقصى في سياق مخططهم التهويدي وإعادة بناء ما يُسمّى بهيكل سليمان.. غير انّ مقاومة الشعب الفلسطيني حالت دون تمكن المستوطنين من تحقيق هدفهم بفرض التقسيم المكاني والزماني في الأقصى، كما أجبرت حكومة العدو على منع مسيرة الأعلام التي نظمها المستوطنون برئاسة النائب الصهيوني المتطرف ايتمار بن غفير، من الوصول إلى باب العمود، خوفاً من تفجّر المواجهات على نطاق واسع.. حيث قرّر رئيس وزراء العدو نفتالي بينيت منع بن غفير من الوصول إلى باب العمود، وقال: «لا أنوي السماح لسياسة صغيرة بتعريض حياة البشر للخطر.. لن أسمح لاستفزاز سياسي بتعريض جنود الجيش وأفراد الشرطة لخطر وجعل مهمتهم أصعب.. نحن في مرحلة خطيرة قابلة للانفجار وهناك الكثير من المناسبات القريبة التي تستدعي البقاء في حالة تأهّب».
العنصر الثاني، تحرك أبناء الشعب الفلسطيني في كلّ أماكن تواجده في فلسطين المحتلة والشتات نصرة للأقصى والمدافعين عنه، حيث اندلعت المواجهات مع قوات الاحتلال في مدن وبلدات ومخيمات الضفة الغربية المحتلة، الى جانب بعض الهجمات المسلحة مع جنود العدو، فيما نظمت التظاهرات والاعتصامات في قطاع غزة والشتات، مما حال دون تمكن الاحتلال والمستوطنين من الاستفراد بالمقدسيين ومناصريهم من المناطق المحتلة عام 1948، وزاد من قلق القادة الصهاينة من احتمال تطور الأوضاع إلى اندلاع انتفاضة فلسطينية في حال جرى السماح للمستوطنين في التمادي في مخططهم التهويدي في الأقصى وباب العمود…
العنصر الثالث، استنفار فصائل المقاومة الفلسطينية في قطاع غزة واستحضارها لمعادلة «سيف القدس» مرة ثانية في حالة تجاوز الاحتلال والمستوطنين الخطوط الحمراء الفلسطينية، المتمثلة بحماية المسجد الأقصى وعروبة القدس من التهويد… وقد تبع ذلك تسخين بالنار لجبهة المواجهة بين قطاع غزة ومستوطنات غلاف غزة.. مما أشعر العدو بأنّ الوضع لا يحتمل المناورة، فتحرّكت الوساطات الدبلوماسية لتهدئة الوضع وحضر وفد أميركي إلى فلسطين المحتلة لهذه الغاية، وهو أمر يؤشر إلى حاجة حكومة العدو إلى التهدئة وإيجاد مخارج لتراجعها عن التصعيد.. إلى جانب الخشية الأميركية من ازدياد التوتر واحتمالات التصعيد في المنطقة وخروج الوضع عن السيطرة والذهاب إلى مواجهة أوسع، حسب ما ذكرت مصادر «إسرائيلية» لصحيفة «معاريف»…
ماذا يعني هذا التراجع الصهيوني عن الذهاب إلى مواجهة واسعة مع الشعب الفلسطيني ومقاومته؟
انّ هذا التراجع الصهيوني يعني الأمور التالية:
اولاً، انّ كيان العدو بات يعاني من مأزق نابع من انسداد الآفاق أمامه لأيّ مواجهة واسعة على غرار المواجهة الأخيرة التي أنتجت معادلة «سيف القدس» الردعية.. وهذا الانسداد في الآفاق إنما يعود إلى سببين:
السبب الاول، أنّ ايّ تصعيد في المواجهة لن يفضي إلى أي نتيجة أفضل من النتائج التي أفضت إليها المواجهات السابقة، بل ستقود إلى مزيد من تآكل قوة الردع لجيش الاحتلال على أرض فلسطين المحتلة، وبالتالي تعزيز القناعة لدى الشعب الفلسطيني ومقاومته بالقدرة على تحقيق المزيد من الإذنجازات مما يصبّ في تعزيز خيار الصمود والمقاومة.
السبب الثاني، أنّ حكومة العدو لا رؤية لديها للذهاب إلى حلّ سياسي على قاعدة حلّ الدولتين، مما يبقي الوضع متوتراً وقابلاً للانفجار لأنّ الشعب الفلسطيني لن يرضى الاستكانة والقبول بالأمر الواقع الصهيوني…
ثانياً، وحدة الشعب الفلسطيني في كلّ أماكن تواجده في داخل فلسطين المحتلة وخارجها في مواجهة العدوان الصهيوني، حيث بات يصعب على الاحتلال اللعب على التناقضات الفلسطينية في ظلّ تماديه في اعتداءاته وجرائمه.. هذه الوحدة تجسّدت في معركة «سيف القدس» الأولى وتتجسّد اليوم في مواجهات الأقصى وقبلها في مخيم جنين، حتى أصبحت سلاحاً من أسلحة المقاومة… وسبباً في الصمود وتحقيق النصر ..
ثالثاً، وحدة فصائل المقاومة في غرفة عمليات مشتركة في اي مواجهة مع الاحتلال، باتت أيضا عنصرا من عناصر القوة الفلسطينية.. والتي تستدعي بالطبع المزيد من الارتقاء والتعزيز من خلال وضع استراتيجية متكاملة للنضال الوطني الفلسطيني.
هذه العوامل التي أجبرت العدو على عدم الذهاب إلى مواجهة واسعة، وألزمته بلجم المستوطنين ومنعهم من التمادي في اعتداءاتهم تجنباً لخروج الأمور عن السيطرة وانفجار واسع النطاق.. تؤشر إلى أنّ مقاومة الشعب الفلسطيني ووحدته في مواجهة الاحتلال نجحت في تحقيق تحوّل نوعي في الصراع مع كيان الاحتلال تجلى في تكريس قواعد جديدة لهذا الصراع على أرض فلسطين المحتلة، وهو الأمر الذي فاقم من مأزق كيان العدو الصهيوني…
The Friday prayers on the third week of the holy month of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied city of al-Quds were sandwiched by ‘Israeli’ police attacks on Palestinians worshippers.
