Palestine vs Ukraine: How Pro-Israeli lobbies ensure a double standard

October 18, 2023 

By Farah Hajj Hassan

An analysis of how the Pro-Israeli lobbies that permeate mainstream media as well as Western nations into endorsing Israeli atrocities in the name of “Self-defense,” simultaneously condone the censoring of Pro-Palestinian sentiment and solidarity.

Bennett unhinged, ranted at the presenter like a belligerent toddler, and claimed that “Israel” was fighting “Nazis,” angrily declaring he would not give them electricity since they were his “enemies.” 

In an interview with Sky News presenter Kamali Melbourne, Naftali Bennett the former Israeli occupation Prime Minister screamed “What’s wrong with you?” when he was asked about Gazans on incubators in hospitals that may die from the cutting of electricity.

🚨‼️ Clash entre l’ancien Premier ministre israélien Naftali Bennett et le journaliste de SkyNews Kamali Melbourne parce qu’il l’a interrogé sur le sort des civils à #Gaza

– Melbourne : « Qu’en est-il de ces Palestiniens à l’hôpital, de ces bébés dans des incubateurs à Gaza… pic.twitter.com/TKHJsBL6Lu— Charlies Ingalls Le Vrai 🤠🐑🐄🐔🐎🤓 (@CharliesIngalls) October 12, 2023

Forget the incubators, “Israel” literally targeted the Al-Ahli Hospital housing over a thousand people, killing no less than 500 people, mostly children.

Israeli occupation forces have killed 4,200 and counting. 

As a barrage of Western media has bombarded us with unsubstantiated Israeli claims of Hamas beheading babies and raping women, the West’s double standards and massive difference in narrative when addressing Palestine as compared to Ukraine, has been noticed.

The worldwide rallying that followed the “invasion” of Ukraine was unbelievable. The entire Western world with very few exceptions expressed support for Ukraine and condemnation of Russia.

Ukrainians ‘brave’, Palestinians ‘terrorists’

Why does the US enable “Israel” to continue its crimes? Because “Israel”, like Ukraine, is a pawn for US interest in the region. This was expressed by Joe Biden back in his pre-President, more coherent days of 1986.

As the war in Ukraine rages and Kiev’s “popular resistance” is continuously promoted and funded, Palestinians around the world wonder why their cause has not been backed even remotely as close to Ukraine’s?

Maybe its because their resistance has lasted for over 70 years and has not been sensationalized in mainstream media (mm). Or maybe it is because Russia does not have powerful lobbies in the West influencing public and political opinion.

MM circulated gut-wrenching images of Ukrainians “resisting” with Molotov cocktails while Western reporters lamented the poor civilians who look white, European, and “civilized.”

In a controversial video, CBS reporter in Kiev explained, astonished, that Ukraine was not like “Iraq, or Afghanistan.” Why? Because Kiev was “civilized.”

Zelensky himself rushed to proclaim his support for the Israeli occupation and condemn the “terrorists” of Hamas while accusing Russia of funding them

How can a man who has been globally supported financially and morally to literally “Free” his country from an “invasion” have the audacity to proclaim his support for an apartheid state that has been crushing its second-class population for decades? 

Palestinians on the other hand, are called “terrorists” by Western media, are accused of using human shields, attacked for being “anti-semitic” due to BDS policies, and are widely told to give up their cause and concede to a two-state solution to “end the violence.”

The reality is that the West and the US in particular only encourage revolutions when it is in their favor.

From Vietnam, to Iraq, to AfghanistanLibya, and Syria, the amount of times American officials have convinced Americans that they are fighting for their “freedom” is mind-boggling. 

The devil works hard but AIPAC works harder

The Israeli occupation military recently requested that the AIPAC Pro-Israeli lobby in the US support its ongoing atrocities in Gaza when the “ugly” scenes from Gaza started to surface.

A spokesperson for the Israeli military, Jonathan Conricus told AIPAC on October 13 that “Tel Aviv” would need the support of parties that want to “stand up for what’s right.”

He explained that the scenes from Gaza would be “hard to stomach,” but not as hard as the “things coming out of Kibbutz Be’eri and Kfar Aza.

“The things” in his address refer to media reports that emerged alleging that babies were beheaded, among other unsubstantiated actions. The reporter who made the initial claim denied that they had seen evidence of such an event and said they were told by one Israeli soldier. Additionally, the US President and several officials have admitted to not seeing any evidence. Moreover, the CNN reporter who made the false story go viral later apologized for her report, stating that she “needs to be more careful with [her] words,” admitting that she was “misinformed.”

AIPAC’s explicit mission is to influence Congress on Israeli problems and legislation. AIPAC meets with members of Congress on a regular basis and arranges events where it may “express its views.”

When these views are there to embolden and encourage Israeli actions, it is not hard to see why and how the US continues to stay mute on its atrocities. These “views” cost thousands of lives in Gaza and ensure the occupation pockets $3 billion in aid annually.

Drawing parallels

When Gustavo Petro, the President of Colombia accused the Israeli occupation Security Minister Yoav Gallant of utilizing language about Gazans similar to what Nazis used regarding Jews, “Israel,” was outraged.

Ironically, the clear implication that Jews in “Israel” should not repeat the tactics and language once used against their ancestors flew right over Israeli heads. The Israeli Foreign Ministry still managed to accuse Petro of anti-Semitism and halt all security deliveries to the country.

Vladimir Putin also drew the same parallels, albeit without being as direct as Petro, when he warned “Israel” against implementing a siege on Gaza reminiscent of the Leningrad siege by Nazi Germany, calling it “unacceptable.”

Only in “Israel”, does self-reflection not exist, and any criticism about its tactics is met with immediate antisemitism accusations. If more than one world leader is comparing the IOF with Nazis, one would think a rational nation’s first plan of action would be to assess why and how these parallels are being drawn. However, the Israeli occupation is not rational or looking to address its shortcomings in any way. 

Why does any criticism of “Israel” almost in every case instantly entail accusations of antisemitism and a hatred for Jews as a whole? 

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And going even further, how is it that every attempt to decolonize in the region gets labeled a terrorist attempt when it is not backed by US interests?

The media will call any political endeavor an Islamist one and any war against “Israel” an antisemitic one.

Almost every Western media outlet has treated Hamas as they did ISIS. Interview after interview, we see MM pundits demanding their pro-Palestine guests begin their interviews by condemning Hamas’s attack on innocent “peace-loving Israelis.”  

Censorship is not limited to social media. Arab News recently reported that MSNBC suspended the programs of three Muslim anchors due to the ongoing aggression on Gaza. Recently, it was disclosed that Mehdi Hasan, Ayman Mohieddine, and Ali Velshi were discreetly replaced as anchors following Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.

Countries that vocalized Israeli support are the same countries with Israeli lobbies pushing a crackdown on Palestinian protests, exposing themselves as the poster children of double standards and utter hypocrisy.

France has completely banned pro-Palestine protests using the “disturbance of public order” as a transparent excuse, while neighboring Britain told police officers that chanting pro-freedom chants and waving Palestinian flags may be a “criminal offense”.

Rishi Sunak earlier declared his support for “Israel” and explained that any person in the UK who supported Hamas and its “barbaric acts of terrorism” would be held accountable, ignoring months of brutality and terror faced by Palestinians. 

The occupation cannot be blamed alone if we do not hold the US equally accountable. As with Ukrainian troops, the US participates in funding and training initiatives with Israeli troops to embolden their brutality under the guise of “Self-defense.”

Months after the battle of Seif Al-Quds, the US approved a bill that along with billions in aid to “Israel,” ensures a “series of programs aimed at furthering peace in the region.”

What part of giving an occupying force $3 billion annually for use against oppressed and blockaded people is part of furthering peace? 

Not only does the US fund “Israel’s” largest-ever “defense” program, the Iron Dome, but it continuously pours billions into the Israeli security fund.

According to  US Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week, even though the occupation may be strong enough to defend itself, it never has to. The US will always be right by its side. 

A horrible PR strategy

“Israel” is its own worst enemy, and it does such a poor PR job that it openly shows no sympathy for dead Palestinian civilians and openly expresses its genocidal intentions. Instead of at least pretending they cared they, along with beloved US officials, openly declare their agenda like bloodthirsty maniacs. 

The former commander of the Northern Corps in the IOF, Eyal Ben Reuven, arrogantly announced in an interview with the Israeli Channel 13 that the occupation’s media rhetoric manipulation capabilities are “now being tested,” emphasizing that “So far we have not succeeded in that.”

According to Reuven, “the Israeli image must be marketed,” stressing that “the Israeli army must display all images through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [website] or any other platform to try to give reaffirm Israeli narrative.”

Not only was the US the main contributor and constant enabler of Israeli aggression against Palestine for years, but it also has the audacity to claim it views Palestinians and Israelis in the same light. Blinken Tweeted in 2021 that “Israelis and Palestinians deserve equal measures of security, freedom, opportunity, and dignity.” 

To want equal measures of security for an oppressor and his victim is an oxymoron. The US knows that “Israel” is the settler and aggressor and knows very well that its constant financial and moral support is the reason “Israel” has become as emboldened as it is.  

In November 2022, Blinken accused Putin of being “barbaric” in denying heat water electricity for children and the elderly, claiming he was brutalizing them.

In his same response to news of “Israel’s” siege in Gaza and their cutting off electricity and water was no mention of barbarism or brutalization. Those terms are only reserved for Russia.

Palestine is not a double-edged sword

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently called the attack on the hospital “unacceptable,” merely days after announcing on national television that Canada supported “Israel’s” right to self-defense.

The EU Commission President, Ursula Von Der Leyen while standing by Benjamin Netanyahu, expressed that she knew “Israel” would respond to the operation of the Palestinian Resistance in a way that “shows it is a democracy.” How utterly and sadly wrong she was.

After the hospital bombing on October 17, Von Der Leyen called for those responsible to be held accountable, without a single mention of “Israel.”

In the end, the resolution to the “Crisis” in the Middle East is not a two-state solution, or eradicating Hamas. Like a cancerous tumor, the occupation itself must be removed from the site. Or at the very least, the apartheid state must come to an end.

“Israel” itself is inhumane so long as it is led by Zionist supremacy and the crushing of Palestinian self-determination. 

European and American officials can no longer condemn Palestinian resistance while simultaneously worrying about the humanitarian implications when “Israel” unleashes its revenge on Palestinians. This cannot be done together.

If this is not recognized, the “surprise” attacks by resistance factions in Palestine will never end. More importantly, the international community need not be so surprised when Palestinian resistance factions strike back at the occupation regime for its relentless and prolonged continuation of their misery.

In the words of Mohammed El Kurd, “How much violence is enough violence for people to retaliate?”

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Al-Nakhalah: Jenin Brigade led victory, these are historic moments

July 5 2023

Source: Al Mayadeen

Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, Zyiad Al-Nakhalah. (File photo) 

By Al Mayadeen English

The Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, Ziyad Al-Nakhalah, says that the Jenin Brigade led this great victory and that the Palestinian people proved that unity could defeat the enemy.

The Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, said that the Palestinian people achieved a victory by ending the occupation’s aggression against Jenin and its camp.

He added that the Jenin Briage led this victory, noting that “the Palestinian people, with their unity and rallying around the resistance fightersproved that they can defeat the enemy.”

Al-Nakhalah added, “The Palestinian people have proven that they can conquer the Israeli occupation in every battle against it, from the battle of Seif Al-Quds to the Fury of Jenin.”

He pointed out that “during these historical moments, the entirety of Jenin is cheering for the resistance fighters and the Jenin Battalion,” describing these moments as “moments of pride and glory that will persist until our victory.”

Al-Nakhalah called for national solidarity to strengthen the steadfastness of the Jenin camp so that it “remains an inspiring model for revolution, defiance, struggle, and resistance.”

Palestinian factions in Jenin 

Al-Quds Brigades-Jenin Brigade saluted the victory achieved in Jenin against the Israeli aggression. It affirmed that the Palestinian resistance was a model of heroism and redemption in the Jenin camp and that it inflicted heavy losses on the occupation at all levels.

The leader revealed that “The resistance in Jenin is preparing to announce its victory and break the enemy’s arrogance, which was unable to achieve its goals despite the scale of aggression and  destruction it left behind.”

For his part, the head of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, saluted the Resistance fighters in the Jenin camp, and those stationed there, stressing that Jenin was and still is “the incubator of the resistance.”

The Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, issued a statement in which it praised “our people in the Jenin camp,” as well as the freedom fighters from all Palestinian factions “for their legendary steadfastness.”

Munther al-Hayek, the spokesperson for the Fatah movement, saluted the victory in Jenin, stressing that “the devastation left by the occupation in Jenin will increase our people’s determination to maintain confrontation.”

This came after several Israeli media outlets reported, quoting a spokesperson for the Israeli occupation army, that “Israeli forces have begun withdrawing from Jenin.”

Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in occupied Palestine confirmed that the people are returning to the Jenin camp after the occupation forces withdrew from it, and the resistance fighters are roaming the streets.

Read next: Jenin Fury carving new rules of engagement, deterrence in WB: Analysis

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Exclusive: Hamas politburo chief says Israel in worst situation ever

Friday, 23 June 2023 2:09 AM  [ Last Update: Friday, 23 June 2023 2:09 AM ]

The Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas’s politburo chief has affirmed that Israel is “living in its worst situation” ever, enumerating the reasons for the unprecedented decline in the Zionist entity’s status. 

Ismail Haniyeh made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Iran’s English-language Press TV news network on Thursday, following a set of meetings with senior Iranian authorities, including Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

He referred to the meetings as “fruitful,” noting, “There was a chance to talk in detail about all files…, particularly the Palestinian case and developments and our project against the Zionist enemy.”

Reasons behind Israel’s dire situation

The resistance leader went on to cite three indications of the uniquely dire situation that was being experienced by the occupying entity.

Firstly, he pointed to the “division” that had manifested itself within the Israeli society” that was giving rise to thousands-strong protests against Tel Aviv across the occupied territories every week, noting how some of the Israeli leaders had even come to warn about a “domestic war.”

“We didn’t use to hear such things from the Israelis.”

Secondly, Israel had come to be surrounded by resistance movements, ranging from the Gaza Strip to the holy occupied city of al-Quds to the 1948-present Israeli-occupied territories.

“The third one, there are concerns from the Israeli society about the future. There are polls inside Israel about national security. Sixty percent of the Israelis are concerned about their future. They cannot adapt themselves to the strategic challenges inside Israel.”

Five-day war on Gaza

Elsewhere in his remarks, Haniyeh offered a detailed account of how Gaza’s resistance factions managed to stage a united and successful response to Israel’s five-day-long war on the Gaza Strip in May, which ended in a humiliating defeat for Tel Aviv.

“The common room for operations, which includes all the Palestinian groups, had a meeting…to reply to this crime…There was coordination between Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades and al-Quds Brigades,” he said, referring to the Gaza-based resistance factions’ armed wings.

“We in the Hamas movement, offered everything in order to achieve victory against our enemy. We provided all the infrastructures we have in our possession…we put everything at the disposal of our brothers in the Islamic Jihad,” he added.

“The resistance managed to defeat the enemy, and affirmed that the blood of the [resistance] leaders would not go to waste, and this enemy will pay all the price for its crimes, particularly when they assassinate the leaders of the resistance either in Jenin or in Gaza or in the West Bank.”

Israel dare not cross Gaza, Lebanon borders

The Hamas official recalled how Israel used to occupy Gaza until 2005 and used to be at the heart of Beirut in 1982.