This, however, did not stop some 150,000 Palestinians travelling to the mosque to worship, according to the occupied al-Quds’ Islamic Waqf [endowment] society.
Also on Friday, in yet another challenge to the ‘Israeli’ occupation forces, a Palestinian youth raised the Palestinian flag on the Dome of the Rock, something that didn’t happen in the holy site over the past twenty years.
Local media reported that the youth raised the Palestinian flag on the Dome of the Rock Mosque in the holy al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Friday night, where masses of male and female worshippers were encouraging him to do so, as ‘Israeli’ occupation forces were looking.
Everything happened after ‘Israeli’ occupation forces raided the holy mosque on Friday after dawn prayers, injuring at least 31 Palestinians, including one paramedic and three journalists, with rubber-coated bullets, stun grenades and tear gas.
Tear gas was also fired after Friday prayers, hitting Palestinians worshipping at the Dome of the Rock Mosque.
Settler incursions under police protection during the past week during the so-called Jewish festival of ‘Passover’ had led to daily confrontations with Palestinians at the mosque, with many injured and arrested.
The Zionist occupation’s military forces raided the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied Old City of al-Quds as worshipers gathered for dawn prayers, with medics reporting that more than forty Palestinians were injured as a result of the ‘Israeli’ violence.
Local sources reported that the Zionist troops entered in force before dawn on Friday, as thousands of worshippers gathered at the mosque for early morning prayers.
Additionally, the ‘Israeli’ soldiers fired tear gas and stun grenades as worshippers barricaded themselves inside the mosque amid what appeared to be clouds of tear gas.
Palestinian media said at least 43 Palestinians were injured in the raid, at least among them one paramedic and one photojournalists were seen bleeding.
The development comes a day after as many as 30 Palestinians sustained injuries due to the continued ‘Israeli’ violent attacks against worshippers at the holy al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied al-Quds.
The occupation regime’s forces attacked the Palestinian worshipers, who had gathered for dawn prayers at the compound on Thursday.
“One person was transferred to hospital with a rubber bullet [wound] to his back,” medical sources were quoted as saying.
The ‘Israeli’ troops used rubber bullets, tear gas canisters, stun grenades, and pepper spray against the worshippers, who have been braving increasing aggression ordered by the ‘Israeli’ regime since the beginning of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Palestinians returned the violence by throwing stones and Molotov cocktails.
In their most serious bout of aggression against the Palestinians during Ramadan, ‘Israeli’ occupation forces injured more than 150 worshipers at the compound last Saturday.
Meanwhile, a young Palestinian man has succumbed to wounds he suffered days earlier after dozens of ‘Israeli’ military forces engaged in confrontations with a group of Palestinian demonstrators in the northern part of the occupied West Bank and fired live rounds to suppress the protest.
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa, citing medical sources, reported that 20-year-old Lutfi Ibrahim Labadi, a resident of the town of al-Yamun, was martyred due to serious injuries he sustained earlier in the day.
In the same respect, a spokesman for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement said the group has learned how to deal with the ‘Israeli’ occupation regime, which only understands the language of force.
“Resistance groups, while increasing their readiness, are following up on the developments in the occupied West Bank and al-Quds and will not remain indifferent to the crimes of the occupiers,” Tariq Salmi said.
Salmi added, “Palestinian resistance forces are constantly improving their military capabilities as they are determined to thwart the objectives and policies of the Zionist regime.”
“‘Israeli’ occupation is the red line to the Palestinian people. Muslim nations and resistance groups will fight on until the menace is completely eradicated, and Palestinians’ historical rights are restored,” he said.
“The enemy’s threats will not stop [Palestinian] resistance groups from treading the path of struggle and martyrdom as they confront the policies of the occupiers. Such threats are a sign of the helplessness of the Zionist regime in the face of the Palestinian nation,” the spokesman added.
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Beirut – With Palestinians marking the holy month of Ramadan, tensions rise in al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied al-Qud’s [Jerusalem], as “Israeli” soldiers raided the holy site in a barbaric attitude against peaceful Palestinians who were performing daily prayers.
Nothing is worse than the scene of an occupying soldier hammering a Palestinian man with a baton in front of his son. As the father was trying to hide the pain, the son had to run away with a terrible memory engraved in his mind.
Zionist soldiers arrested dozens of worshipers, targeting young men and women. The elderly were not spared; they were stone-heartedly beaten. As a result, more than 400 Palestinians had been arrested and 152 others injured during the raids.
Though, Palestinians have not been sitting lazily. They have launched several lone-wolf operations against the “Israeli” occupation regime, army and police.
On the other hand, resistance groups in Gaza delivered stern warnings to the “Israeli” entity and called for general mobilization against the violence on al-Aqsa.
To turn words into actions, the Palestinian resistance on Monday [April 18] fired several rockets on “Israeli” settlements from Gaza. The “Israeli” Occupation Forces [IOF] responded by launching several raids targeting the strip.
A new deterrence equation
The latest development in the Palestinian arena between the “Israeli” entity and the resistance groups was a game changer.
To begin with, it was the Palestinian resistance who took the first step in the confrontation. They launched a rocket attack in response to the entity’s crimes at the al-Aqsa Mosque. It is worth mentioning that this measure on behalf of the Palestinian side was first of its kind in the sense that it is usually the IOF who always strikes first.
Secondly, the most recent twist to the long-standing narrative is the Resistance’s response to the “Israeli” raids on the Gaza Strip. It was the first Palestinian military response of its kind to take place. The resistance groups used the newly released “Strela-2” air defense system to target an “Israeli” aircraft, revealing a new deterrence equation with the Zionist entity. This is a huge turning point in the “Israeli”-Palestinian battle as the most effective weapon in the hands of the entity will be at high risk of failure to deter Palestinian missiles.
Accordingly, the Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in the Muslim world. Any escalation from the “Israeli” regime against the Holy Mosque might lead to a new level of response from the resistance groups in Gaza, and maybe it will lead to a scenario where the whole Axis of Resistance be present in a battle that will change the face of history.
During their long-lasting battle with the “Israeli” apartheid entity, Palestinians have always assured that the Zionist regime may countlessly trespass al-Aqsa Mosque, but this will never stop them from working to achieve a belief that someday the Holy Mosque will be liberated from its oppressors.
Israeli settlers continue to storm Al-Aqsa courtyards as part of their celebration of Passover, amid heavy deployment of Israeli occupation forces.
Israeli forces brutally assaulted a Palestinian man in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Mosque on 17 April 2022 (Mahmoud Moutan)
Israeli settlers, backed by heavily armed Israeli occupation forces, entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards in occupied Al-Quds, making provocative tours for the third day in a row.
Earlier, the Israeli occupation police forced Palestinian worshipers out of the mosque’s courtyards, before they began facilitating the entry of groups of settlers.
Furthermore, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have also increased restrictions at the gates leading to Al-Aqsa, barring worshippers from entering the mosque.
Al Mayadeen correspondent reported that IOF fired gas grenades on Palestinians in Al-Qibli prayer hall, Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Several unarmed Palestinian worshippers including women are trapped Inside Al Qibli prayer hall to facilitate Israeli settlers to invade Al Aqsa Mosque.[r] pic.twitter.com/vqyLOYelUC
On its part, Hamas reiterated that the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque was and will remain purely Islamic, and the usurping occupier will have no place in it, and his illusions will be shattered by the steadfastness and resilience of the Palestinian people.
The Palestinian resistance movement has also assured that the occupation’s plans to impose the temporal and geographical division of Al-Aqsa Mosque by allowing repeated settlers’ storming into its courtyards and violently assaulting peaceful worshipers will fail.
Thousands of Palestinians from various occupied lands have risen up, since dawn last Friday, against the occupation, which seeks to secure protection for settler groups to slaughter sacrifices at Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Passover holiday.
This act is considered a desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam.
‘Israeli’ occupation forces have stormed the holy al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied Old City of al-Quds, injuring scores of worshipers and arresting dozens of them in stepped-up violence in the fasting holy month of Ramadan.
The violence broke out at dawn on Friday when the occupation forces raided the al-Aqsa Mosque through the Moroccan Gate, also known as the Mughrabi Gate, firing sound bombs and rubber bullets at the worshipers randomly.
“Violent confrontations erupted between the occupation forces and hundreds of young men who were deployed in the al-Aqsa courtyards,” Maan news agency said, adding that the ‘Israeli’ forces were obstructing the work of ambulances that reach the mosque’s entry gates.
Media reports said the occupation forces also attacked paramedics and press crews, chased them in the courtyards of the al-Aqsa Mosque, and beat a number of them.
Most recently, the Palestine Red Crescent Society [PRSC] reported at least 152 injuries among fasting Palestinians who had been transferred to hospitals in the occupied al-Quds as a result of the raid.
Additionally, Director of the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque, Omar Al-Kiswani reported that the ‘Israeli’ occupation forces have detained around 80 worshippers from inside the southern prayer hall in the mosque, warning that the situation in Al-Aqsa is dangerous, and affirming that Friday prayers will be held whatever the cost is.
Al-Ahed sources later confirmed that the brutal attack left around 400 detainees, and the “Israeli” occupation forces withdrew from Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Zionist occupation regime has stepped up its deadly acts of aggression across Palestinian territories since the beginning of Ramadan, as a result of which Palestinians put up a stronger resistance to counter the aggression.
Some two dozen Palestinians have been martyred by ‘Israeli’ fire since March 22, while Zionist Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has already given the ‘Israeli’ occupation forces a free hand to “defeat” what he called “terror” in the West Bank.
The Islamic resistance movement Hamas has strongly condemned the recent killings across the occupied West Bank, stating that they exposed the appalling nature of the Tel Aviv regime.
The confrontations on Friday broke out just hours after another Palestinian was martyred by the occupation regime’s forces in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.
Palestine’s official Wafa news agency said 17-year-old Palestinian, Shawkat Kamal Abed, succumbed to his wounds a day after he was shot during an attack conducted by ‘Israeli’ forces in Kafr Dan village, northwest of Jenin.
The Palestinian teenager was transferred to Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin for treatment before he succumbed to his wounds.
Announcing the martyrdom of Kamal Abed, the Palestinian Health Ministry said the latest fatality brought to seven the number of Palestinians martyred across the occupied territory in less than 48 hours.
Fawaz Hamayel, from the town of Beita in the south of Nablus, succumbed to gunshot wounds by the ‘Israeli’ occupation forces on Wednesday. Shas Kammaji, the brother of the Palestinian prisoner Ayham Kammaji, was martyred in confrontations in the town of Kafr Dan, west of Jenin, and Mustafa Faisal Abu al-Rub was fatally shot by ‘Israeli’ soldiers at the western entrance to Jenin.
Tensions have escalated in the occupied territories since last Thursday when Palestinians launched a retaliatory operation in the heart of the ‘Israeli’ occupied territories, in Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv, as part of their resistance to the intensified ‘Israeli’ crackdown. Since then, ‘Israeli’ occupation forces have been carrying out raids in different towns, especially in Jenin.
The heroic operation was carried out when a Palestinian youth, identified as Raad Fathi Hazem, entered a pub on a crowded main street in Tel Aviv and began firing his weapon.
The 28-year-old, a resident of the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, was later martyred by ‘Israeli’ forces in a pre-dawn firefight near a mosque on the first Friday of Ramadan.
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A new Palestinian has fallen; Shawkat Kamal Abed was martyred following the injuries he sustained in Jenin yesterday.