“But today, the Israeli army cannot cross the Lebanese borders. The Israelis withdrew in 2005 after five wars against the Gaza Strip. But now, they cannot take any decision for any ground assault against Palestinians. It would be very costly for them,” he stated.

“When in 2014, the Israelis decided to go inside Gaza for maybe 1,000 meters or more than that, 72 soldiers of them were killed,” noted the Palestinian official.

“Israel doesn’t have the upper hand anymore. Even all their maneuvers are defensive, and not meant to reprise any attack against us,” he said, adding, “They are doing their best to see if they can confront any attack from the resistance.”

Meeting with Leader

Describing the contents of his meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei, Haniyeh said he concurred with the Leader’s description of the Gaza Strip as the “fortress of resistance.”

“This description is very precise today. Gaza is the strongest arm of the resistance, despite the fact that it is under a blockade,” the Palestinian official stated.

He noted how the resistance’s Operation Sword of al-Quds, which came as a response to Israel’s latest war on Gaza, struck “the heart of the Zionist occupation entity, and drew a very significant equation with the Israelis as well.”

“Therefore, the resistance in Palestine, in Gaza specifically, is the guard of all Palestine.”

Iran’s support for Palestine

Haniyeh voiced gratitude towards Iran for its “unconditional” support for Palestine, considering the Islamic Republic to be the greatest force behind the Palestinian resistance.

“The Islamic Republic has the biggest share in giving support and increasing the strength of this power [of the resistance].”

Tide changing against Israel in the West

The Hamas official said support had waned for Israel across Western states.

Israel was no longer the “spoiled child” for the United States or for the West, for that matter, he said.

He identified Tel Aviv as “this strong military machine that they (the Western states) needed to serve,” but said this was no longer the case anymore.

“The Western societies have actually become tired of the Israeli crimes and practices.”

Iran, Saudi Arabia detente

Israel, Haniyeh said, used to thrive on instability across the region, but instances of region-wide reconciliation, such as the ongoing detente between Iran and Saudi Arabia and Syria’s return to the Arab fold, heralded more regional stability that augured ill for Tel Aviv.

“In the last decade, the regional situation was very much fragile because of everything that has happened, whether within the countries or between two countries, whether it was the sectarian issues that happened, for example, Daesh that entered the region in a way that it had shifted the cards in the region…”

“This issue was a golden age for the Zionist entity, and, therefore, they were able to isolate the Palestinian cause.”

However, reconciliations such as the one between Iran and Saudi Arabia or the changing of the regional tide in favor of Syria, function as portents of regional stability that serve the resistance’s interests, but harm those of Israel.

“When the region is stable, when it is in a state of agreement, therefore, this would be in favor of the interest of Palestine and for the resistance of Palestine.”

Iran and Saudi Arabia’s rapprochement also flew directly in the face of the Israeli strategy of painting the Islamic Republic in a bad light.

“The second advantage is that it hits the strategy of the Israelis, through which they wanted to say that Iran is the enemy and Israel is the ally. This has failed. [The rapprochement has shown] that Iran is a brotherly nation in the region.”

Gen. Soleimani’s focal personality in invigorating resistance

Commenting on Iran’s former senior anti-terror commander, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated in a US drone attack against Baghdad in early 2020, Haniyeh called him “a focal personality in the support of the resistance in Palestine,” and praised his pivotal role “in building the resistance in Palestine.”

“His assassination showed that the Americans had had enough of the [sheer] strength of Haj Qassem.”

Palestinians can defeat whatever Israel throws at them

Concluding his remarks, Haniyeh pointed to comments that have been made by such extremist figures as Israel’s so-called national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who have been promoting unprecedented aggression against Palestinians.

“Do not bend the arm of the resistance. The Palestinian people can overcome everything that you are planning. Ben-Gvir would go to the trash bins of history. The Palestinian people have always defeated such personalities…They will not be able to do anything against the Palestinian people.”


Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir

www.presstv.co.uk

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Normalization possible with Arab regimes, impossible with Arab people

June 7,2023

Source: Al Mayadeen English

By Ahmad Karakira 

Speaking to Al Mayadeen English, Sayed Shibl, Egyptian writer and researcher in political affairs, says Al-Awja crossing operation reflects “the true expression of the collective public opinion of Egyptians.”

No one knows what the Egyptian conscript, martyr Mohammad Salah, had in mind when he carried out the Al-Awja crossing operation on the border with occupied Palestine, where he killed three Israeli soldiers, two days before the anniversary of the 1967 Naksa (Setback).

Perhaps Mohammad was one of the 2000s generation in Egypt, whose parents and grandparents repeatedly told them on different occasions about the defeat of the Arab forces by the Israeli occupation and the loss of Arab lands such as Sinai, the Golan, the West Bank, Gaza, and Al-Quds and lamented the departure of a great Arab leader like Gamal Abdel Nasser, who united the Arab nation, supported the oppressed, and stood in the face of Western imperialism.

Perhaps he was taught that, as Abdel Nasser said, “What was taken by force can only be restored by force” and was reminded that under Operation Badr in 1973, the Egyptian army’s heroic resistance was able to cross the Suez Canal, capture the “Bar Lev Line”, and liberate a part of Sinai.

Maybe the 23-year-old is from this Arab generation that has not yet forgotten the scenes of killing and trail of destruction left behind by the Israeli occupation in its repeated aggressions against the Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip for 16 years, and perhaps the images of “Israel” committing the worst massacres against the Lebanese in 2006 were planted in his memory.

But for sure, he was a witness to the daily crimes committed by the occupation forces against the Palestinians who are defending their land, sanctities, and dignity across Palestine.

During the Israeli aggression on Gaza in May 2021, Mohammad wrote on his Facebook page, “Allah stands by Palestine,” in response to a post by Mike Pence saying: “America stands with Israel,” during Seif Al-Quds Battle.

We have the right to consider that the operation carried out by Mohammad Salah against the occupation forces expresses the will of every free and honorable person who rejects the occupation, makes it suffer, takes away its security and its settlers’ comfort, and takes revenge for the oppressed, the blood of the martyrs, and all the prisoners in occupation prisons.

In confirmation of that, Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the operation as “serious and unusual.” The chief of staff of the Israeli occupation forces, Herzi Halevi, admitted that the operation was “a difficult incident,” during which three of the Israeli occupation forces’ “best” soldiers were killed on the border with Egypt.

Israeli media also considered that the Egyptian conscript’s operation, which succeeded despite its simplicity, exposed the complete collapse of the security system of the Israeli occupation army in this particular area, admitting that the results of the operation were indeed difficult, painful, and dealt a blow to occupation forces who suffered a serious failure in preventing “infiltration” into “Israel”.

Read more: Egyptian policeman’s operation part of multifront war: Israeli media

Touching on the latest operation, Sayed Shibl, Egyptian writer and researcher in political affairs, told Al Mayadeen English that Al-Awja crossing operation “is certainly not an individual one, but rather the true expression of the collective public opinion of Egyptians who reject the Israeli presence.”

Shibl said the evidence for this is the amount of support Mohammad Salah received on social media.

“It is very rare to find an Egyptian comment on Facebook that rejects armed action directed against Israel, and if an Egyptian happens to have this anomalous opinion, he will stop it because of how strong the public opinion stands against Zionism,” he indicated.

The Egyptian writer and researcher considered that the importance of the operation “lies in the fact that it came at a time when the Israeli entity feels threatened from all borders, except the western border with Egypt where it feels safe.”

He added that the operation “reinforces the concern of the occupation government and deprives the settlers of any sense of safety.”

“It is a message to the leaders of the entity calling on them to retreat from their aggressive path against the Arab people in occupied Palestine.”

Shibl underlined that what is certain is that there is a message that reached everyone today: normalization is possible with Arab governments, but it is impossible with the Arab people.

Despite the absence of precise figures on the percentage of Egyptians who reject normalization with the Israeli occupation, a 2019-2020 survey conducted by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies found that 85% of Egyptians refuse diplomatic recognition of “Israel”, while only 13% support it.

According to Shibl, Egyptians expressed their happiness in public streets, in cafes, and on social media. He noted that despite not witnessing marches or demonstrations due to the security conditions in the country, anyone who lives among ordinary Egyptians during the past few days can touch their joy over the recent operation due to their rejection of the continued Israeli occupation of Arab lands, as well as the longing of Egyptians for acts of resistance, especially if it was carried out by an Egyptian — a factor related to national pride.

Asked whether the timing of Mohammad Salah’s operation might be linked to the 1967 Naksa anniversary, Shibl said, “Maybe it has something to do with the June 5 setback anniversary, or maybe not.”

The Egyptian writer pointed out that it is natural for every young Egyptian under the age of 30 to have a father or uncle who tells them about Egypt’s wars with the Israeli enemy and the martyrs who rose during it, which plants in them “a desire for revenge,” especially since the effects of the 1967 aggression remain apparent in Palestine and Syria, and even in Egypt, under the so-called “Peace Treaty”, which still restricts the full movement of the Egyptian army inside the Sinai Peninsula.

Shibl recalled that in the aftermath of the 2011 revolution, the position of the various political currents was to reject “Israel” and organize demonstrations against its embassy, ​​which culminated in the September 2011 storming of the occupation’s embassy in the Egyptian city of Giza, which led to its evacuation in the summer of the same year.

In conclusion, the Israeli occupation, as usual, will present hundreds of arguments and justifications related to martyr Mohammad Salah, including that he suffers from a psychological disorder or that he does not represent the official Egyptian position on “Israel”, but there is no doubt that the last operation will remain stuck in the minds of the new Egyptian generation.

And who knows, we might see another Mohamed Salah in the coming days.

Read more: Israeli reports say Egyptian border incident premeditated

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PIJ’s tactical triumph: Missiles multiply despite losses

May 18 2023

Despite Israel’s assassinations of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s high-ranking commanders during this latest battle, the Quds Brigades was able to shift strategy by expanding its missile range, launching over 1,500 missiles, and introducing new tactics in its retaliatory strikes.

Photo Credit: The Cradle

ByThe Cradle’s Palestine Correspondent

In its latest act of aggression against the besieged Gaza Strip, Israel dealt a severe blow to the resistance movement Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). High-ranking commanders, including the majority of the members of the group’s military council in Gaza, were assassinated in rapid succession during the battle.

These targeted killings sought to weaken the PIJ’s leadership structure and disrupt the organization’s command and control. However, despite these setbacks, the PIJ pulled some new tricks out of its hat, managing to expand the range of its missile strikes, which reached as far as Tel Aviv.

To gain a deeper understanding of these strategic PIJ developments and its advancements in retaliatory strikes, it is important to examine two significant past military operations: “Black Belt” (2019) and “Breaking Dawn” or “Unity of Fronts” (2022).

Learning from the past

Those two battles were triggered by the killing of prominent leaders in the PIJ’s military wing, the Quds Brigades, which appears to have further emboldened Israeli occupation forces in their policy of targeted assassinations. From Israel’s perspective, the perceived political gains outweighed the costs incurred during these two rounds of conflict.

In November 2019, following the assassination of Quds Brigades commander Baha Abu al-Ata, the fighters responded recklessly without proper planning. Rocket launchers were emotionally fired immediately after the assassination, making the missile unit vulnerable to Israeli detection.

As a result, the Quds Brigades suffered significant losses, with around 27 missile force staff members, including three field commanders, being killed. This battle also had a secondary, more dangerous consequence: It established an Israeli policy of singling out a specific resistance group, leaving the PIJ to face their fate alone without the participation of other key resistance elements like Hamas.

During the 2022 “Unity of Fronts” battle, a similar fate befell the Quds Brigades following the arrest of PIJ leader Bassam al-Saadi. Although they fired over 400 rockets at Israeli settlements in retaliation and employed improved tactics compared to the previous battle, Palestinian public opinion fell victim to Israeli propaganda.

The Israelis’ narrative portrayed the PIJ as endangering the lives of two million people in the Gaza Strip – and neglecting the plight of 4,500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails – for the purpose of securing the freedom of just one person. Furthermore, when some errant rockets fell in Gaza due to technical errors, doubts were raised about the PIJ’s ability to successfully wage war independently.

Trying new tactics

But on 9 May, a significant shift occurred in the conflict. Despite the initial heavy blow from Israel’s first strike, which resulted in the loss of three prominent PIJ leaders – Khalil al-Bahtini, Tariq Ezz al-Din, and Jihad Ghanem – the movement’s response was purposefully delayed for approximately 35 hours.

This unusual stalling tactic confused Israeli calculations. During the brief lull, discussions were held between the PIJ, Hamas, and other resistance factions to ensure coordination and readiness for the upcoming fight. On 10 May, “Operation Revenge of the Free” was launched, as announced by this Joint Operations Room.

The PIJ’s initial missile response unfolded in three stages. The first stage employed a “dumping and neutralization” tactic, focusing on Israeli settlements bordering the Gaza Strip within a 15-kilometer range. These targets included Sderot, Nahal Oz, Nativ Ha’atsarah, and Kerem Shalom.

The resistance’s aim was to first deplete the batteries of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. Following this, missile barrages were launched at about 30 cities, reaching depths of 20 to 75 kilometers into Israeli territory. Targets included Ashkelon, Ashdod, Beersheba, and extended all the way to Tel Aviv, Rishon Lezion, and Palmachim. By the end of the first day, the Quds Brigades had fired approximately 400 rockets.

Discussions in the joint command center

Amidst these developments, discussions were ongoing in the Joint Operations Room, while reports in the Arab and international media hinted at an imminent ceasefire. Egyptian news channels reported that Cairo’s intelligence efforts had led to a truce agreement between Israel and the Joint Ops Room.

This aligned with the Israeli security establishment’s assessment that the scale of retaliation would not surpass what was witnessed in the 2019 and 2022 rounds. The Israeli assessment viewed the PIJ as incapable of waging a prolonged battle, even with the involvement of smaller military factions such as the Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades of the Popular Resistance Committees, The Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the National Resistance Brigades of the Omar al-Qasim Forces, and the Mujahideen Brigades.

Informed sources reveal to The Cradle that Egyptian intelligence did indeed reach an agreement of sorts with the leadership of Hamas, as a representative of the Joint Ops Room, on the first day of the conflict. However, a deal did not take place because it excluded any significant achievements for the Palestinian resistance.

During this time, Egyptian mediators attempted to establish contact with PIJ Secretary General Ziyad al-Nakhala, but he did not respond to the call. Subsequently, a phone conversation took place between Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’s political bureau, and Nakhala. Then, at approximately 7:00 p.m. on 12 May, the Quds Brigades responded to the Egyptian proposal by launching a series of missile strikes targeting Israeli cities.

‘Deterring’ the Resistance

Despite the ongoing and surprising resilience displayed by PIJ, a statement on 14 May by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted that the balance of deterrence had been altered in Israel’s favor:

“Since Guardian of the Walls [Sword of Jerusalem or Sayf al-Quds], Hamas has not fired a single rocket into our territory. They are deterred. Operation Guardian of the Walls dealt Hamas the hardest blow in its history and caused a change in the deterrence equation and it has been working for two years now.”

“Our intention in Operation Shield and Arrow was to change the balance of deterrence against Islamic Jihad. The difference comes not only because of the targeted assassinations that we have been doing for the 16 years that I have been prime minister, but that we did so so calmly and effectively. We took down half of Islamic Jihad’s leadership in a surprise blow, and the other half during the operation.”