Palestinian civilians confronting occupation forces in Al-Aqsa Mosque
Israeli occupation forces violently stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque at dawn on Friday, emptying it of worshippers.
According to Al Mayadeen‘s correspondent, occupation forces fired sound grenades, teargas, and rubber-coated metal bullets at worshippers, injuring a number of them.
Our correspondent added that “occupation forces pursued the worshippers, assaulting them, and evacuated most of them from Al-Aqsa’s courtyards, shutting all gateways there, except for Bab Huta.”
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, 59 injuries have so far been transported to Al-Quds hospitals amid confrontations between Palestinians and occupation forces in Al-Aqsa, adding that reporters and medics are among those injured and that most injuries were in the upper parts of the body.
Al Mayadeen‘s correspondent stressed that occupation forces were obstructing the work of ambulances arriving at Bab Al-Asbat.
Palestinian factions call for a popular march
Palestinian Resistance factions in Gaza called for a popular march after today’s Friday prayers in support of Al-Quds and the West Bank.
Palestinian factions in Gaza had announced on Thursday a general mobilization in all places where the Palestinian people are present, inside Palestine or in the diaspora. The factions declared in a statement that they have decided to keep the joint operations room open in order to pursue developments and make the necessary decisions, stressing the factions’ unity against the occupation and aggression.
A new martyr in Jenin
The Palestinian Health Ministry announced this morning the martyrdom of Shawkat Kamal Abed due to injuries he sustained in Jenin yesterday. 35 other Palestinians were asphyxiated from inhaling gas during their confrontations with Israeli occupation forces in Beita, south of Nablus.
صورة الشاب شوكت كمال عابد الذي ارتقى فجر اليوم متأثرًا بإصابته برصاص جيش الاحتلال خلال مواجهات يوم أمس في بلدة كفردان شمال غرب جنين". pic.twitter.com/uM2yVLGQqd
Al Mayadeen‘s correspondent had reported yesterday that two martyrs fell by Israeli occupation fire after the IOF stormed a town near Jenin: Martyr Shas Kamamji, the brother of prisoner Ayham Kamamji, and martyr Mostafa Abou Al-Rab.
This is Palestinian Shas Kammaji, the brother of Ayham Kammaji [who escaped from Gilboa jail] — israeli troops just shot him dead in #Jeninpic.twitter.com/0zRvmOkrNs
Can Israel be pressured? Or is Tel Aviv the only exception to the global political order in which every country, big or small, is subjected to pressures and subsequent change in attitude and behavior?
Several events, in recent days, bring the question of Israel’s legal and moral accountability to the fore. On February 21, Israel’s Nature and Park Authority decided to withdraw a plan which aimed at illegally seizing church-owned lands in the Mount of Olives in occupied Palestinian East Jerusalem. The plan has sparked anger and resistance among Palestinian Christians and Muslims alike. Palestinian Christian leaders had denounced the proposed theft of the land as a “premeditated attack on the Christians in the Holy Land.”
After the Israeli newspaper, The Times of Israel, reported that the project was set to receive approval from the Jerusalem municipality on March 2, the Palestinian community and spiritual leaders began rallying support not only among Palestinians, but also internationally to mobilize against Israel’s latest colonizing scheme.
The Israeli decision to withdraw its plan proves that, once more, Palestinian resistance works. This event is reminiscent of the massive Palestinian mobilization in and around the Haram Sharif compound in 2017, when mass mobilization in Jerusalem forced Israel to remove metal detectors and other ‘security measures’ from the holy Muslim site.
One day following the Israeli decision to scrap the Mount of Olives plan, the Israeli Jerusalem Magistrate Court agreed to temporarily freeze the eviction order targeting the Salem family in the Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. The Palestinian family, three generations of whom live in the targetted home, have mobilized, along with many other families and activists, Palestinians and international activists to protest Israel’s illegal seizure of Palestinian homes in the occupied city.
While the Israeli court’s decision is only temporary and must not conceal the massive and systematic ethnic cleansing campaign under way in Sheikh Jarrah, Silwan and the rest of East Jerusalem, it must also be viewed in a positive light, as it gives a boost to popular resistance in occupied Jerusalem and throughout the Palestinian homeland.
More still. On February 25, two Palestinian detainees, Hisham Abu Hawash and Miqdad Al-Qawasmi, returned to their families after spending many months in unlawful detention and following 141 and 113 days of hunger strikes, respectively. The immense suffering of these two men, along with numerous amounts of footage and photos of their gaunt, emaciated bodies, have been used for months by Palestinians to demonstrate Israel’s brutality and the legendary sumoud, steadfastness, of ordinary Palestinians.
Expectedly, the two freed prisoners were received with jubilation by their families, friends and thousands of Palestinians. Throughout the celebrations, the word ‘victory’ was highlighted over and over again, whether in the streets, in Palestinian media or on social media.
These are but a few examples of daily Palestinian victories that are rarely highlighted, or even recognized as such. These achievements, however seemingly humble, are crucial to understanding the nature of everyday Palestinian resistance; but are also equally important in realizing that even Israel, which likes to see itself as an exceptional state in every respect, is subject to pressure.
When Palestinians, along with many nations around the world, called on Israel to end the forced evictions of Jerusalemites in Sheikh Jarrah last May, then Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, insisted that Israel “firmly rejects” pressure, carrying on with his coercive measures unhindered.
When Palestinians rebelled, rising in collective solidarity with Jerusalem and Gaza, the likes of US President Joe Biden called on all parties to ‘de-escalate’. Yet, Netanyahu continued to behave as if his country was above the law, political protocol and even common sense. “I am determined to continue with this operation until its goal is achieved,” Netanyahu insisted. The Israeli Prime Minister even considered the war on Gaza – in fact, on all Palestinians – to be “Israel’s natural right”. But when Palestinians carried on with their resistance, joined this time by a growing and vast global solidarity movement, Israel was forced to accept a ceasefire, achieving little, if any, of its supposed objectives.