Assassinations: A failed policy

Despite the heavy losses suffered in the initial strike, the subsequent days of fighting proved equally devastating. Israel continued its targeted assassinations, eliminating key figures such as the commander of the missile force in the Quds Brigades, Ali Hassan Ghali, and his deputy, Ahmed Abu Daqqa, followed by the assassination of Operations Staff Commander Iyad al-Hassani on the fourth day.

Remarkably, after each targeted killing, the Quds Brigades intensified its missile strikes and introduced new tactics into the battle. This had the effect of shrouding the Israeli ground forces, which had misread the PIJ’s capabilities, in the fog of war.

The Quds Brigades employed tactics such as utilizing suicide drones, anti-tank missiles, and launching intensive mortar attacks. Its intention was clear: to demonstrate through firepower and brute force that the policy of targeted assassinations had not diminished its effectiveness in the field.

Not taking the bait

A source in PIJ tells The Cradle that the Quds Brigades leadership had carefully analyzed the lessons learned from the previous two battles. According to the source, Israel’s objective was to provoke another “emotional reaction” from the Brigades, through heavy firepower. To counter the Israeli tactic, the Brigades have focused on strengthening the discipline of field fighters. “The instructions were clear: do not shoot and wait for orders.”

This discipline led to an expansion of the area of missile launch sites, which reduced the effectiveness of Israel’s technological monitoring of the firing points, and weakened the possibility of identifying and targeting them.

The source explains: “When we decide to launch 50 missiles, we do so from 10 launch points, although we are able to launch them all from one or two points. By doing so, we preserve the safety of fighters and launchers.”

According to Israeli statistics, PIJ alone fired about 1,500 missiles, “which completely paralyzed the cities of the south, and caused the evacuation of 12,000 settlers,” killing an Israeli and a foreign worker, and injuring 77 others, in addition to hundreds of minor injuries and panic attacks.

These numbers, according to Palestinian researcher Ismail Muhammad, show that the PIJ was able, during only a 10-month interim between operations “Unity of the Fronts” and “Revenge of the Free,” to rebuild its missile stockpile and to address all previous technical problems. As Muhammad tells The Cradle:

“Despite the losses at the command level, no significant field losses were recorded. Four field fighters from the artillery unit and the armor unit were martyred, while the losses in the missile unit remained zero.”

“The continued firing of missiles at the same pace until the last moment indicates that that the assassination of the commanders did not affect the effectiveness of the field, and that the Brigades were able to assign new commanders, whom Israel described after the bombing of the city of Jerusalem on the last day as crazier than their predecessors.”

Down but not out

Shortly before the ceasefire took effect, PIJ launched over 120 rockets targeting Ashkelon, Tel Aviv, Palmachim, Rishon Lezion, and Rehovot. This was an attempt by the PIJ to remind Israelis that its military capabilities remained intact and plentiful and that it retained the upper hand, even though the ceasefire deal did not accurately reflect PIJ’s gains on the ground.

During the ceasefire negotiations, the PIJ was successful in persuading mediators to include the phrase “stop targeting individuals” in the agreement, signaling a halt to assassinations. However, it is widely acknowledged that Israel is unlikely to honor this commitment.

The military assessment of Operation Revenge of the Free is that it allowed the Quds Brigades to increase the cost for Israel by singling out PIJ cadres. Despite the loss of six commanders, a source confirms to The Cradle that the Brigades appointed new commanders during the battle who effectively resumed operations without missing a beat.

Predictably, Israel has already deviated from the spirit of a ceasefire by supporting the controversial Flag March of Jewish extremists through East Jerusalem, assisted and emboldened by the presence of 3,200 Israeli security forces. This visceral challenge to Palestinians represents a crucial test not only for PIJ but also for all resistance factions that have pledged to disrupt Israel’s provocative actions in Jerusalem.

The Flag March aims to project a false “image of victory” for Netanyahu and restore Israel’s deterrence – something he failed to achieve during the five-day confrontation with the second most powerful organization in the Gaza Strip in terms of strength and military capabilities, and arguably, the most militant and uncompromising in its armed struggle for national liberation.

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Cradle.

معركة “ثأر الأحرار” في المنظور الاستراتيجي الأميركي

الاخد 14-05-2023

معركة “ثأر الأحرار” في المنظور الاستراتيجي الأميركي

عمرو علان

ربما تكون أزمة نتنياهو الداخلية أحد دوافع عدوان الاحتلال الأخير على غزَّة، وربما يكون سعي الكيان لاسترداد قدرته الردعية بدافعٍ ذاتي أحد الأسباب أيضاً.

يقال إن الاحتلال لطالما أتمّ انتخاباته عبر الخوض في الدم الفلسطيني والدم العربي، وإنه دأب على حلّ أزماته الداخلية من خلال تصديرها إلى الخارج بواسطة اعتداءاتٍ طالت كل دول الطوق تقريباً، وهذا كان صحيحاً لفتراتٍ طويلةٍ، كانت فيها يده هي العليا، وكان يمكن الاعتماد على تلك الأسباب وحدها لتفسير التوقيت والأهدافل اعتداءاته في كثير من الحالات.

أمّا اليوم، وبعد أن قَوِيَت شوكة فصائل المقاومة الفلسطينية، واشتد ساعد قوى “محور المقاومة” بصورة عامة، وصار للدخول في حروبٍ أو جولات تصعيدٍ مع أيّ منها تكلفةٌ يدفعها الاحتلال وجبهته الداخلية، فلم تَعُدْ تلك الأسباب وحدها كافيةً لتفسير أهداف اعتداءاته وتوقيتها. ففي نهاية المطاف، ما زال يوجد في الكيان الموقت “مؤسسة جيشٍ” وهيئة أمنٍ قومي وشُعْبة استخبارات عسكريةٍ قوية، وتلك المؤسسات يكون لها ثقلٌ وازنٌ حين اتخاذ قرار الذهاب إلى الحرب. فحال الكيان في ذلك كسائر الدول والكيانات، ويصعب على السياسيين بصورةٍ عامةٍ إقناع مؤسسات الأمن القومي بالذهاب إلى الحرب في حال عدم وجود مسوغٍّ حقيقي لها، أو أنها فقط لمجرد رغبة السياسيين في تصدير أزماتهم الداخلية إلى الخارج، ولا سيما عندما يكون لتلك الحرب تكلفةٌ يمكن أن تضرّ أمن الدولة، كما باتت اليوم حال الكيان في مواجهة قوى المقاومة. 

إذاً، ربما تكون أزمة نتنياهو الداخلية أحد دوافع عدوان الاحتلال الأخير على غزَّة، وربما يكون سعي الكيان لاسترداد قدرته الردعية بدافعٍ ذاتي أحد الأسباب أيضاً، لكن في ظل المخاطر المستجدة، والتي يمكن أن تواجه العدو في أي عدوانٍ على قوى المقاومة، يصير من الأقرب إلى الصواب البحث عن أهداف استراتيجيةٍ أو تكتيكيةٍ للعدو أكثر عمقاً من وراء عدوانه. فالتقدير الصحيح لأهداف العدوان يساعد على صياغة الطريقة الأكثر ملاءمةً لإفشاله، فماذا يريد الكيان، إذاً، من وراء هذا العدوان الأخير على غزَّة؟ والذي بدأه بضربةٍ قاسيةٍ في الشكل والمضمون؟ وهل كان قراره بشأن التصعيد فردياً؟

يمرّ العالم برمته حالياً في حالة إعادة رسمٍ للتوازنات بين أقطابه، أمّا منطقتنا فجاريةٌ إعادةُ رسم التوازنات فيها منذ حينٍ. وأثبتت جولات الحرب في العقدين الأخيرين بين كيان الاحتلال وقوى المقاومة الإقليمية والفلسطينية، بدءاً بحرب عام 2006 في لبنان، وليس انتهاءً بمعركة “سيف القدس” عام 2021، تراجعَ قدرة جيش الاحتلال على تحقيق أهدافه من تلك الحروب، الأمر الذي حدا بالأميركي إلى محاولة تجنيب الاحتلال الدخول في معارك جديدةٍ، وذلك حمايةً له إلى حين تعديل موازين القوى، التي باتت مختلَّةً في غير مصلحة الكيان الموقت، إذ كانت حرب عام 2006 آخر معركةٍ خاضها كيان الاحتلال بدفعٍ مباشرٍ من الأميركي، ونيابةً عنه، كما اقر بذلك إيهود أولمرت، رئيس وزراء كيان الاحتلال في ذاك الوقت. 

لكن، في معركة “ثأر الأحرار”، تظهر اليد الأميركية بوضوحٍ، فلقد جاءت عقب زيارة مستشار الأمن القومي الأميركي، جيك سوليفان، الأخيرة لكيان الاحتلال، كما أن نتنياهو صرَّح بشأن وضع الإدارة الأميركية في صورة الاعتداء الأخير على غزَّة مسبّقاً، بالإضافة إلى ما قاله إيلي كوهن، وزير خارجية الاحتلال، بشأن حصول الكيان على غطاءٍ سياسي مطلقٍ من الولايات المتحدة الأميركية، هذا ناهيك بالاتصالات التشاورية التي أجراها يوآف غالانت، وزير الحرب في حكومة الاحتلال، مع نظيره الأميركي، على نحو لا يدع مجالاً للشك في الانخراط الأميركي المباشر في هذه الجولة.

من هنا، يمكن رصد تبدُّلٍ في الموقف الأميركي تجاه إشعال كيان الاحتلال لتوتِّرٍ جديدٍ في المنطقة، إذ كان الأميركي سعى، خلال الفترة القريبة الماضية، لمنع انزلاق الأوضاع في الإقليم إلى حربٍ أخرى، بسبب انشغاله بحربه ضد روسيا في أوكرانيا.

لكن، يبدو أن تعثُّر الأميركي في تحقيق أهدافه الاستراتيجية في الحرب الأوكرانية حتى اللحظة، والذي أدى بصورةٍ أو بأخرى إلى إضعاف قبضته على حلفائه الإقليميين، والذي بدا في بعض الخطوات التي اتخذتها السعودية – على سبيل المثال لا الحصر – حينما أعادت العلاقات بإيران برعايةٍ صينيةٍ، جعل الأميركي يعيد النظر في توجهاته، ويغامر بدفع كيان الاحتلال إلى خوض معركةٍ جديدةٍ، مع من يظنه الحلقة الأضعف في “محور المقاومة”، أملاً في أن يرمِّم الكيان الغاصب جزءاً من ردعه الذي تهشَّم، ويستعيد وظيفته التي أنشئ من أجلها، كعصاً وضابط إيقاعٍ لدول المنطقة، عسى أن يَحدّ ذلك زيادةَ اختلال التوازن في الإقليم لغير مصلحة الأميركي. 

من خلال رصد الطريقة الجديدة في إدارة معركة “ثأر الأحرار” من جانب فصائل المقاومة الفلسطينية، بدايةً بعدم الرد الفوري على جريمة اغتيال القادة الشهداء لحركة “الجهاد الإسلامي”، والصمت المُعبِّر والذي اتبعته قبيل بدء المعركة، ودخول الفصائل موحدةً في القتال ضمن “غرفة العمليات المشتركة”، ومن خلال تقديرات المقاومة في الأشهر القليلة الماضية، بأن العدو متَّجهٌ إلى شنِّ عدوانٍ جديدٍ على غزَّة، يَظهر أن فصائل المقاومة الفلسطينية تدرك مغزى هذه المعركة، والمدى الذي يمكن أن تصل إليه.

بالنتيجة، بناءً على الفهم الذي طرحه هذا المقال لأبعاد معركة “ثأر الأحرار”، يَعتقِد الكيان الموقت أن نجاحه في تحقيق أهدافه سيؤدي إلى تعديل التوازنات الإقليمية على نحو يصبّ في مصلحته، ليس فقط في مواجهة المقاومة الفلسطينية، بل في مواجهة “محور المقاومة” عموماً، بالإضافة إلى ضرب المواجهة الاستراتيجية الدائرة في الضفَّة الغربية حالياً، إذ تستمد تلك المواجهة زخمها من وجود ظهيرٍ قوي لها في غزَّة، وفي دول المحور كذلك، كما يأمل الأميركي استعادة جزءٍ من هيمنته المتراجعة في الإقليم. 

وفي حال نجاح فصائل غزَّة في إفشال أهداف هذا العدوان، فإنَّها ستحقِّق قفزةً إلى الأمام في مستوى تأثيرها الإقليمي، على غرار ما حقَّقته في معركة “سيف القدس”.

لكن، في النهاية، غاب عن ذهنَي الأميركي والكيان الموقت معاً، أن وقف مسار القوس الصاعد لقوى المقاومة في المنطقة، يلزمه انتصارٌ استراتيجي للكيان في عدَّة جبهاتٍ معاً، ولعل هذا ما يجعل حظوظه في تحقيق أهدافه من عدوانه الأخير محدودةً.

إن الآراء المذكورة في هذه المقالة تعبّر عن رأي صاحبها حصراً

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‘Israel’ Anticipates “Black Days”: It’s About a Multi-Front War

 April 28, 2023

Illustrative photo displaying flags of movements within the Axis of Resistance.

Ali Haidar – Al-Akhbar Newspaper (April 21, 2023)

Translated by Al-Manar English Website staff

Day after another, the Israeli army becomes convinced by an old hypothesis that the Zionist entity will engage in a multi-front confrontation. The recent resistance operations extending from the north to the south, all the way to occupied Palestine interior- the latest of which could have rolled into a wide round of fighting- only weighed this hypothesis as well.

Meanwhile, the recent operations imposed a pressure on both the political and security institutions in the occupation regime, as it deepened the state of confusion within the Israeli leadership.

However, such Israeli estimations not only did begin with the outbreak of the last “rocketry round” in the third week of the holy month of Ramadan, but rather that the latter represented a modest translation of a scenario present by the occupation leadership years ago.

Perhaps the “Chariots of Fire” military exercise, which was scheduled for 2021 and was postponed till 2022 due to the “Seif Al-Quds” battle, indicated that this scenario had been on the table since before.

According to Israeli estimates, Iran has made significant strides in its plan to deploy missiles, drones and advanced weapons around the Zionist entity, turning the occupied territories from the north to the south into a real battlefield.

As a result, the enemy lives with an obsession that it will face a harsh confrontation that simultaneously includes Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, all the way to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, especially since it is expected, in this case, to be subjected to destruction on scales that it has not witnessed throughout its history.

These estimates raised the level of concerns in the Israeli regime living with a permanent state of fear over any conflict in the region.

And what makes the picture more bleak for ‘Israel’ is that the multi-front war scenario, with its military and strategic risks, comes at a time when the Zionist entity finds itself “drowned in the most serious internal crisis in its history, while its prime minister is Benjamin Netanyahu, who promised to put Iran at the top of his priorities, is busy trying to save himself from the court’s ruling, as the people are divided,” said Chuck Freilich, former deputy national security adviser, as reported by Yedioth Ahronoth (April 19,2023).

Freilich added, “Saudi Arabia and the UAE have restored their relations with Iran, and Egypt is on the way to do so, as the regional alliance that Israel sought to build is disintegrating, with Iran’s relations with China and Russia deepening, and the crisis in our relationship with the United States is deep,” to conclude that “all the strategy that Netanyahu built has collapsed.”

The battles on more than one front have ceased, but the messages behind Megiddo operation and the subsequent missile strikes from Lebanon, Syria and Gaza against ‘Israel’ are still echoed by assessment and decision-making bodies across the Zionist entity.

In depth, the enemy’s institutions view the security developments that have taken place in recent weeks as a new phase that is highly intertwined, complex, and completely different from what they are familiar with in the maneuvers that simulated such scenarios.

Perhaps what frightens ‘Israel’ in this stage is that if it decides to retaliate it will find itself engaged in a multi-front battle that it fears and has been trying to avoid, while if it refrains from doing so, it will have accepted the erosion of its deterrent power.

The Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, confirmed in a security assessment session (on April 20) that ‘Israel’ is “at the end of the era of limited confrontations,” and that it is thus entering “a new security era that poses a real threat in all arenas at the same time.”

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant

Gallant remarks reflect a shift in the conscious of the Israeli security institution and anticipate the Israeli decision makers’ cautious behavior towards its options in a bid to avoid a dangerous scenario that is seen by the Israelis as the “Day of Resurrection”.

The Israeli DM summed up this shift by the Israeli military establishment, and behind it the political establishment as well, by saying: “We have worked for years to assume that we can engage in limited conflicts, but this phenomenon is disappearing. Today there is a clear phenomenon, which is the united fronts.”

Gallant also expressed that Iran is the “driving force” for this phenomenon by providing “resources, ideology, knowledge and training for its proxies,” adding that the increasing dependence of all these powers on Iran prompts the Islamic Republic to “defy Israel.”

On the other hand, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah was clear in his recent speech on the occasion of “International Al-Quds Day” (April 14), where he warned the enemy against relying on a policy that aims at engaging in a single battle based on the assessment that the people of the region do not want a war.

“This is a dangerous game,” Sayyed Nasrallah said, warning that the occupation’s calculations may drag the region into an all-out war, which will necessarily be multi-fronts.

For its part, the Israeli cabinet held a session on the threat emanating from Lebanon and Syria. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deliberately coincided the session with the “Holocaust” anniversary, and “in the presence of all the security leadership in ‘Israel’, with the aim of sending a message of strength”, according to the Hebrew “Kan” channel.

Other reports stated that the session discussed the scenario of escalation on the northern front, as a result of a possible escalation in Gaza, according to the estimates of the Israeli security and military establishments.

As a result, the Israeli stances, as well as the political performance, reveal that the Zionist regime deals with all seriousness with the fact that the region has entered a new phase, with which the hypothesis of the multi-front battle has become more present on the table, prompting ‘Israel’ to discuss its possible options regarding it, especially in light of doubts over Tel Aviv’s readiness to wage such a battle.

Hence, the occupation’s limited response during the latest round is understood, as well as its focus on neutralizing “Hezbollah”, in a bid to avoid acts of reprisals.

Nevertheless, the realization of the multi-front scenario depends on a number of factors, including the possibility of the Israeli miscalculations, which will make it as if it is treading a regional mine that will explode and topple its internal front and the interests of its American sponsor in the region.

Axis of Resistance Benjamin Netanyahu Hezbollah Iran Israel Lebanon Palestine Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah Yoav Gallant

Palestine Will Be True Holocaust for Israelis

 January 28, 2023

At least 7 Israelis were killed in Al-Quds operation

Mohammad Salami

Historically, the Zionists have blackmailed Germany and the whole globe over the alleged Holocaust, which refers to the Nazi genocide against the European Jews in Poland during World War II.

A short article would not be enough to refute the Zionist Holocaust claims, but we can briefly say history tells us that Britain arrested in 1946 the former Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Shamir over connections with its German enemy in preparation for the establishment of ‘Israel’. Moreover, numerous historians and academicians indicated that a large number of people died in the Polish camps due to pandemics caused by the miseries of the war.

Former Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Shamir

Israelis have gained more than sympathy and financial support in return. Actually, the Zionists obtained a patent to establish an illegitimate entity in Palestine and commit all the needed crimes to defend their occupation. Around 80 years of Zionist crimes in Palestine and the neighboring Arab countries have been justified, and even supported.

Thus, the Zionists have used an untrue myth to be the political justification of the true crime of usurping Palestine.

The Palestinian Resistance against the Israeli occupation has passed through various stages before reaching the game-changing moment of Al-Quds Sword Battle in May, 2021. During that confrontation, the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza managed to impose new deterrence formula on the Zionist enemy in a way that includes protecting Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The cooperation among the Palestinians in Gaza as well as the occupied West Bank and 1948 lands has comprised a masterpiece that controlled the political and filed movement of the Israeli enemy.

The development of the Palestinian Resistance in Jenin and the entire West Bank has inflicted heavy losses upon the Israelis whose moderate and extremist governments failed to cope with this challenge.

In accordance with the Zionist worries, most of the Palestinian operations in the occupied West Bank are being carried out by young people who rejected to surrender to the bitter reality of the occupation.

On Saturday, January, 28, a Palestinian teen shot and wounded two Israelis outside Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Old City’s so-called David Street, police and medics said.

One day earlier, a resident from Al-Quds killed at least seven Israelis and injured at least ten others in a shooting near a synagogue in occupied Al-Quds (Jerusalem).

The Palestinian Kheiri Alqam, 21, arrived at the Neve Yaakov street shortly after 8 p.m. on Friday and opened fire at Israelis leaving the Ateret Avraham synagogue, the Jerusalem Post reported.

After entering and attacking the synagogue, the shooter reportedly started chasing after Israelis who were trying to escape. Israeli Channel 12 and The Times of Israel described the attack in Neve Yaakov as a “massacre.”

Scene of the attack

Accordingly, the new generation of the Palestinian resistance has proved readiness to confront the Zionist terror to the extent of destroying the occupation entity. The Zionists may now experience a true Holocaust in Palestine.

They have only one choice: leaving Palestine.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu visits scene of the shooting in Al-Quds (January 27, 2023).

Source: Al-Manar English Website

The Jenin Massacre Won’t Go Unanswered, Hamas, Islamic Jihad Pledge

 January 27, 2023

By Al-Ahed News

In wake of the ‘Israeli’ occupation regime’s Thursday massacre in the Palestinian city of Jenin, Hamas Spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanu’ told Al-Ahed News that “Our people and resistance in the West Bank are in the course of an open confrontation against the occupation, in which the struggle won’t stop before the end of the occupation.”

“The joint Operations Room is following up the unfolding events and will take a decision accordingly,” Al-Qanu’ stressed, vowing that “The resistance, our people in al-Quds and the West Bank, and the detainees are united together and we won’t hesitate to get involved in another Operation ‘Al-Quds Sword’.”

For his part, the Islamic Jihad Spokesman, Tareq Silmi, underlined that assassinating the movement’s leaders in Jenin won’t end the resistance, which will rather continue to overthrow all of the Zionist enemy’s policies.

“As long as crimes are taking place, we are talking of an open battle against the occupier. Such crimes won’t go unanswered,” Silmi affirmed.

The spokesman added in remarks to Al-Ahed News that the “Islamic Jihad dealt with what happened in Jenin by confronting the enemy and inflicting injuries upon the occupation military personnel. We are speaking of killing the head of the Centralized Special Unit of the ‘Israeli’ police, also known as ‘Yamam’, and this response was united and represented through the unity in the battlefield.”

Silmi further affirmed the movement’s full readiness to confront the enemy and thwart all of its policies and conspiracies that aim at killing the spirit of resistance in the West Bank and eliminating the Palestinian cause.

Were It Not for Iran, Where Would Palestine Be?

 November 23, 2022

Ahmad FarhatTranslated and Edited by Mohammad Salami

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah stressed, during a speech last month, that , the most important factor of strength in the axis of resistance is the Islamic Republic of Iran, wondering where Palestine would be without the Iranian role.

The signing of Camp David Accords crowned the US-brokered Egyptian concessions to the Israeli enemy, knowing that the most prominent event in this context was the visit of the Egyptian President Anwar Al-Sadat to the Zionist entity in November, 1977.

Signing of Camp David Peace Accord (President Jimmy Carter, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin)

Since the end of the 1973 war and the advent of Egypt’s settlements era, the military formulas in the region had changed. The Arab countries, consequently, could not fight on one front against the Israeli enemy which managed to hold bilateral ‘peace’ agreements with the Arab countries in order to avoid facing them altogether.

The Arabs suffered then from a wide case of frustration amid the collapse of the Common Arab Security.

With respect to the Zionist entity, the Arab countries would no longer be able to attack ‘Israel’ without the participation of Egypt despite the fact that the Israeli enemy continued carrying out its occupation and expansion schemes. In this regard, the Zionist enemy invaded Lebanon in 1978 and 1982 and struck the Palestinian resistance.

The following video shows the Palestinian resistance fighters leaving Lebanon in 1982:

Hope Rising in the East

Amid the tragic developments, Imam Ruhollah Khomeini led the Islamic Revolution in Iran to a historic victory in 1979. Just 8 days later, the Islamic Republic identified its foreign policy, granting the keys of the Israeli embassy in Tehran to Yasser Arafat, the late head of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. This established a new epoch of a strategic Iranian support to the Palestinian cause.

Since its victory, the Islamic Revolution in Iran rejected and confronted all the schemes which targeted the Palestinian cause, providing all the possible means of support to the Palestinian resistance and intifada. The Iranian authorities have been also supporting and funding the Palestinian camps in the diaspora in order to maintain the steadfastness of the refugees.

On August 7, 1979, late founder of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Ruhollah Mousavi Khomeini designated the last Friday of Ramadan holy month as the International Al-Quds Day. Since then, Al-Quds Day has become a day all Muslims and oppressed people across the world rally for Al-Quds and Palestine against the Zionist occupation.

The Islamic Republic in Iran has been also supporting the Palestinian resistance factions which have committed to the rules of Islam.

Axis of Resistance

The axis of resistance led by the Islamic Republic of Iran engaged in several wars in Lebanon and Palestine. Iran supported founding Hezbollah Islamic Resistance that cooperated with the Palestinian resistance to reach victories.

This cooperation appeared clearly during Al-Quds Sword battle in 2021 between Gaza resistance and the Israeli enemy when Hezbollah, IRGC, and Hamas established a chamber of military operations in Beirut during the recent Israeli aggression on Gaza.

This axis, which has sacrificed a large number of martyrs crowned by the former head of IRGC’s Al-Quds Force martyr General Qassem Suleimani, has set praying at Al-Aqsa Mosque as a strategic target.

The video that follows the huge support demonstrated by the Iranian people to the Palestinian cause on various occasions, including mainly Al-Quds Day.

Source: Al-Manar English Website

Netanyahu returns, but Israel’s political and military landscape has changed

Bibi is back, leading Israel’s most right-wing government but also facing unprecedented Palestinian resistance and global turmoil.

November 06 2022

Photo Credit: The Cradle

By Abdel Bari Atwan

While the Arab Summit in Algeria affirmed its adherence to the so-called ‘Arab Peace Initiative’ as a final solution to the Palestinian issue, Israel’s response came quickly and resolutely with the return to power of Benjamin Netanyahu and the anti-Arab religious Likud bloc.

In the 1 November legislative elections, Israelis voted in large numbers for the anti-Arab, racist, religious parties, which openly embrace a policy of killing and expelling Palestinians from all of occupied Palestine, and promote a solely Jewish-Zionist identity of the country.

The “Jewish Power” party, which won 15 seats, and is led by the two most racist figures in the short history of the Jewish state, Bezael H. Cherish and his deputy Itamar Ben Gvir, will be the backbone of Netanyahu’s coalition government.

The leader of this party, which will be the most prominent partner of the Arab monarchs who signed peace agreements with Israel, has called for killing Arabs, expelling them and wrapping the bodies of the martyrs in pigskin “in honor” of them.

Normalization the new norm

Nonetheless, it is likely that red carpets will be laid out for Ben Gvir and Netanyahu in Arab capitals, where they will enjoy Arab hospitality and drink from their gilded goblets. Indeed, there is no difference between the winning Israeli coalition and the defeated one (Lapid-Gantz).

Both converge on their mutual hostility and hatred of Arabs and Muslims. General Benny Gantz, the Israeli Minister of Defense in the previous government, used to boast that he was the Israeli who killed the largest number of Arabs – and this is true, as his government has killed 166 Palestinians since the beginning of this year.

There is a silver lining, however: This racist government will hasten Israel’s demise and lead to its inevitable end, not at the hands of the battered Arab armies, but at the hands of the Palestinian resistance and their regional allies, their missiles and drones.

There are three steps that the Netanyahu government and his extremist coalition may take upon assuming power:

First, a return to reviving the Trump-era ‘Deal of the Century,’ the annexation of the West Bank, and the deportation of most of its Palestinian residents to Jordan as an “alternative homeland.”

Second, the escalation of incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the consolidation of Jewish control over East Jerusalem, and the obliteration of its Arab and Islamic identity. The first step may be dividing it on the model of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, then demolishing it, and erecting the alleged “temple” on its ruins.

Third, the canceling or freezing of the maritime border demarcation agreement with Lebanon, similar to what happened to the Oslo Accords with Palestinians. Netanyahu announced his intent to do so openly in his election campaign.

This option appears especially likely given that extraction of gas and oil from the Karish field has already begun, while the Qana field, which was “partially” recognized as Lebanese, remains untouched, with no surveys or exploration conducted until this moment.

It is likely that the Lebanese gas fields will lay dormant for the foreseeable future. The same US mediators did not guarantee the implementation of even 1 per cent of the Oslo Accords, and they will most likely not guarantee the rights of the Lebanese people.

Renewed Palestinian armed resistance

But Netanyahu is set to assume control over a very different state of affairs, both domestically and internationally. For starters, Israel is facing an escalating internal conflict, and most importantly, a revived intifada in the form of West Bank armed resistance.

We cannot talk about West Bank resistance without discussing the phenomenon of The Lions’ Den whose political and military influence is expanding, while the Palestinian public’s embrace of the movement is growing. Not a day passes without witnessing a commando operation in various parts of the West Bank; in Nablus, Jenin and Hebron – later in Ramallah, and then in the pre-1948 occupied Palestinian territories.

Netanyahu may succeed in including one or two more Arab governments in the Abraham Accords, which was signed under his last premiership. However, such political acrobatics will have no value in light of the “awakening” of the Palestinian people and their return to armed resistance.

The returning Netanyahu will not forget the May 2021 battle of the “Sword of Jerusalem” that humiliated him, and its missiles that isolated the occupying state for more than 11 days, forcing millions of Israeli settler-colonizers into shelters and bunkers.

These missiles are still present and ready, along with hundreds of armed drones. Perhaps it is also worth reminding the incoming Israeli Prime Minister of how he ended an electoral meeting in the city of Ashdod (my ancestors’ hometown) and fled in terror from the 400 missiles launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement in retaliation for the assassination of its leader, Baha Abu al-Atta.

Just another day in the office?

The “Israel” to which Netanyahu returns is not the same Israel he left, and the world he knew when he was last in power, is not the same world today. His US supporter is mired in an unprecedented proxy war of attrition with Russia in Ukraine, where his co-religionist, Volodymyr Zelensky, has so far lost about a fifth of his country’s territory, and has plunged it into darkness and despair.

While Netanyahu is viewed as as being close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, that friendship had deepened before the Ukraine war. The situation has now changed dramatically, and he will be forced to choose between Washington and Moscow in an era of multipolarity.

As for the Lions’ Den, they have effectively changed all the equations and rules of engagement in occupied Palestine – and perhaps in the Arab world as well – and within this context will actually “welcome” the hardliner Netanyahu’s return to power.

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Cradle.