Currently, Israel is seeking the help of various mediators to free several Israeli soldiers – or their remains – who are currently held in Gaza. Palestinians are open to a prisoner exchange and are demanding the freedom of hundreds of prisoners, including leading Palestinian figures, who have been held in Israel for years.
Moreover, the Palestinians are also seeking real guarantees to avoid the repeat of a similar prisoner exchange of October 2011, where over 1,000 Palestinians were released but some of whom were rearrested by Israel shortly after. In this case, too, Israel has pledged that it will relent in the face of Palestinian conditions, and it most likely will.
Israel is not the only country in the world that claims to be above pressure and accountability. Many colonial regimes in the past refused to acknowledge popular resistance in their respective colonies yet, somehow, traditional colonialism has ended with the inglorious defeat of the colonizers.
This is not to argue that Israeli exceptionalism is not a real thing. It is, and can be observed in full view at the US Congress and in the behavior of many pro-Israel Western governments. True, exceptionalism often yields hypocrisy and double standards but also the illusion that a particular state is above the natural order, which has governed state relations, politics and geopolitical realignments since the start of human civilization.
While Israel continues to delude itself that it is above pressure, Palestinians must realize that their resistance, in all of its manifestations, is capable of delivering the intended outcome, this being freedom. The rise of the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and its ability to challenge Israel at numerous platforms worldwide, is a perfect example of how Palestinians managed to take their fight for freedom to the rest of the world. If Israel is, indeed, not susceptible to pressure, why would it then fight the BDS movement with much ferocity and, at times, desperation?
Israel is not the exception, and like other colonial, apartheid regimes, it will eventually collapse, paving the way for a possible future where Palestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews can coexist as equals.
– Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of six books. His latest book, co-edited with Ilan Pappé, is “Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak out”. Dr. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA). His website iswww.ramzybaroud.net
The official spokesman for “Al-Nujaba” movement, Engineer Nasr Al-Shammari, confirmed that the Islamic resistance in Lebanon had taken down the myth of the invincible army, defeated it and liberated the Lebanese land from its impurity.
In an interview with “Al-Ahed” news, Al-Shammari stressed that “Al-Quds is one of the Muslims’ sanctities and the first symbol and ultimate objective for the axis of resistance from the Islamic Republic to Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and other people in the Muslim region, who live in isolation from their oppressed, traitorous, and downtrodden rulers.”
The interview reads as follows:
In 2017 “Al-Nujaba” announced the formation of the Golan Liberation Brigade, whose primary task is to support the Syrian Army to liberate its territory and lift the oppression of the Syrian people. What role has this brigade played since its formation? And what are the upcoming missions?
The Golan Liberation Brigade was founded by “Al-Nujaba” Islamic Resistance and its main pillar is to participate with the brothers in Syria in the battle to liberate Golan, which is becoming closer day by day. Although “Al-Nujaba” had active involvement in confronting the Takfiri terrorist organizations in Syria, this brigade was and will remain specialized in confronting the Zionist entity that has usurped the Arab land. It includes a distinguished elite of fighters who were highly trained in such wars and possess the weapons necessary for such battles that can target the depth of the usurping entity and not only the occupied Golan region. It is ready to participate as soon as the zero hour of the battle for the liberation of the Golan begins, in god’s will, and this is up to our brothers in Syria. We will always and forever be with them in the face of this occupying aggressor whose inevitable demise is approaching.
The last round of the Battle-“Al-Quds Sword”-showed the weakness of the Zionist entity, its disintegration from within, and its inability to confront the rockets of the Palestinian resistance. What do you promise the occupation in any upcoming battle?
A long time ago, during the southern liberation battles, His Eminence, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah said that “Israel” is weaker than a spider’s web, and the best to demonstrate this is the Islamic resistance in Lebanon that brought down the myth of the invincible army, defeated it, and liberated the Lebanese land from its impurity. It then defeated it in the July 2006 war to set the balance of deterrence equation, but rather the challenge equation, in its clearest form. The Palestinian resistance today has proven the falsity of the media, which promoted the coherent of “Israel’s” internal front (which is a lie) and the Iron Dome falsehood that the resistance’s weapon cannot bypass. The resistance weapon confused the occupation authority and its internal situation, shook its security and defeated its army, which was falsely supported by misleading media.
Today, the resistance promises the occupying army, its authority, and the entire entity that the days of an internal security are over, the lie of the Iron Dome has been revealed, the time of rapid and unexpected operations and the transfer of wars out of the occupied territory has come from the past, and the next battle will be in the depth of the occupied land from the sea to the river and there will be no safe areas from the resistance weapon.
The Secretary-General of Hezbollah, His Eminence Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, spoke about the need to work on Al-Quds equation in exchange for a regional war, as part of the resistance axis. What do you think about this equation? And how do you assess the strength of the Axis of Resistance front today?
Al-Quds is one of the Muslims’ sanctities and the first symbol and ultimate objective of each axis of resistance from the Islamic Republic to Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and other people in the Muslim region, who live in isolation from their oppressed, traitorous, downtrodden rulers. Therefore, I understand the words of His Eminence that any harm to Al-Quds and its people must be answered, not only in the occupied Palestine, but also on the entire geography of the axis of resistance and to all the interests of the Zionist entity, America, their agents and their backers in the region to which the resistance’s hand or weapons can reach, so that the deterrence will be comprehensive and stronger.
As for the strength of the entire resistance axis front, I can confirm, in my humble insight, that this axis has not used more than 1% of its potentials in all the encounters it has fought and won, thanks to God, his blessings and his payment. In most of the battles we postponed using a lot of potential because the size of the confrontation with the enemy at that time did not need it, and their use in time of need will have the greatest impact in achieving victories when enemies retreat, disagree, clash and change their attitudes day by day. We are on the same front, in the same axis and in the same position, and our belief in the inevitability of a near victory has not been shaken, leading to the removal of America from the region and the demise of the Zionist entity in God’s will.
of Jarndyce Booksellers. Jarndyce specializes in first editions, rare books, and wonderful collectors’ editions of the complete works of Shakespeare, Dickens, and countless others. Also displayed in the store are enormous antique illustrated copies of the Bible. These mammoth books are beautifully adorned with illustrations that bring Biblical characters and stories to life.
I remember sitting as a child, leafing through an old, illustrated copy of a Bible that was part of my father’s book collection. It too had wonderful illustrations, and I would sit there and look at the pictures of the great men and women, and experience the great moments that are described in the Bible. The angel who stopped Abraham as he was about to sacrifice his son; Moses coming down from Mount Sinai; the young David slaying the giant Goliath, and so many more. They all came alive in front of my very eyes and it was as clear to me as a child as it is today and to so many others, that those stories describe real historic events.
These lovely renditions were intended to create the impression that the Bible tells stories that are historically true. They lead readers and even those who do not read but hear the stories and look at the illustrations, to believe that these were real people and real events that took place.
US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman speaks at the opening of an “ancient road” that cuts into the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan. Tsafrir Abayov | AP
It is easy enough to point to an ancient city in Palestine, say Bethlehem or Jerusalem or some corner of the desert near Bi’r Saba, and claim that a particular Biblical event took place there. This literal reading of the Bible, and particularly of the Old Testament, has given and continues to give Zionism enormous impetus.
Zionists rely on millions of people across the world who have been misled to believe that there is historical truth to the Bible, who think that today’s Israel is the true and rightful successor of Biblical Israel and who allow Zionists to claim the Bible as their actual history book.
Mythology religion and history
The Greeks and the Nordic people replaced their ancient indigenous mythologies with Christianity, retaining their mythology as a part of their cultural history. In India, ancient mythology is very much alive and ancient gods are still worshiped in temples throughout the country, yet that is never confused with India’s actual history. Vishnu is never confused with Ashoka or Buddha with Akbar. Each has its respective place within the rich Indian culture.
Neither the people of Greece, the Nordic people, or even those who practice various faiths in India regard their mythology as history. You will not find Greek archaeologists digging to find the home of Zeus. There are no signs that the Nordic people are searching for the ancient city where Odin and Thor resided, and even in India, where the ancient gods are very much part of life, there is no expectation that the city of Shiva will be dug up by archaeologists.
his is because the separation between myth and religion and history is clear, except in the case of Zionism. Zionists, both Christian and Jewish, firmly hold to their demand that the Bible is history. Archeologists working in the name of Zionists have been digging up Palestine for two centuries, often ignoring or even destroying valuable artifacts that do not serve their purpose.
This is because Zionist archeologists are motivated not by scientific curiosity, but by a political agenda. They ignore the wealth of history and archeology that exist in Palestine and search for proof of their own theories.
Destruction of monuments
The need to validate Zionist claims that connect current day Israel with the ancient Hebrews and the glorified mythology as it is presented in parts of the Old Testament often comes at the expense of important historical sites and monuments. In fact, is not uncommon to see invaluable historical sites destroyed by design at the hands of Zionist institutions.
The Mamilla Cemetery is one such example. It is an ancient Muslim burial ground and holy site in the center of Jerusalem believed to date back to the seventh century. Numerous saints of the Sufi faith and thousands of officials, scholars, notables, and Jerusalem families have been buried in the cemetery over the past 1,000 years.
Companions of the Prophet Muhammad were said to be buried there, but since the Zionist conquest of West Jerusalem, the cemetery has fallen into disrepair, with ancient tombstones destroyed and desecrated. Over the last decade, a significant portion of the cemetery has been razed and human remains have been desecrated so that the Simon Wiesenthal Center can build a facility, shamelessly called the Museum of Tolerance.
The Mamilla Cemetery, shown here in a 1951 aerial photo, sat undistributed for centuries until the Israeli government paved the way for the construction of the Museum of Tolerance atop its historic ruins
Since 2010, the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Campaign to Preserve Mamilla Cemetery have worked to halt the construction of the new facility and preserve what remains of the ancient site. To this end, petitions have been filed with various UN bodies, including UNESCO, to protect the sacred site.
The “Museum of Tolerance,” as it is called, has resulted in the disinterment of hundreds of graves, and the whereabouts of the countless human remains that have been disposed of are unknown. Recognized as one of the most prominent Muslim cemeteries in the world, where seventy thousand warriors of Saladin’s armies are interred, is now all but gone.
Bab al-Rahmeh is yet another famous Islamic cemetery in Jerusalem. It extends from Lions Gate to the end of the wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque near the Umayyad palaces in the south. The Israeli government is in the process of confiscating parts of the cemetery to implement a settlement project. Plans include creating, “paths of biblical gardens,” once again erasing historical sites in order to build monuments to commemorate a history that never was.
Another classic example of the destruction of real history for the sake of mythology is the opening of the so-called “Temple’s Baptism station” on the historic land of the Umayyad palaces in the Old City of Jerusalem. The Temple in question is the Jewish Temple and the Umayyad palaces on which it is to be built date back nearly 1,400 years, built in the early stage of the Islamic period, and used to house the Islamic Caliphs and institutions that managed the affairs of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Monuments in disrepair
Zionist authorities have not only destroyed precious historical sites in search of mythical ones, they have also allowed invaluable historical sites to fall into disrepair. There are countless such sites throughout Palestine, such as the mosque of Dhaher Al-Umar in Tabariya, which now stands alone, in ruins, a solitary witness to the glorious Arab past of the city.
Daher al-Umar was a Palestinian leader who ruled most of Palestine and shaped its history throughout the entire 18th century. Not only has his memory been erased, but the monuments that carry his name and still exist now lay in ruins.
The mythology of the Old Testament was turned into history through a successful attempt to make the stories and the figures in these stories, mythical as they may have been, into actual historical events and figures. At the same time, the real history of Palestine, a glorious history of culture and religion, politics, commerce, and unmatched art and architecture, has all but been lost so that Zionists can claim that they are the true successors of Joshua and King David.