The Evolution of The Palestinian Resistance and Its New Strategy

22 Oct 2022 23:3

Source: Al Mayadeen English

Robert Inlakesh 

The bravery and defiance of Ibrahim Nablusi, immortalized him as a heroic martyr and saw tens of thousands pack the streets of Nablus city, where the resistance fighter was killed, in order to attend his funeral.

There have been at least 11 large-scale Israeli assaults on the Gaza Strip, four wars, and hundreds of attacks against the territory, resulting in the untold misery of the Gazan civilian population

The ongoing Palestinian uprising, along with the revival of the armed struggle inside the occupied West Bank, has largely been characterised by its tendencies as a popular movement, namely that there has been a chaotic reaction from the occupier. The past months’ developments have been an indicator of a major shift from the initial stages of the uprising and it’s time to take note.

The Palestinian armed uprising, inside the West Bank, can largely be traced back to the 11-day war that broke out in May, 2021, between the Palestinian resistance in Gaza and the Israeli military. Following this, although the armed fighters had been previously active, in September of 2021  when the ‘Jenin Brigades’ were officially formed and the action they began to take shook “Israel” to its core. 2022 has been a more violent year for the West Bank, than the besieged Gaza Strip, with the majority of Palestinians killed by the occupation forces this year being inside the West Bank, with nearly 170 dead so far.

The scenes of armed resistance attacks, which occur multiple times per day at this time, against Israeli forces and settlers, have brought back the tactics and brutality of the Zionist regime never witnessed inside the West Bank since the Second Intifada (2000-2007). Although the initial attacks that came from groups such as the Jenin brigades, the Tulkarem brigades, and the Nablus brigades, seemed to have been loosely organized and worked primarily to inspire later action, along with shaking up the Israeli “security system”, this seems to be no longer the case. What has marked a seismic shift in the conflict between the occupier and the resistance inside the West Bank, has been the introduction of the Areen al-Oussoud, or Lions’ Den group, that declared themselves out of the old city of Nablus on September 2nd. 

The Gaza based resistance movement

Since the armed resistance in the West Bank was either destroyed or disbanded in the early 2000’s by the Israeli military and Palestinian Authority (PA), the armed struggle has been isolated into the hands of the movements operating out of the Gaza Strip. For a long time, there has been a successfully implemented strategy, by the Israelis and Americans, to isolate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank, during this time the resistance in Gaza – headed by Hamas primarily – had taken over the path of armed struggle.

There have been at least 11 large-scale Israeli assaults on the Gaza Strip, four wars, and hundreds of attacks against the territory, resulting in the untold misery of the Gazan civilian population. Since the imposition of the siege, by not only “Israel” and Egypt but more importantly by the collective Western governments, the strategy has been to pressure the Palestinian people who live inside the territory to overthrow Hamas as their democratically elected government. This strategy, implemented since the 2006 – not 2007 when the siege was tightened significantly and is often framed as having started – the sanctions against Gaza have failed to bring the resistance to its knees and this is owed to the resounding resilience of the Palestinian people.

For most of the history of the Hamas rule of Gaza, it had been “Israel” that had taken most of the initiative to strike first and to be on the offensive. It has been noted by many analysts and historians, that despite the bravery and constant innovations of the resistance, “they had largely proven ineffective at inflicting significant defeats upon the enemy”. The strategic thinking of the resistance began to undergo significant shifts, however, dating back to 2015, but truly showing steadiness from 2017, during the major dispute between Qatar and many of the Gulf States, in addition to other pro-Western reactionary Arab regimes.

In 2018, during the Great March of Return, the armed resistance movements – which had not been constantly fighting each other but had also not participated in a real unified command – decided to form the ‘Joint Operations Room’ of the Palestinian resistance. Although during most of 2018, the Israeli military would routinely attack the Gaza Strip with airstrikes and was constantly on the offensive, this would change by November of that same year.

Israeli agents had infiltrated the Gaza Strip in 2018, plotting to either assassinate or kidnap a commander in the armed wing of Hamas, the Al-Qassam brigades, named Nur Baraka. The Israeli agents were discovered and fled, one of them was shot dead in the process, whilst Israeli drone strikes were launched against the Gaza Strip. What ensued was a complete embarrassment for the Israeli political establishment, not only was the Israeli raid a complete failure, but the resistance showed a new unified strategy that we had not seen the likes of before. “Israel’s” then-minister of war, Avigdor Liberman, was so embarrassed that he resigned from his position. 300 rockets were fired at “Israel”, whilst the resistance fired anti-tank munitions that killed Israeli soldiers. A video was also released by the Sala al-Din brigades, which showed that at least 5 Israeli soldiers had been killed or mortally wounded in an explosive attack, an event that had happened in February but was covered up by the Israelis. The armed movement had laced Palestinian flagpoles with explosives, waited for Israeli soldiers to pull them down, and then detonated the devices.

Then, in early May 2019, the armed resistance movements in Gaza chose to strategically escalate tensions and open up a limited battle with the Israeli military, around 2 weeks prior to “Tel Aviv’s” hosting of the Eurovision song contest. In November 2019, “Israel” attempted to gain back some of its strategic initiatives, by attempting to isolate and target the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement in both Gaza and Syria. Despite assassinating leading figures in the PIJ movement, most prominently Baha Abu Al-Atta, the attack did little to change the course of the armed struggle.

Fast forward to May 2021, when the battle of Saif al-Quds was declared by the Israeli military, the people of Palestine had unified against the ongoing desecration of the Holy Sites in the old city of al-Quds. Saif al-Quds was when the Joint Room came to real prominence and it was clear that all the groups resisting Israel were unified, this provided inspiration to the rest of the Palestinian population in the other occupied Palestinian territories. Until this moment, despite “Israel’s” three-day attack against the PIJ movement, back in August, Tel Aviv has failed to achieve the equation it had before 2018. The Zionist regime went from attacking Gaza at will, constantly launching any strikes it wanted, to being deterred from striking Gaza unless it was willing to commit to an all-out war and now it is the resistance in Gaza that plots to strike first,  of strategic initiative.

Lessons learnt and the evolution of the West Bank struggle

One of the major issues that caused the setback of August this year, which had caught the resistance by surprise, was a fault made in the rhetoric of the Gaza-based resistance. “Israel” exploited this weakness in order to inflict a psychological blow against the resistance as a whole, it was clear that the resistance had not prepared for the scenario that befell them and although they reacted in a very rational way, within their means, the Israelis managed to score a pyrrhic victory on the propaganda front. The problem was, not that the resistance had acted in the wrong manner, but had projected great strength and made threats that weren’t intended on being followed through with, in the way that many had interpreted them.

“Israel’s” attack on Gaza in August may have resulted in political points for Prime Minister Yair Lapid and a distraction from the maritime border dispute with Lebanon if only the regime did not get greedy. Days later, the Israeli military sent in special forces units to assassinate the 19-year-old resistance fighter, Ibrahim Nablusi, yet, his killing served the opposite of its intended purpose. The bravery and defiance of Ibrahim Nablusi, immortalized him as a heroic martyr and saw tens of thousands pack the streets of Nablus city, where the resistance fighter was killed, in order to attend his funeral. As his mother held a pride-filled smile, whilst carrying her son’s body, thousands chanted Ibrahim Nablusi’s name and all over the West Bank young resistance fighters pledged to avenge his martyrdom. Instead of beating down the spirits of the Palestinian people and their belief in the armed struggle, Israel strengthened the resistance.

The mistake in the rhetoric of the Gaza-based resistance has undoubtedly been addressed now also, shown clearly through the statement released last Friday by the Joint Operations Room. This joint statement marks a turning point in the course of the armed struggle, as they not only have shown growth in their strategic rhetoric, but also they were dressed in a very interesting way. It should be noted that the Joint Room, which comprises all the serious armed movements in the Gaza Strip, dressed in military uniform, keffiyeh and did not wear anything to distinguish the resistance faction. This is symbolically powerful, as simultaneously the Lions’ Den group in Nablus is also refraining from identifying themselves with any single political or military party/movement. 

The armed groups that have been formed throughout the West Bank are made up of young people, mostly between the ages of 18 to 25, who come from many different political backgrounds and choose to work together as a unified force. The Lions’ Den group has also received a lot of popular support for its methods, managing to amass demonstrators that will take to the streets of Ramallah, Jenin, Nablus and beyond in order to support the resistance group. Unlike unity agreements that have been signed on paper in the past, this unity agreement has manifested itself in the physical world between armed resistance factions. It is clear that the resistance in Gaza is always taking notes of the popular will of the Palestinian people, it is adapting to this and is learning from their past mistakes in order to implement a strategy to escalate the armed struggle against the occupier. 

What is happening now with the development of the armed struggle; the unifying efforts of the younger generation and the resistance in Gaza, must be analyzed as part of this new chapter that has been opened in the history of the Palestinian struggle. This movement is becoming ever more unified, it is from the masses and in many ways is driven by the younger generation of Palestinians, it cannot be defeated by small Israeli military operations and soon this will escalate, paving the way to a completely new political landscape inside all of occupied Palestine.

The opinions mentioned in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Al mayadeen, but rather express the opinion of its writer exclusively.

Washington warns against reconciliation between Hamas and Damascus

The resumption of ties between Hamas and Syria is a symbolic victory for the resistance, as relations were strained for years following the start of the war

October 21 2022

GAZA CITY, THE GAZA STRIP, PALESTINE – 2018/12/16: A masked Palestinian seen holding a flag during the rally. Palestinians take part in a rally marking the 31st anniversary of Hamas’ founding, in Gaza City. (Photo by Mahmoud Issa/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

ByNews Desk

On 20 October, the US denounced and warned against the current reconciliation process between Syria and Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, stating that the group’s communication with Damascus will reinforce its “isolation” and undermine the interests of Palestinians.

“The Assad regime’s outreach to this terrorist organization only reinforces for us its isolation,” State Department spokesman, Ned Price, told media.

“It harms the interests of the Palestinian people and it undercuts global efforts to counterterrorism in the region and beyond,” he said, adding that Washington will “continue rejecting any support to rehabilitate the Assad regime, particularly from designated terrorist organizations like Hamas.”

Relations between Damascus and the Palestinian resistance group took a sour turn in 2012, a year after the start of the US-backed war in Syria, when Hamas publicly denounced the Syrian government and announced its solidarity with the opposition that had by that time already become aligned with extremist elements.

In 2013, Hamas operatives fought alongside the Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions and Jabhat al-Nusra against Hezbollah and the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) during the battle of al-Qusayr, in western Syria near the Lebanese border.

The ties between Hamas and the axis of resistance were strained for years after the group’s involvement in the Syrian war. Regardless of this, Hezbollah never condemned Hamas for what was seen by many as a huge betrayal, and in 2013 held meetings with the group’s representatives in a bid to ease tensions.

In recent years, Hamas made a number of attempts to resume ties with the Syrian government, despite the non-compliance of Damascus. On 25 July, however, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah revealed to Al-Mayadeen his personal interest in bringing the two together.

Relations between Hezbollah and Hamas had already thawed at this point, especially in light of the high-level coordination which took place between the two groups during the 2021 Sayf al-Quds battle fought between the Palestinian resistance factions and Israel.

In June of this year, a Hamas delegation reportedly visited Syria and met with officials in a bid to rebuild their relationship.

On 15 September, Hamas disclosed in a press statement that it has officially resumed its relations with Syria after ten years of tension. A month later, President Bashar al-Assad received a Hamas delegation and held a “warm” meeting in Damascus.

“The meeting with Assad is a glorious day, and from now on, we will resume our presence in Damascus to work alongside the Syrian people to regain the country’s stability,” the group’s deputy leader, Khalil al-Hayya said at the time, denouncing all aggression and threats against the country’s territorial integrity.

The reconciliation between Hamas and Syria signifies the return of Damascus into the regional fold, and is expected to be met with further criticism and rejection by Washington and its allies, particularly Israel.

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Can Any Lebanon-Israel Maritime Deal be Trusted?

Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° 

https://media.thecradle.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Unknown-1.jpeg

Abdel Bari Atwan

While the demarcation agreement is yet to be signed, scepticism on both sides signals conflict ahead

There is a sense of optimism in Lebanon over the possibility of signing a maritime agreement with Israel that would enable the extraction of gas from Lebanese territorial waters, which could help lead the country out of its dire financial crisis.

After the 3 October meeting that brought together Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the Republican Palace, it was clear that everyone agreed with the “moderate” proposals presented by US envoy Amos Hochstein, head of the indirect negotiations between Lebanon and Israel over their common maritime border.

Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Abu Saab announced after the meeting that Lebanon’s “comments” on the proposals would be sent to Hochstein, and that the Lebanese government would not provide an official answer to the proposal – pending a response from the US envoy before the end of the week.

Israel for its part has reportedly given preliminary approval for the proposal which consists of a 10-page draft.

Abu Saab confirmed that Lebanon had obtained its full rights in the maritime “Qana gas field,” but he cautioned that the devils lie in the detail.

Mikati, who seems the most enthusiastic to sign the US-brokered agreement, said after leaving the presidential palace that “things are going in the right direction.” His smile was wider than ever – as though gas revenues in the billions of dollars were about to flow into the coffers of the Central Bank of Lebanon.

Gas deal ‘leaks’

So far, few details of the agreement have been revealed. Currently in circulation are ‘deliberate’ indirect leaks from the two negotiating parties to ‘beautify’ the agreement for their respective constituents. It reflects the desire of deal proponents to clinch an agreement as soon as possible, ostensibly to avoid a war on the Lebanese-Israeli border that could escalate into a regional war, and maybe more.

While the Lebanese side appears uncharacteristically united and more willing to sign, sharp divisions persist in the Israeli camp, especially between interim Prime Minister Yair Lapid and his ally Minister of Defense Benny Gantz, on the one hand, and the opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, on the other.

Lapid claims, through his camp’s leaks, that Israel will retain full sovereignty over the contested Karish gas field and will receive financial compensation by relinquishing part of Lebanon’s Qana gas field – paid for by French corporation TotalEnergies, which is currently in talks of its own with Israel over potential profit sharing from exploration.

Lapid also promotes the notion that Israel made a “tactical concession in exchange for a strategic gain in stability on the northern borders.”

Netanyahu has stepped up his attacks on the prime minister and has criticized the draft agreement for making huge concessions on the ‘Land of Israel’ and for handing over its natural resources to Lebanon and Hezbollah.

This, he contends, is taking place without holding a public referendum or securing the approval of the Knesset (Parliament). He has also vowed to abolish the agreement if he comes to power following legislative elections scheduled for 1 November.

Meanwhile, everyone is awaiting the results of the mini-Israeli security cabinet meeting next Thursday, which is supposed to discuss and ratify the agreement.

The internal battle may then move to Israel’s Supreme Court to decide on the opposition’s demands to hold a referendum on the agreement, or to submit it to the Knesset for approval – or both. There are initial indications that the Supreme Court may support the opposition’s opinion.

Uri Adiri, the chief Israeli negotiator for demarcating the maritime border with Lebanon, announced his resignation in protest of Lapid’s management of the negotiations. It seems clear that the resignation came under opposition pressure, and it is not unlikely that similar resignations will take place in the coming days.

Negotiations leading to ‘normalization’

There are also criticisms on the Lebanese side in some circles, chiefly over the notion that such negotiations are a precursor to normalization with the occupation state. Abu Saab, however, has insisted that no agreement or treaty will be signed with the Israeli enemy, and that there will be no document that includes a Lebanese signature alongside an Israeli signature.

But there are several caveats worth noting:

  • Firstly: The final version of the US-brokered proposals has not yet been agreed upon, and therefore the possibilities of returning to square one, that is, before the ‘theoretical current agreement,’ are still present.
  • Secondly: The only guarantors of this agreement are the United States and France. Experiences with US guarantees are not encouraging. As we have seen with Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – likewise, the US guarantee of the Oslo Accord, signed at the White House on 13 September, 1993 – an American guarantee no longer invokes much confidence.
  • Thirdly: Netanyahu cannot cancel the agreement as long as it is legally approved, but he can undermine it if he wins the next legislative elections. As with the Oslo Accords – which he strongly opposed – while he could not exit the agreement, he prevented its implementation and reduced it to empty words by settling 800,000 settlers in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank.

Delaying the inevitable

Finally: We cannot rule out that these Israeli disputes between the government and the opposition are just political theater intended to stall, deceive the Lebanese, and plan ahead for the inevitable response by the Lebanese resistance movement, Hezbollah.

It should be noted that the US is Israel’s strongest global ally, that Lapid is one of Israel’s most ardent supporters of the US war against Russia in Ukraine, and that the American “mediator” Amos Hochstein is Israeli-born and served in the Israeli army.

The only reliable guarantee for Lebanon, for its oil and gas resources, for its security and stability, is the Islamic resistance represented by Hezbollah and its huge arsenal of precision missiles, advanced drones, and one hundred thousand-strong army of resistance fighters.

This is the first time in the history of Israel, since its establishment, that its government has offered concessions under the threat of arms and in fear of a war that threatens its existence. This is entirely due to Hezbollah’s refusal to allow Israel to extract gas before Lebanon has secured its own rights.

The next few days could be the most dangerous for Lebanon and the region. The utmost caution must be exercised, and every word or comma in any binding agreement must be carefully scrutinized before signing.

Remember that Netanyahu is a paper tiger, and he was subjected to humiliating defeats at the hands of the resistance in the Gaza Strip, especially in the battle of Sayf al-Quds.

The resistance is the biggest winner of this agreement so far in both in its implementation – because it is the one who imposed it with missiles and drones – and in the event of its collapse – because it is ready for all possibilities, foremost of which is war.

While the Lebanese people are peaceful, and have sought hard to secure a fair and equitable agreement over their maritime borders, they may yet be forced to militarily secure their national rights to Lebanon’s natural resources.

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In the West Bank, Resistance Rises as the PA Crumbles

Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360°

The Palestinian resistance factions of the West Bank are no longer fractured and in disarray, and the results speak for themselves

The Israeli army’s recent incursions into the cities and refugee camps of the northern occupied-West Bank are not going as smoothly as before.

The occupation army’s incursions into the city of Jenin and Jenin refugee camp in early September required the mobilization of large forces, including special units and armored vehicles – in scale, unprecedented since 2014.

On the night of 6 September, a force of about 100 vehicles carried out a raid in Jenin, supported by air with drones, and on land, by hundreds of soldiers from Israel’s elite military units.

Their task? To demolish the house of Ra’ad Hazem, who carried out the Dizengoff attack in Tel Aviv on 7 April, 2022. More than anything, this excessive military build-up over a single home demolition illustrates that the Israeli military can no longer operate in the West Bank as they did before the May 2021 ‘Sayf Al Quds’ conflagration – and its subsequent developments.

After the 6 September operation – which resulted in the death of three Israelis and wounded 14 – the occupation army launched Operation ‘Break the Waves’ in response to the rapid expansion of Palestinian resistance factions and fervor in the West Bank.

The re-emergence of resistance in the West Bank

Break the Waves’ objective, according to then-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, was to “attack without borders in order to stop the [resistance] operations” – four of which were carried out in cities in occupied territories – and to destroy the infrastructure of the resistance factions in Jenin and Nablus.

Five months after the Tel Aviv attack, the situation in the West Bank remains tense and is heading toward further escalation. In the interim, three new resistance battalions have been announced in Nablus, Tulkarm and Tubas.

Between 2007 and 2021, the resistance factions, particularly Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), remained stuck in a vicious cycle. The enemy’s surgical strikes were hindering their proactive initiatives, and until 2020, their activities were limited to the formation of fighting cells that were able to carry out one or two attacks before being incapacitated.

Since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, Palestinian Authority (PA) security services have fully collaborated with the occupation authorities to pursue these resistance factions, for fear of having the Gaza model repeated in the West Bank.

The genesis lies in Jenin

The rejuvenation of resistance in the occupied West Bank can be attributed to the martyr Jamil al-Amouri. A prominent figure in the Jenin camp, Amouri was considered the most “wanted” by the occupation state for carrying out several shooting attacks against Israeli positions around Jenin, during the 2021 battle of Sayf al-Quds.

He effectively contributed to the formation of active military cells inside the camp, which later went on to form the nucleus of the Jenin Brigade.

In early June 2021, Amouri was assassinated, along with Lieutenant Adham Yasser Tawfiq Alawi from Nablus, and Captain Tayseer Mahmoud Othman Eissa from Jenin. The deaths of a PIJ commander along with two officers from the PA’s Military Intelligence effectively broke the ice between the PIJ on the one hand, and the Fatah movement and members of the security services in Jenin and Nablus, on the other.

This also led to a subtle change in the popular resistance factions’ perception of the PA security services, who for years have been accused of being agents of the occupation.

As political researcher Muhammad Dargham told The Cradle: “The martyrdom of Amouri with two officers from the security services removed the veil from the eyes of many supporters of the [Palestinian] Authority and the Fatah who woke up after thirteen years and found themselves guards of security coordination with Israel.”

PIJ and Fatah: setting aside differences

According to Dargham, the killing of Amouri, Alawi, and Eissa created harmony – at least in the Jenin camp – between the Al-Quds Brigades and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades – the respective armed wings of the PIJ and Fatah.

Three months after Amouri’s murder, five Palestinian prisoners belonging to the PIJ movement, along with the leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, Zakaria Al-Zubaidi, managed to escape from Gilboa Prison, the most fortified of all Israeli prisons. Two of the six, Ayham Kamamji and Monadel Nafeat, managed to reach Jenin refugee camp.

By 19 September, 2021, all escapees were re-captured. However the date is also notable for the establishment of the Jenin Brigade – the first semi-organized resistance formation in the West Bank in 17 years. Importantly, while the Brigade was founded by PIJ operatives, it also consists of members of the armed wings of political rivals Hamas and Fatah.

Resistance spreads like wild fire

For many years, Israel ruled out the success of any semi-organized resistance action in the West Bank cities and refugee camps. This is due to the occupation’s adoption of a “maximum integration” policy that linked all aspects of the daily lives of Palestinians in the West Bank to Israel.

The occupation also adopted its “mowing the lawn” policy, which sought to target all resistances cells by arresting or killing its members.

These strategies were designed to send the message that any attempt to resist is doomed to failure, and the fate of those who undertake it will be life imprisonment or assassination.

However, what transpired in September 2021 was different from all Israeli estimates. The Jenin Brigade maintained its military continuity, and the attempts to storm the Jenin refugee camp became much more costly for the Israelis.

Previously, any Israeli force that invaded the camp was met with stone-throwing and firecrackers. But over the course of a year and three months, the alliance of Al-Quds Brigades and Al-Aqsa Brigades raised the bar considerably, and stands as testament to the benefits of a united armed front for the resistance.

This was noticeable about a year after the launch of the Jenin Brigade. On 24 May, 2022, clashes erupted in the area of the Prophet Joseph’s tomb, near Balata and Askar refugee camps, east of Nablus. Israeli settlers used to enter this area without any confrontation except for stone throwing.

On that day, though, the confrontations developed into an armed clash that seemed organized and with purpose. A few days later, Al-Quds Brigades issued a statement announcing the launch of the Nablus Brigade.

One month earlier, three resistance fighters from the Al-Quds Brigades were killed in a clash with the Israeli army. One of the three, Saif Abu Libdeh, from the Ain Shams camp in Tulkarem, had worked for months to establish the infrastructure for a group that would be announced six weeks after his death, under the name Tulkarem Brigade. This was followed by the formation of another battalion – the Tubas Brigade in June.

The occupation state: feeling the heat

According to the Israeli army’s Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi, the occupation forces have foiled “hundreds of operations” since the beginning of the Operation Break the Wave, and carried out more than 1,500 precautionary arrests.

Indeed, the first half of this year witnessed more than 3,700 Palestinian attacks in the West Bank, during which 21 settlers were killed and 316 wounded, including 2,692 attacks with stones, 577 with Molotov cocktails, 542 with burning tires, 33 with explosive devices, 30 with fireworks, 25 with paint bottles, 14 shootings, 1 case of hit and run, 4 cases of stabbing (with 7 foiled).

However, these numbers maybe underrepresented. For instance, in one week alone (28 August to 3 September 2022), 12 soldiers and settlers were injured, and about 90 points of confrontation were observed, including one stabbing attack, 22 shooting attacks, and 15 throwing explosive devices and Molotov cocktails.

Point of no return

There is consensus among the Israeli security establishment, think-tanks, and military analysts that the situation on the ground in the West Bank has reached a point of no return. The question that worries Israel is: Is it possible to eliminate the new resistance developments – or at least keep them confined to the northern West Bank and prevent their expansion to southern cities such as Hebron and Bethlehem, or central cities such as Jerusalem and Ramallah?

This Israeli concern is justified considering that the beginning of September bore serious consequences for the Israelis. On 4 September, three Palestinians from Jenin (a father and his two sons) shot at a bus carrying Kfir unit recruits in the Jordan Valley, injuring more than seven Israeli soldiers.

Until now, the results of the investigations have not been announced, but it seems that the attack was carefully planned in terms of timing, and choice of location, where there were fewer surveillance cameras at work.

A few days later, the Israeli army aborted an attempt by a Palestinian youth from Nablus from carrying out an operation in central Tel Aviv. The police suggested that the young man “infiltrated through a hole in the wall in the Tulkarem area,” where the army deployed three infantry battalions to thwart further attempts.

There is yet another event that suggests the resistance action in the West Bank is growing. At dawn, on Thursday 8 September, members of the Jenin Brigade detonated a locally manufactured explosive device targeting a military jeep during a raid of one of the neighboring camps.

It turned out that the device was controlled remotely, which represented a major technical development for the resistance factions, whose infrastructure was destroyed at the end of the Second Intifada.

Israelis are fanning the flames

The Israeli Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv believes that the PIJ has succeeded in transforming the northern West Bank into a hotbed of resistance, as well as in smuggling weapons and money to Palestinian cities and camps.

These concerns coincide with expressed doubts over the efficacy of Israel’s “mowing the lawn” policy, which has fueled the “vicious cycle of blood,” according to Amos Harel, a military analyst writing for Haaretz newspaper.

In an article he wrote earlier this month, Harel asked whether the Israeli army is quelling the West Bank’s flames, or actually fanning them.

Avi Iskharov, an analyst in Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, opined that Israel is facing a “new situation” that is not similar to the two previous intifadas of 1987 and 2000, pointing out that “there are pockets of Palestinian gunmen in Nablus and Jenin (in the northern West Bank), who clash almost every night with the army and shoot at Israeli targets.”

Sources close to the resistance brigades in the West Bank told The Cradle that “Israel’s concerns are exaggerated for use in the upcoming election campaign.”

“What we are seeing today is the result of years of [resistance] efforts. As the train has set off, returning to the starting point means acceptance of our mass killing, and this is out of the question,” says one Palestinian source.

Israel: The PA is not collaborating enough

The Israelis have sought to place the blame for their inability to eliminate the resistance brigades and to abort operations in the occupied territories squarely on the PA in Ramallah, who they feel are failing to fulfill their obligations.

Israel’s Kan channel quoted an Israeli official as saying that “the Palestinian security services should increase their activity in the cities of the West Bank to prevent further escalation.”

As for the Palestinians, the corruption-ridden PA is too weak to play a pivotal role in curbing the resistance which enjoys broad Palestinian popular support. Any further association made between the PA with the Israeli security campaigns will make it lose what is left of its flagging legitimacy.

The Hebrew Walla website quoted Minister of Civil Affairs Hussein al-Sheikh, the PA’s channel of communication with the Israelis, as saying: “It is Israel that has weakened the [Palestinian] Authority through daily incursions into the Palestinian areas.”

“The authority cannot accept a reality in which the army storms the occupied territories every night, then we are asked to work during the day against the militants,” added Sheikh.

A dawn of a new era in the West Bank

Meanwhile, the US has been keen to help prop up the PA and help it “restore stability,” by taking measures such as “increasing the number of work permits for Palestinians” in the occupied territories, “pumping economic aid to the Authority from various sources,” and facilitating the movement of Palestinians.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Middle Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, who recently visited Israel and met with senior security officials, warned that “the situation in the West Bank is worse than it appears and the future of the entire PA is under threat.”

In the early hours of 20 September, PA security forces in Nablus arrested Musab Shtayyeh, a Hamas commander wanted by Israel. Later that day, clashes broke out between the PA and hundreds of Palestinians who hit the streets in protest.

Resistance factions are demanding Shtayyeh’s immediate release and are threatening to bar the PA from Nablus until this is done.

In a video addressing the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian resistance in Jenin cautioned: “we do not want to fight with you, but stay away from us. If you deal in kidnapping, we will also deal in kidnapping.”

The Authority’s unelected President Mahmoud Abbas is in a bind: he fears mutiny from within for collaborating with Israeli security, and fears punishment from Israel for not doing so.

By not adopting a conclusive direction, on a daily basis Abbas drains the PA of further legitimacy and authority, as demonstrated in Nablus today.

In terms of the prospects for Palestinian national liberation, this at least will be a welcome development, as the decline or demise of the western and Israeli-backed PA will open a wide door to revitalized armed resistance in the occupied West Bank.

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العدوان الإسرائيلي المُبيَّت ودور عرب التطبيع

 الخميس 11 آب 2022

أليف صباغ 

كان لا بد لحكومة الاحتلال أن توجّه عيون الرأي العام الإسرائيلي إلى موقع آخر، وأن تقوم بعمل يرفع أسهم الحكومة أمام الناخبين اليمينيين. إذن، لا بد من القيام بضربة استباقية لإضعاف الجبهة الجنوبية.

العدوان الإسرائيلي المُبيَّت ودور عرب التطبيع

ليست أول مرة، تتعاون فيها الرجعية العربية و”إسرائيل” على الشعب الفلسطيني، وعادة ما يأخذ هذا التعاون شكلاً خبيثاً، ظاهره “حماية” الفلسطينيين وباطنه كسب ودّ الاستعمار لمصالح ضيقة.

هل كان العدوان على غزة مخططاً مسبقاً؟ وما أهدافه؟

مذ اعتُقل الشيخ المجاهد بسام السعدي، ولاحظنا الحملة العسكرية الكبرى التي شنّت لتحقيق ذلك، والتي استخدمت فيها قوات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي طائرات مروحية وأخرى مسيّرة، ومصفحات وقناصين وكتيبة من الجيش والمستعربين وكلاباً بوليسية، لاعتقال شخص واحد، فهمنا أن هذه العملية العسكرية ليست عادية، إنما تشكل نموذجاً أو تجسيداً ميدانياً حقيقياً لعمليات من هذا النوع جرى التدرّب عليها من قبل. وعندما رافق ذلك حشد عسكري قرب السياج المحيط بقطاع غزة المحتل، واجتمع لبيد بالقيادات الأمنية يوم الأحد الماضي، وقرّر قطع إجازته المقررة سلفاً، وتذكرنا أن الإعلام الإسرائيلي سبق ذلك، بأسبوع، بحملة إعلامية اتّهم فيها المقاومة الفلسطينية باستخدام المدارس والمستشفيات في تخزين الصواريخ، فهمنا، يقيناً، أنه يجري الاستعداد لعملية عسكرية ضد السكان المدنيين والمقاومة في قطاع غزة، وأن المدنيين سيكونون هدفاً للعدوان. وكيف لا نفهم، ونحن من يتابع كل عدوان بما يسبقه، وما يجرى خلاله، وما يتبعه من تلخيصات ودروس وكشف ما كان مستوراً؟!