There is no harm in enjoying the wonderful illustrations that adorn the Bible, the likes of which one finds at Jarndyce Bookseller. In fact, I intend to continue to visit that store whenever I can and enjoy those wonderful renditions of Old and the New Testament stories. However, we must be careful not to confuse those stories and the illustrations with the actual history of Palestine.
في ذكرى النكبة واغتصاب الحركة الصهيونية وحلفائها من الغرب الاستعماري ـــــ وبمشاركة عرب «سايكس بيكو» وأعرابها ـــــ أرض فلسطين، نود الحديث عن مكانتها في التاريخ العربي والإسلامي، عبر استعراض مختلف المقامات المقدّسة فيها، كما ترد في مختلف المصادر. وقد استعنّا في عملنا هذا بمراجعَ عديدة، منها مؤلّف «فضائل القدس» لأستاذ التاريخ والفكر الإسلامي في «جامعة سميث كولدج» الأميركية سليمان علي مراد، الصادر عام 2019 عن مؤسسة الدراسات الفلسطينية في بيروت والمكتبة الخالدية في القدس المحتلّة، إضافة إلى مؤلّف الطبيب الفلسطيني توفيق كنعان mohammedan saints and sanctuaries in palestine, 1927 / «الأولياء والمقامات الإسلامية في فلسطين» الصادر في القدس ـــــ فلسطين عام 1927، وكذلك المؤلّف الحديث ‹bones of contention: Andrew Petersen, muslim shrines in palestine / «رفات الخصومة: المقامات الإسلامية في فلسطين» الصادر عام 2018. وهدفنا هو إثبات المكانة العليا التي حظيت بها فلسطين في الفكر والعقل العربي والإسلامي عبر العصور، في الوقت الذي تحاول فيه مشيخات الخليج، والوهابيون، تشويه ذلك التاريخ ومسح أي مكانة لفلسطين في الوعي التاريخي العربي والإسلامي. وهذا أيضاً لفضح اللاهثين وراء تكريمات الغرب وجوائزهم الصدئة، والذين ينفون أي علاقة للإسلام والمسلمين، ليس بالحرم القدسي فحسب، بل بمكّة المكرمة أيضاً.
عندما نتحدث عن المقامات الإسلامية في فلسطين، ليس المقصود فقط مواقع معروفة مثل مدافن الأنبياء أو «الأولياء» بمعنى الأفراد الصالحين، بل أيضاً كلّ مكان من مزار وقبر وشجرة وجنينة وجَنْبَة وكهف ونبع وصخرة وحجر وتحويطة، لهم علاقة بموضوع المقال، سواء كانوا مقدّسين أم مرتبطين بخرافات وأوهام. لكن ليست المقامات جميعها تحظى بالمكانة العليا، حيث نرى أن قلّة منها تحظى بمكانة قدسية لدى البداة، لكن ليس لدى أهل البلدات أو القرى القريبة منها. وثمة مقامات تحظى بمكانة عليا في خارج فلسطين، كما سنرى لاحقاً.
أينما نظرت في فلسطين تجد أمكنة مقدسة: في القرى وفي الحقول وفي البراري، في الجبال وفي الوديان. وفي معظم الأحيان يعثر المرء على جامع قريب من المقام، حيث يتوافد المؤمنون إليه للتعبّد لله. فعلى سبيل المثال، نجد في قرية عورتا 14 مقاماً، 11 منها تقع في داخل القرية وثلاثة في خارجها، وهذا يتكرّر في قرى وبلدات أخرى مثل عناتا والعيسوية وقولونيا وغيرها. يلاحظ المرء أنّ المقامات عادة ما بُنيت في أعالي الجبال، كي ترى من على بعد، مثل النبي صموئيل والشيخ القطرواني والشيخ أحمد الكركي الطيار في قرية القسطل، وأبو هريرة في وادي الشريعة، والعُزير في عورتا والشيخ العُمَري في بيت عنان، حيث يمكن من هناك رؤية كل من يافا واللد والرملة وسهولها، وكذلك البحر الأبيض المتوسط، والمصعد في جبل الزيتون والشيخ جراح بالقرب من مدينة القدس، ومقام الخضر في نابلس مكتوب داخله: «عُمِّر هذا المسيجد أيام السلطان الملك سيف الدين قلاون الصالح عزَّه الله ووالده السلطان الصالح علا الدين عز نصره».
أي إنه تمّ اختيار أمكنة المقامات قرب القرى، ولا يعني ذلك إطلاقاً أنّ التل أو الهضبة أو الجبل مقدّس. أما إذا وقعت في أراضي منخفضة، مثل عند تقاطع وديان أو ينابيع أو جداول، فيتم إقامتها في أمكنة يراها الناظر من مسافات بعيدة، بما يؤكد وظيفتها الاجتماعية أيضاً، إما لاستراحة المسافر أو لتناول الطعام، وتُعرف باسم «المضافة»، وهكذا. فعلى سبيل المثال، نجد في مقام أريحا حسن الراعي، بالقرب من النبي موسى، النقش الآتي: «أنشأ هذه القبة المباركة علي حسن الراعي قدس سره صاحب الخير محمد باشا حين أتى من استقبال حجاج المسلمين فشرع في البناء فلم يلقَ ماءً فبعلو همته حفظه الله تعالى نقل الماء على البلد من قرية أريحا وحصل الثواب سنة 1 ربيع عشر وماية وألف». كما يلحظ المرء أنّ قبور الرجال الصالحين تقع في أغلب الأحيان وسط المدن أو البلدات، مثل مقامات الطور (6) وأريحا (6)، ومنها «النبي موسى» وشعفاط (4) وصور باهر (4) وعناتا (7).