أما عن الأهداف فهي كثيرة ومتعددة الاتجاه، منها المُعلن، ومنها غير المعلن، وفق الحاجات الإعلامية السياسية. 

في الأسابيع الأخيرة شنت وسائل الإعلام اليمينية، مع اليمين الإسرائيلي المعارض حملة على حكومة لبيد-غانتس، واتهمتها بالجُبن والتقاعس عن مواجهة التحدي الذي أبدته المقاومة اللبنانية، وفق المعادلة الجديدة، التي أطلقها سماحة السيد، “ما بعد “كاريش” وما بعد بعد “كاريش”، و”إما أن نستخرج غازنا ونفطنا من البحر وإلا فلن نسمح لأحد بأن يستخرج”! هذه المعادلة شغلت الحكومة الإسرائيلية والرأي العام، وسرّعت وتيرة نشاط المبعوث الأميركي الصهيوني، أموس هوكستين، للوصول إلى حل لترسيم الحدود، وبدأت الحكومة الإسرائيلية ترجو من كل ذي صلة أن يتوسط لدى حزب الله بألا ينفذ تهديداته.

وفي الأجواء يحلّق سؤال مُلِح ومقلق، ماذا لو حصلت الحرب المتوقعة مع المقاومة اللبنانية؟ هل تستطيع “إسرائيل” أن تصمد في هذه المواجهة؟ لا سيما أن كل التقديرات تقول إن المقاومة الفلسطينية قد تنضم إلى كل حرب بين “إسرائيل” والمقاومة اللبنانية، فتكون حرباً على جبهتين على الأقل.

في مثل هذه الحالة السياسية والأمنية، كان لا بد لحكومة الاحتلال أن توجّه عيون الرأي العام الإسرائيلي وأذهانه إلى موقع آخر، وأن تقوم بعمل يرفع أسهم الحكومة أمام جمهور الناخبين اليمينيين، والرأي العام الذي يزداد يمينية وتطرفاً. إذن، لا بد من القيام بضربة استباقية لإضعاف الجبهة الجنوبية ومنعها من المشاركة في أي حرب مع حزب الله. لتحقيق ذلك كان لا بد من تقييم وضع المقاومة في القطاع المحتل. هل تستطيع قوات الاحتلال أن تشن حملة عسكرية محدودة على الجهاد الإسلامي من دون تدخل سائر الفصائل، وحماس تحديداً؟ ومن يضمن ذلك؟ 

كما اعتادت حكومات “إسرائيل” السابقة، لا بد من سفك الدماء الفلسطينية على مذبح الانتخابات، ولا بد من إزهاق الأرواح الفلسطينية وتهديم الأبراج السكنية في غزة، لأن هذا ما يرضي الناخب الإسرائيلي الصهيوني المتعطّش إلى ذلك. لكن المشكلة التي كانت تواجه حكومة الاحتلال وجيشها، كيف ستخرج من المعركة؟ وهل تستطيع أن تستفرد بفصيل صغير تلقي عليه حممها البركانية لتشعر بالقوة بدلاً من الضعف، تعيد ثقة الجيش بنفسه وترضي جمهور الناخبين اليمينيين؟ ومن يضمن ذلك؟

أما الأهداف المعلنة، التي صرحت عنها الجهات الرسمية بعد اجتماع لبيد بالكابينيت الأمني، واستبعاد السياسي، يوم الأحد 31 تموز/يوليو، فتتمثل “بالاستعداد لمنع الجهاد الإسلامي من تنفيذ عملية رد عسكرية على اعتقال القيادي بسام السعدي من مخيم جنين”. وادعت الجهات الأمنية والسياسية أن لديهم معلومات بالتخطيط للرد، ولذلك قاموا بإجراءات منع تجوال للمستوطنين في مستوطنات “غلاف غزة”، المقامة على أراضي اللاجئين الفلسطينيين الذين يعيشون ببؤس في القطاع المحاصر منذ 15 سنة. وفي الحقيقة كان كل ذلك ضمن حلقات الاستعداد النفسي والسياسي لسيناريو العدوان المُبيّت.

في تقييم الظروف الملائمة للقيام بعدوان غادر

لتقييم الظروف المناسبة للعدوان وشق صف المقاومة، اعتمدت سلطات الاحتلال على ثلاثة مصادر من المعلومات: 

أولاً: خبرة ومتابعة وتقييم مراكز الأبحاث الإسرائيلية، ومنها مركز أبحاث الأمن القومي، وضمن ذلك، التمييز بين مصالح حماس من جهة، والجهاد الإسلامي من جهة ثانية، إضافة إلى مصلحة مصر والاستخبارات المصرية تحديداً في تقليم أظافر “الجهاد” من دون تدخل “حماس” وسائر فصائل المقاومة المسلحة، معتمدة في ذلك على دور الاستخبارات المصرية في معركة “سيف القدس”، وما تبعها من معارك صغيرة، الأخيرة فيها مسيرة الأعلام الاستفزازية في القدس القديمة، واقتحامات المستوطنين في حزيران/يونيو الماضي، ودور مصر وقطر في منع تدخل المقاومة من غزة. 

ثانياً: أما المصدر الثاني، فهو ما تستخلصه الاستخبارات من خلال مئات المحادثات غير المباشرة التي تجرى مع عمال فلسطينيين تم السماح لهم دخول “إسرائيل” والعمل فيها خلال الشهر الماضي، وبلغ عدد التصاريح 14 ألف تصريح. هذه المحادثات لا تجري من خلال تحقيق يجريه الشاباك مع العمال، إنما هي أحاديث، تبدو عادية، تجري بين المشغل الإسرائيلي والعامل الفلسطيني، أو بين صحافي إسرائيلي وعامل فلسطيني، لتصل إلى الباحثين في صفوف الشاباك مادة تضاف إلى التقييمات والأبحاث، تعزز فرضية أو ترفضها.

ثالثاً: الأهم من هذا المصدر وذاك التقييم المشترك مع الاستخبارات المصرية للأوضاع في غزة، وعلاقات الفصائل فيما بينها وقدرة الجمهور الفلسطيني على احتمال التضحيات، وقدرة مصر على ضبط إيقاع وردود المقاومة من غزة، وتدخلها في الوقت الملائم، لمنع تدحرج المعركة واتساعها وتورط قوات الاحتلال تالياً بما لم تكن مستعدة له. من هنا قال البيان الإسرائيلي الرسمي إن العدوان جاء بناء على توصيات القيادة العسكرية والشاباك، والمقصود هنا هم الباحثون الذي يتواصلون مع نظرائهم المصريين. وعليه، جاء التواصل الإسرائيلي المصري من اليوم الأول بعد اعتقال السعدي، وشن العدوان ضمن الأهداف المحددة له، كما راقب الطيران المسيّر تحركات القادة الفلسطينيين خلال لقائهم الاستخبارات المصرية حتى الساعة الأخيرة قبل العدوان، ويقول رئيس تحرير صحيفة “الأهرام”: “إن إسرائيل وعدت الاستخبارات المصرية أن تكون العملية العسكرية محدودة، وموجّهة ضد “الجهاد الإسلامي” فقط”.

دور الاستخبارات المصرية وغيرها

للتفصيل أكثر، يتمثل دور الاستخبارات المصرية وجهات عربية أخرى في ثلاثة مستويات ومراحل

أولاً: في تقييم مشترك مع الاستخبارات الإسرائيلية والباحثين المختصين بالظروف الداخلية في القطاع، وفي العلاقة بين قوى المقاومة ومصالح كل منها، لمعرفة ما إن كانت الظروف ملائمة لشن العدوان وإمكان تحقيق أهدافه. ولا يتورع “الخبراء”، العسكريون والأمنيون المصريون عن الإدلاء بتقييماتهم هذه على شاشات التلفزة الإسرائيلية أيضاً.

ثانياً: في ضبط إيقاع الرد من المقاومة، من خلال الضغوط والتهديدات.

ثالثاً: في الوصول إلى وقف إطلاق النار أو تهدئة، حين تحتاج “إسرائيل” إلى ذلك، وفق الشروط الإسرائيلية، لكن إخراج هذه النهاية يتطلب أن تبدو وكأنها مبادرة مصرية، تقوم بموجبها الاستخبارات المصرية بتقديم “ضمانات” إلى المقاومة، وقد ثبت من تجربة المعارك السابقة، أنها ضمانات فارغة، وهي مجرد تضليل للرأي العام العربي عامة والفلسطيني خاصة، لأن “إسرائيل” لا تقدم إلى مصر إلا الفتات الذي يحفظ ما وجهها. في النهاية، هي جهود مصرية تهدف إلى إرضاء السيد الأميركي والإسرائيلي، بحثاً عن مصالح مصرية ضيقة أو مصالح شخصية لهذه الشخصية أو تلك. 

ليس صحيحاً أن “إسرائيل” خدعت الاستخبارات المصرية، وهي تدعي في كل جولة أن “إسرائيل” خدعتها، وأن “إسرائيل” لم تفِ بوعودها، وفي تنفيذ الاتفاقيات، أين هي الاتفاقيات؟ إذا كان الأمر كذلك فلماذا تعلنون اتفاقيات وتفاهمات، وتعودون إلى تقديم الضمانات الفارغة؟ إن المشاركة الفعلية في تقييم الظروف الملائمة لشن العدوان يحتم المعرفة المسبّقة لنيات “إسرائيل” العدوانية.

من يراجع تصريحات المسؤولين الإسرائيليين والمصريين قبل العدوان وخلاله، وغداة وقف إطلاق النار، والتعبير عن رضاهم عن الدور المصري، لا بد أن يصل إلى هذه الحقيقة. وكان أكثر التصريحات توضيحاً ودلالة على الدور المصري، هو المديح الذي كاله الرئيس بايدن، بعد بضع ساعات من وقف إطلاق النار، للدور المصري والقطري في الوصول إلى وقف لإطلاق النار، مع التذكير بأن أميركا هي من أعطى “إسرائيل” الضوء الأخضر لشن هذا العدوان من خلال الإعلان عن إبلاغ غانتس نظيره الأميركي، أوستن، بذلك، ووقوف بايدن إلى جانب “إسرائيل” في عدوانها منذ اليوم الأول، بذريعة “الدفاع عن النفس”. فلو كانت أميركا محبة لوقف إطلاق النار، أو منع سفك الدماء الفلسطينية فعلاً، لما أعطت الضوء الأخضر للعدوان؟ 

في تقييم النتائج

الحقيقة أن “سرايا القدس” لم “تنتصر”، بالمعنى التكتيكي لجولة واحدة، على “إسرائيل”، لكنها أثبتت أن “الجهاد الإسلامي” قادر على الصمود، وعلى إدارة معركة دفاعية ومعنوية تحفظ وفاءه لأرواح الشهداء ودماء الجرحى وعذابات الأسرى في معتقلات العدو الصهيوني، ووحدة الساحات الفلسطينية. الجهاد كانت وحدها في وجه جيش قوي يتمتع بقدرات عسكرية كبيرة، بل يدّعي أنه من أقوى الجيوش في العالم، وهذا الصمود هو ما يقلق الخبراء الإسرائيليين في الوقت الحاضر. وتساءل عدد منهم، على شاشات التلفزة الإسرائيلية، كيف ستواجه “إسرائيل” حزب الله، وهو يمتلك قدرات عسكرية ولوجستية أضعاف أضعاف ما تمتلكه سرايا القدس؟ كيف ستواجه حزب الله، وهو غير محاصر من دولة “شقيقة”، ولا يخضع لأي ضغوط من استخبارات عربية موجَّهة من الولايات المتحدة و”إسرائيل”؟

في غضون ثلاثة أيام، وعلى الرغم من الخسارات الكبيرة التي تكبدها “سرايا القدس”، باغتيال القادة العسكريين الكبار منذ اللحظة الأولى للعدوان، وعلى الرغم من ضغوط “الأشقاء” العرب، وقدرات الطيران الحربي الإسرائيلي، إلا أن سرايا القدس استطاعت أن تطلق ما يقارب 1000 صاروخ باتجاه قوات العدو، أي بمعدل 300 صاروخ يومياً، وهذا يساوي المعدل اليومي لما أطلقته قوى المقاومة مجتمعةً في غزة إبّان العدوان الإسرائيلي في أيار/مايو 2021 المسمّى إسرائيلياً “حامي الأسوار”. ولم يكن هذا منتظراً قطّ.

علينا أن نفهم، أنه لم يحن وقت الانتصار بعد، وأننا ما زلنا في حدود الصمود في وجه العدوان الصهيوني المدعوم من الاستعمار والرجعية العربية التابعة للبيت الأبيض. ومع ذلك، على منظمة الجهاد الإسلامي أن تراجع تجربتها بموضوعية ومسؤولية لتجنب نقاط الضعف، وتعزيز نقاط القوة، وبذل جهود أكثر لفهم مخططات العدو وخطر علاقاته بالأنظمة العربية المطبّعة، وخصوصاً الاستخبارات المصرية. على المقاومة الفلسطينية عامة أن تراجع مواقفها من هذه المعركة تحديداً، ومن معارك أخرى، وأن تحذر كل الحذر من التعاون القائم بين الاستخبارات العربية والإسرائيلية برعاية أميركية، على العامل الفلسطيني في “إسرائيل” أن يحذر أحاديث تبدو بريئة، وهي في الحقيقة أحاديث خبيثة تهدف إلى استطلاع الراي العام الفلسطيني وظروف المقاومة، وعلى قوى المقاومة أن تتخذ كل الخطوات التي من شأنها التحرر من ضغوط وقيود “الأشقاء”… 

“من جرّب المجرّب كان عقله مخرّب”.

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Sword of Jerusalem II has begun and there is no room for negotiation

Israel may have miscalculated, again. The PIJ resistance it has brutally targeted in Gaza and the West Bank wants to take this confrontation until the liberation of Palestine

August 06 2022

By Abdel Bari Atwan

Only about half of the 160 rockets (Israel says 400+) fired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) on the mass of Israeli settlements flanking the Gaza Strip were intercepted by Israel’s US-funded Iron Dome systems.

This, in itself, is a major military and psychological achievement for the Palestinian resistance. The settlers have lost their security, their time to leave has come.

The PIJ cleverly handled the pre-battle phase by stepping up armed military confrontations in the West Bank, entering into strategic operational coordination with Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade – particularly in Jenin, Nablus and Tulkarem – and besieging and forcing a curfew on more than 1.5 million Israelis in the southern settlements adjacent to the Gaza Strip.

These confrontations were in retaliation for Israel’s targeting of PIJ’s cadres throughout Palestinian territories this summer. But it was the Israeli leadership which decided on war and must take responsibility for the consequences of its decision, regionally and internationally. The PIJ lured Tel Aviv to war without firing a single missile, and herein lies the miracle.

A war or a skirmish?

The battle is still in its infancy, and in its first two days was limited to the PIJ alone, which stands with its resistance fighters in the face of the mighty Israeli military machine.

The participation of other Palestinian factions in the battlefield, especially Hamas, is still not excluded.

The PIJ’s announcement on Saturday that its military forces are mobilized and prepared may be the first step to what comes next.

It is Israel that began the airstrikes and violated its commitments to previous agreements, most notably by initiating and executing a campaign to assassinate PIJ leaders: most recently Tayseer Al-Jabari, their field commander in the Gaza Strip, and a number of his fellow fighters. For this, Tel Aviv will now have to pay a heavy price.

The resistance in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and their constituents are rushing to join Hamas and its fighters, missiles, drones, and frogmen into the confrontation; to provide protection to the more than two million Palestinians currently under Israel’s absolute rule in Gaza.

The most frequent question asked in the West Bank and Gaza Strip today is “where are Abu Obeida, Mohammad Deif, and Yahya al-Sinwar?” – in reference to the military spokesman of Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades, its supreme military commander, and Hamas’ political leader in Gaza, respectively. “How long will they be absent from this battle?”

Israel’s big problem 

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz may have launched the airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Friday, but he will not be the one to decide the battle’s conclusion. As in the Sword of Jerusalem (Saif al-Quds) conflagration in May 2021, which Gantz incorrectly predicted would last at least a week, he cannot control the outcome of this fight.

That May, to Israel’s utter horror and confusion, for the first time in decades, West Bank, Gaza and 1948 Palestinians banded together to confront Israel over its provocative storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem. In one short month, Tel Aviv’s decades-long systematic efforts to separate and compartmentalize these three Palestinian areas was decimated.

Gantz, his army, and his prime minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) were impotent in the face of the multi-front Palestinian response. It was US President Joe Biden who begged Egyptian mediators for a quick intervention because Israel could not sustain the repercussions of one more missile hitting Tel Aviv.

Will Hamas join the fight?

It is clear that Hamas cannot stand by while Israeli raids kill children and bomb towers in the Gaza Strip.

Although somewhat restrained by its Turkish and Arab allies, Hamas – a resistance partner to the PIJ – must ultimately listen to its Palestinian, Arab and Muslim constituents, or risk losing much in the short and medium term.

Daoud Shihab, spokesman for the PIJ’s Al-Quds Brigades, has already said “No” to Arab mediators led by Egypt. The PIJ believes that this is not the time to calm down, but to confront Israel’s aggression, avenge the Palestinian martyrs and ask:

How dare the mediators resume their efforts, talk about ceasefires, and try to halt a justified Palestinian response. Did the Israeli enemy respect its commitments to rebuild the Gaza Strip, refrain from assassinating the leaders of the resistance, and ease years of a harrowing siege?

“We have been deceived by the mediators,” says Mohammad Al Hindi, a member of the Political Bureau of the PIJ movement.

When General Benny Gantz says that his current Gaza operation is to strike the entire PIJ network – in parallel with strikes directed by his security forces in the West Bank – he reveals his plan for a “fitna” (inner rebellion) to tear apart the unity of the resistance and instigate a factional war between the PIJ and Hamas movements. Greater awareness and discipline is required to thwart Gantz’s plan, specifically by Hamas.

On Friday night, the PIJ’s Secretary General Ziad Al-Nakhala declared in an on-air interview with Al-Mayadeen that this war is open: there are no red lines and it will continue until victory.

Nakhala also said he may issue instructions to the PIJ delegation to refuse Egyptian mediation in Cairo, and halt ceasefire negotiations that will serve Israel’s interests only and save Tel Aviv from this trap it fell into with eyes wide open.

A war until liberation?

This is a war that will last. It comes as a precious gift to the Palestinian people and their resistance, and the coming days will reveal shocking and terrifying surprises for the Israelis that will send millions of them into shelters and global isolation.

Hezbollah’s Hisham Safieddine, executive council chairman of the Lebanese resistance movement, recently said: “The resistance has obtained strategic weapons that will break the balance of power, and the enemy’s attempt to prevent their arrival has failed.”

To this he added: “we must be present and not be affected by propaganda media campaigns that want to undermine our capabilities – by the Israeli, US and Gulf media and some of their ‘mignons’ in Lebanon. We will not give up our wealth [natural resources] in our territorial waters,” which means that the gas war is very imminent.

We are facing a war that may have begun in the Gaza Strip, but could, with just one ill-timed spark, transform into a regional war involving many other resistance factions. This comes at a time when western colonialism is facing two major power wars – in Ukraine (with Russia) and East Asia (with China).

Millions anticipating the appearance of Hamas’ Abu Obeida with his red kefiyah may not have to wait long. The Sword of Jerusalem II is in the running to be a much larger and more dangerous confrontation than the Sword of Jerusalem I.

Airports may close very soon, and thousands of Israeli settlers may take to the seas in search of safety from the retaliatory missiles of the resistance. Watch this space and its developments in the coming days.

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Cradle.

حماس في قلب محور المقاومة

الثلاثاء 28 حزيران 2022

فلسطين 

ابراهيم الأمين 

الضغوط التي تتعرض لها حركة حماس من جهات فلسطينية أو عربية أو دولية تكاد تكون الأولى من نوعها في تاريخ الحركة. ورغم أن التنظيم الإسلامي الفلسطيني لم يكن بعيداً عن التأثيرات السلبية لانهيار تجربة الإخوان المسلمين في الحكم في عدد من الدول العربية، إلا أن تثبيت حماس قاعدة تفكيرها ونشاطها وبرنامجها على أساس أولوية المقاومة ضد الاحتلال، ساعدها على البقاء في قلب المشهد، وفتح لها الأبواب لترميم شبكة واسعة من العلاقات العربية والإسلامية وحتى الدولية من باب المقاومة.

في السنوات العشر الماضية، غرقت الحركة في موجة من المواقف السياسية التي أدت الى تضرّر صورتها كحركة مقاومة. ومثلما تعرّض حزب الله في لبنان لحملة بسبب وقوفه الى جانب الدولة السورية في مواجهة الحرب عليها، تعرضت حماس لحملة من التيار المقابل، واتُّهمت بمجاراة برنامج الإخوان المسلمين الهادف الى الاستيلاء على الحكم في عدد من الدول العربية، حتى إن قواعد من الحركة دعمت الحروب الأهلية التي وقعت في أكثر من بلد عربي؛ منها سوريا.
لكنّ تبدلاً جدياً طرأ منذ ما بعد حرب عام 2014، وتطور الأمر بعد انتخاب قيادة جديدة للحركة عام 2017. وبعد استرداد كتائب القسام المبادرة وجعل الأولوية المطلقة للمقاومة، بدا أن الحركة تتقدم خطوات سريعة باتجاه الخروج نهائياً من دائرة التجاذبات حيال ما يجري داخل كل دولة عربية، وهو ما سهّل لها استئناف التواصل مع مصر ومع حكومات عربية أخرى في بلاد الشام أو الخليج أو المغرب العربي. ورغم أن تركيا سهّلت للحركة إقامة مريحة لقيادتها السياسية، إلا أن حماس بدت أكثر تصميماً على الانخراط في الجبهة التي تعدّ المقاومة خياراً وحيداً وإلزامياً ومجدياً لتحقيق التحرير.

سيكون محور المقاومة أمام وقائع جديدة بعد التفاهمات التي توصّل إليها هنيّة ونصر الله


خلال العامين الماضيين، تقدمت حماس خطوات كبيرة الى الأمام في سياق التموضع ضمن محور المقاومة. وجاءت معركة سيف القدس لتختبر التفاعل العملاني مع القوى الأساسية في المحور. وأظهرت تطورات الأشهر القليلة الماضية أن السعي الأميركي – الإسرائيلي – السعودي – الإماراتي لبناء جبهة سياسية واقتصادية وأمنية وإعلامية تعمل على مواجهة محور المقاومة، أن على حماس تعزيز خيارها وموقعها داخل محور المقاومة. وهي اتخذت قرارات كبيرة، لا تدخلها في صدام مع أحد، وخصوصاً مع تركيا وقطر، ولكن لا تمنعها من تعزيز علاقتها مع قوى المقاومة بدءاً بإيران، وصولاً الى حزب الله في لبنان وأنصار الله في اليمن، وحتى إطلاق اتصالات أولية مع فصائل المقاومة في العراق. ولكن الخطوة الأهم تمثلت في قرار المكتب السياسي استئناف العلاقة مع سوريا، وإفساح المجال أمام الوسطاء الذين ينشطون بين القيادة السورية وقيادة حماس للتقدم أكثر صوب تحقيق المصالحة التي تقول قيادة الحركة إنها تحتاج إليها من أجل تعزيز المقاومة.

حماس اليوم أمام تحديات جديدة. وكلما زاد تمسكها بخيار المقاومة، ستجد أنها أكثر ثباتاً داخل فلسطين وأكثر حضوراً وفعالية في المنطقة العربية، وسيكون محور المقاومة أمام وقائع جديدة بعد الزيارة الأخيرة لرئيس الحركة إسماعيل هنية لبيروت وطبيعة المناقشات والتفاهمات التي توصّل إليها مع الأمين العام لحزب الله السيد حسن نصر الله بعد سلسلة من اللقاءات بينهما…

تهديد غانتس و«إسرائيل» «رجل المنطقة المريض»

 الجمعة 24 حزيران 2022

 ناصر قنديل

لو اكتفى وزير حرب كيان الاحتلال بني غانتس بالقول إن دماراً كبيراً سيلحق بلبنان في أية حرب مقبلة، لما كان كلامه موضوعاً للتدقيق، انطلاقاً من أن القدرة النارية لجيش الاحتلال على إلحاق مثل هذا الدمار، ليست موضع نقاش، بل ما كان سيناقش هو المقارنة بين حجم الخسائر التي ستلحق بلبنان مقارنة بما سيلحق بكيان الاحتلال، في ضوء تطوّر قدرات المقاومة، خصوصاً بعدما أعلن الأمين العام لحزب الله السيد حسن نصرالله عن أن خسائر الكيان في أية حرب مقبلة ستزيد عن خسائر لبنان، وهذا أول تصريح من نوعه بهذا المضمون يصدر عن السيد نصرالله، الموصوف بدقة معادلاته، وعدم سماحه الانفعال والحماس أن يدخلا على صياغتها، واعتماده في الحرب النفسية التي يخوضها على معادلات واقعية مدروسة بتحفظ شديد، كما يصفه خبراء الكيان.

كلام غانتس لا يأتي بعد عام 1982 والانسحاب الإسرائيلي من بيروت، ولا بعد العام 2000 والانسحاب الاسرائيلي من لبنان، بل بعد اختبار جيش الاحتلال فرضية امتلاكه قدرة الدرع الكافية لإلحاق الهزيمة بالمقاومة، في حرب عام 2006، والفشل الذريع الذي مني به جيش الاحتلال في هذه الحرب، ليس بمجرد الفشل في تحقيق هدف سحق حزب الله، أو تجريده من قدرته الصاروخية كحد أدنى أول، أو تطويقه بضوابط دولية رادعة محكمة تمثلت بمشروع نشر قوات متعددة الجنسيات في جنوب لبنان وفق الفصل السابع كحد أدنى ثان، بل بالفشل المكلف الذي أصاب جيش الاحتلال في محاولة الدخول إلى الأراضي اللبنانية، وهي مضمون الحرب البرية التي خاضتها أولية النخبة في جيوش البر والقوات المدرعة التابعة لجيش الاحتلال لأكثر من عشرين يوماً من أيام الحرب الثلاثة والثلاثين، بعدما فشل استنفاد القصف الجوي والبحري والبري فرصه في تحقيق وقف تساقط صواريخ المقاومة على عمق الكيان، وكانت الحصيلة خسائر موصوفة دمرت خلالها عشرات الدبابات وقتل خلالها وأصيب مئات الجنود والضباط، دون تحقيق أي اختراق جدي في خط الحدود، وليس فقط في الوصول إلى المدن الحدودية كبنت جبيل ومرجعيون، فكيف الحديث عن صور وصيدا …وبيروت!

خلال السنوات التي أعقبت حرب 2006 امتلأت القراءات الاستراتيجية لمراكز الدراسات الإسرائيلية والأميركية، بما فيها الحكومية منها، ومثلها تصريحات كبار القادة السياسيين والعسكريين، بالحديث المتكرر عن تعاظم قوة حزب الله، بالتوازي مع الاعتراف بالفشل في امتلاك القدرة على احتواء هذا التعاظم، سواء عبر الغارات التي تستهدف سورية، او الرهان على تداعيات الحرب السورية، او الاستثمار على تغيير البيئة السياسية اللبنانية، والكلام عن مخاطر التورط في حرب جديدة تزامن مع نتائج أثبتتها مواجهات جيش الاحتلال مع قوى المقاومة في غزة، قبل عام خلال معركة سيف القدس، حيث فشل جيش الاحتلال في تحقيق الردع الموهوم، وعجز قادته عن اتخاذ القرار المكلف بخوض حرب برية، فكيف يستقيم القول عن أن هذا الجيش جاهز لخوض حرب يتجاوز فيها هدف استعادة المهابة، ورد الاعتبار، وتحقيق الردع للتهديد بالوصول، ليس الى بنت جبيل ومرجعيون، بل الى صور وصيدا… وصولاً الى بيروت؟

كلام غانتس سيصبح موضوعاً للتندر والسخرية، كما هو كلام وزير حربية السلطنة العثمانية أنور باشا قبيل الحرب العالمية الأولى، عندما هدد بدخول موسكو، كما يهدد غانتس بدخول بيروت، والحرب بدأت بالمناسبة من بوابة مواجهة بحرية، وكما كانت تركيا العثمانية قد أصبحت رجل أوروبا المريض قبل أن تسقط بالضربة القاضية، يبدو كيان الاحتلال اليوم رجل المنطقة المريض، في حالة النزع يهلوس ويروّح عن النفس بالثرثرة.

‘Israeli’ Military to Hold Drills near Gaza Border This Week

June 13 2022

By Staff, Agencies

The ‘Israeli’ occupation army will hold military exercises on Monday and Tuesday near the border with the Gaza Strip.

The Zionist military said explosions could be heard in communities in the area, stressing however that the movement of civilians will not be affected by the drills.

The ‘Israeli’ occupation military has conducted in recent weeks a vast military exercise involving combat planes over the Mediterranean and warships in the Red Sea, in order to prepare for different “scenarios” facing Iran.

It was to hold a scenario-based exercise in May 2021 of a conflict with the Palestinians that would extend to the northern border with Lebanon and Syria and even beyond, but it was postponed due to the war on Gaza.

After a year’s delay, the Zionist military launched the exercise to prepare for “near and far” combat, including a drill conducted by dozens of warplanes over the Mediterranean Sea that carried out “long distance,” “resupply” flights and “remote target strikes.”

According to the ‘Israeli’ press, the exercise simulated a large-scale attack against Iran, in particular against nuclear sites.

The military confirmed that it is “continuously preparing and training for multiple scenarios including threats from Iran.”

Part of the exercise took place off Cyprus, as well as in residential areas on the eastern Mediterranean island.

Also within the framework of these maneuvers, the ‘Israeli’ army conducted an exercise with two warships and a submarine in the Red Sea to “achieve maritime superiority” and “maintain freedom of action in the region.”

The Zionist military’s strategic plan for 2022 identifies Iran as the top threat, not only because of its nuclear program but also its developing armed drone and missile capabilities.