أينما نظرت في فلسطين تجد أمكنة مقدسة: في القرى وفي الحقول وفي البراري في الجبال وفي الوديان
وثمة مقامات قرب مواقع أثرية، مثل القطرواني بالقرب من كنيسة على تخوم قرية بير زيت، وذو الكفل بالقرب من خربة الكفيرة ومقام عبد العزيز الواقع بين قريتي القسطل وبيت سوريك، إلى جانب نبع عتيق وفق علماء الآثار، وقبر ستنا الشامية بالقرب من نبع عتيق، وفق المصدر نفسه. هنا وجب لفت الانتباه إلى أن الأشجار القائمة إلى جانب المقامات ليست مقدسة بحد ذاتها، وإنما تنال مكانتها من المقام. ويلاحظ أنّ فائدة بعضها غذائي مثل أشجار التين والصبر والرمان والجميز والدوالي والخروب وغيرها.
كذلك، يعثر المرء على مقامات عبارة عن حجارة مرتبة على شكل دوائر تسمّى الحويطية ومفردها الحويطة (انظر التعبير الشعبي: حوطك بالله)، ومنها حويطية الشيخة امبركة في قلنديا والشيخ فرج في بين حنينا. ومن الجدير بالذكر هنا، وجود حويطية مسيحية مشابهة، ومنها على سبيل الذكر المرتبط بالنبي الخضر (st. george) بالقرب من بيت جالا. وثمة حويطية أخرى هي النبي دانيال تقع وسط كرم بين قريتي الخضر وأرطاس.
ويعثر المرء أيضاً على ينابيع تحظى بمكانة عليا لدى السكان، ومنها عين الشريف وعين إم دراج في سلوان، وعين الحمّام في القدس وعين النوباني في نابلس وعين الجوز في رام الله وعين أرطاس في القرية بالاسم وعين عونا (st. mary) في بيت جالا وعين الحجر في دير الغسَّانة، وحمام الدرادجة في نابلس ومرتبط ذكره بالنبي الخضر، وحمام ستي مريم مرتبط بالسيدة مريم العذراء، وحمام الشفا، وبير أيوب المرتبطين بالنبي أيوب، وبير سنجيل المرتبط بالنبي يوسف، وعين كارم المرتبط بالسيدة العذراء، وهكذا. إضافة إلى ما سبق، ثمة أشجار مرتبطة باسم نبي أو رجل صالح، منها زيتونة النبي في حرم الشريف ونخلة مار سابا وشجرة زيتون في الجثمانية وشجرة زيتون في بيت ساحور. ومن الجدير بالذكر وجود مقامات حظيت بدعم سلاطين مختلفين، ولكن نكتفي بما سبق ذكره ونوجّه نظرنا نحو مقامات إسلامية أخرى، ومنها الصوفية والبهائية والشيعية والدرزية.
أشار الجغرافي العربي الدمشقي (1256 ـــــ 1327) إلى «مشهد النصر» أعلى جبل حطين، حيث بني في عهد الناصر صلاح الدين قبة تسمى قبة النصر، لتخليد انتصاره على الفرنجة في معركة حطين. وثمة شهادة من حجاج مسيحيين على وجود ذلك النصب، الذي بقي قائماً حتى القرن التاسع عشر. أما المقامات التي حظيت برعاية سلطانية الظاهر بيبرس، فهي النبي موسى في غور الأردن، ومقام أبي هريرة في يبنة، وحرم سيدنا علي في أرسوف، حيث صلى الظاهر بيبرس في المكان، ونذر أن يرعاه في حال انتصاره على الفرنج. أما الزوايا الصوفية، والتي تسمى أيضاً رباط وخَنَقَة، فثمة العديد منها، علماً بأنّ فلسطين كانت مقر ما لا يقل عن 11 طريقة، منها القادرية (محمد أبو العون ـــــ ثمة مسجد باسمه في مدينة الرملة ويضم رفاته ورفات زوجه)، والتي جلبها شهاب الدين أحمد المعروف أيضاً باسم ابن أرسلان، والرفاعية والدسوقية والأحمدية والشاذلية واليونسية والمولوية وغيرها. وثمّة أيضاً مقام دير الشيخ في وادي النسور جنوب غربي مدينة القدس، الذي يحوي رفات السطان بدر، وكذلك مقام اليشرطية في عكا، ومقام الصحابي أبي عبيدة في عمواس حيث توفي أيام الطاعون الذي انتشر في البلاد حينئذ.
أما المقامات الشيعية، فمنها المشهد الذي أقيم في عسقلان لوضع رأس الحسين بن علي رضي الله عنهما، والذي استشهد في كربلاء في العاشر من تشرين الأول / أكتوبر عام 680، لكنّه أرسل إلى دمشق حيث حفظ في الجامع الأموي بالقرب من رفات النبي يحيى أو يوحنا المعمدان. وثمة مقام النبي يوشع الواقع في شمال فلسطين بالقرب من الحدود اللبنانية.
أما المقامات الدرزية، فمنها مقام النبي شعيب الواقع قرب حطين. وثمة رواية بأنّ صلاح الدين الأيوبي أمر الشيخ عماد الدين، أحد أبناء الحكام الفاطميين، برعاية المقام الذي زاره العديد من المؤرّخين والحجّاج والجغرافيين العرب وغير العرب. وثمة مقامان بهائيان رئيسيان في فلسطين، هما قبر بهاء الله في عكا وقبور عائلته، وقبر الباب علي محمد الشيرازي. وثمة مقامات أخرى قام العدو الصهيوني بتدميرها، في عام 1948، وما بعد ذلك، ومنها مقام النبي الكفل، ومقام النبي بولس وغيرهما.
نكتفي بهذا القدر، علماً بأن المراجع تحوي عشرات المواقع الأخرى، وحتى صوراً لها ومخططاتها. ما يهمنا ختاماً، توضيح أنّ فلسطين، أرض المقدّسات، حظِيت بمكانة خاصة لدى العرب والمسلمين شرقاً وغرباً وشمالاً وجنوباً، نجد عرضاً مفصّلاً لها في مؤلّف «فضائل القدس» الآنف الذكر، وليس بإمكان أيٍّ كان أن يجرّدها من موقعها التاريخي، الضاربة جذوره في عمق تاريخنا.
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