Israeli occupation forces during a raid in the West Bank (photo from December 2022).
Early Wednesday morning, Israeli occupation forces initiated a widespread campaign of arrests in various areas throughout the occupied West Bank. The campaign, which included confrontations, clashes, and arrests, targeted multiple towns and neighborhoods.
In the town of Jaba, south of Jenin, the occupation forces arrested brothers, Karam and Hakim Al-Hodhod, after storming their family home. In the same area, they also arrested Ahmed Abu Aziz and his father, Muhammad Abu Aziz. Clashes between resistance fighters and the occupation forces occurred during the raid
Further arrests were made in occupied Al-Quds, where Adam Ghaith, Saleh al-Hadra, Aysar Abu Sbeitan from Al-Tur, and Ayham al-Salaymeh from Ras al-Amud were arrested after having their homes raided and ransacked.
In Ramallah, young men clashed with the occupation forces in the Jalazoun refugee camp
Local Palestinian protesters shower Israeli occupation soldiers with stones during an Israeli raid into Al-Jalazon refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, last night. pic.twitter.com/44LzBXeRYL
In Nablus, the occupation forces arrested Khalil Abu Ghadeeb and Bahaa Al-Tayyan from their homes while resistance fighters fired on the occupation forces during their withdrawal from the Al-Maajin neighborhood.
Palestinian sources reported that warning sirens sounded in Nour Shams camp in Tulkarem, indicating an impending occupation force raid.
Additionally, occupation forces stormed Za’tara, where they tampered with the contents of homes belonging to citizens, Raafat Nayef Al-Wahsh, Youssef Al-Bo, and Fadi Battah, before withdrawing without making any arrests.
Palestinian resistance pledges to continue with response
The Palestinian resistance movement in the Gaza Strip confirmed that the resistance will continue until the expulsion of the occupation and the liberation of Palestine and its return to its Arab and Islamic embrace.
The movement also stressed, in a statement, the need for the unity of our people on the program of resistance and adherence to rights and constants. The unity of our people on the choice of resistance is a prerequisite for achieving victory.
IOF Demolish Land in occupied Jerusalem
Palestinian-owned land was leveled and a wall was demolished in the town of Sur Baher, belonging to the Amira family, by the Israeli Occupation Forces. They also detained four young men from the same area of occupied Jerusalem.
Israeli occupation forces carry out bulldozing works in a Palestinian-owned land in the occupied Jerusalem neighborhood of Sur Baher, today. pic.twitter.com/byubENFvrw
The contents of a commercial shop in the al-Jalazone refugee camp in Ramallah were damaged by the Israeli Occupation Forces, and money was stolen.
Media coverage: The vandalism left behind Israeli occupation forces last night after savagely storming a vegetable shop in Al-Jalazon refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. pic.twitter.com/aXNZJR0s3x
Nakahle: Martyred Commanders Immediately Replaced Earlier on Tuesday, the Secretary-General of Islamic Jihad, Ziad Nakhale, confirmed the group’s readiness to confront Israeli attacks. He revealed that the group’s commanders who were martyred during the Israeli aggression on Gaza earlier this month have already been replaced.
Nakhale maintained that the group holds rockets that can reach any area of occupied Palestine and that rockets fired at occupied territories during “Operation Revenge of the Free” were homemade and manufactured by the group’s military wing, Al-Quds Brigades. Six Al-Quds Brigades commanders were assassinated during the Israeli aggression on Gaza.
Palestinians are in continuous state of resistance against daily Israeli aggression on several areas across the West Bank, amid calls to defend the holy city of Al-Quds during the provocative Israeli so-called ‘Flag March’.
Israeli occupation forces staged on Tuesday several raids and made arrests near Jericho and in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, prompting armed clashes with Palestinian resistance.
Palestinian media reported that resistance fighters opened fire at the Zionist soldiers who raided the town of Qabatiya in Jenin, and besieged a house, where resistance fighters were allegedly residing.
BREAKING: Israeli occupation forces storm Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. pic.twitter.com/Usjmf6Vdxj
Al-Quds Brigades’ Qabatiya Battalion confirmed that their Mujahideen (fighters) confronted the occupation forces, reporting fierce clashes.
Three Palestinians were reportedly injured in the raid, according to Palestinian and Israeli media.
The town of Kafr Qaddum, east of Qalqilya, the Dheisheh camp in Beit Lahm, and the Aqabat Jaber camp in Areeha were also among the areas targeted.
The IOF reportedly deployed snipers in multiple buildings during their storming of Aqabat Jaber, where they arrested six members of one family.
Confrontations erupted between Palestinian Resistance fighters and the IOF during the Aqabat Jaber raid, during which a citizen was injured, and ambulance crews were prevented to reach him. In another raid, the IOF stormed the town of Al-Isawiya in occupied Al-Quds and conducted a campaign of arrests.
The IOF also moved into the town of Turmus Ayya, Ramallah, where they arrested Palestinian youth Mohammad Walid Abu Awwad from his home.
These raids come just one day after the IOF shot and killed Palestinian youth Saleh Sabra during their attempt to storm the Askar refugee camp, east of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
‘Flag March’
Meanwhile, Palestinian groups and activists have been mobilizing to defend Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa against Israeli provocations during the Israeli so-called ‘Flag March’ schedueled on Thursday.
Enitiled “The Great Dawn”, the calls urged Palestinians to head for Al-Aqsa at dawn in Thursday to confront the Israeli provocations planed during the provocative ‘Flag March’.
The Flag March is staged by Israeli settlers every year to mark what they call the “unification of Jerusalem”, in reference to Israeli occupation of the holy city in 1967.
Earlier on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the provocative parade will take place as planned in Al-Quds on Thursday, and that it will go through the Old City’s Muslim Quarter.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu leads a Likud faction meeting at the Knesset in occupied Al-Quds (May 15, 2023).
“The flag march will continue as planned, as usual, on its route,” Netanyahu said at the outset of his Likud party’s Knesset faction meeting.
Israeli occupation Police approved the route last week, and said it plans to deploy more than 2,000 police officers to guard the march.
في اليوم الثالث من معركة «ثأر الأحرار»، بدت إسرائيل واقعةً في دائرة حيرة كبرى لا تعرف كيفية الفكاك منها. فهي، من جهة، لا تجد الضغط الميداني الذي تمارسه إلى الآن، بما فيه الاغتيالات ضدّ قادة حركة «الجهاد الإسلامي»، كافياً لدفع الأخيرة إلى التراجع عن شروطها لوقف إطلاق النار الذي تريده تل أبيب متبادلاً ومجانياً؛ ومن جهة ثانية، لا تستطيع المغامرة برفع مستوى أذيتها للمدنيين في قطاع غزة – والذي يُعدّ بالنسبة إليها أداة الضغط الأنجع على المقاومة – لما قد يستتبعه ذلك من انخراط أكبر لحركة «حماس» في المواجهة؛ ومن جهة ثالثة، ليس في مقدورها إبقاء الوضع على ما هو عليه من الاستنزاف وتهشيم صورة النصر المفترضة التي انتزعتها بالضربة الأولى. في المقابل، تَظهر المقاومة أكثر ارتياحاً إلى وضعها، وهي ارتقت أمس درجةً جديدة على سلّم الاشتباك، موصلةً، بقرار واحد وفق ما علمته «الأخبار»، رسائلها إلى مدينة القدس، التي ستكون في الأيام المقبلة، في حال استمرار جولة القتال الحالية، عنواناً رئيساً للمواجهة، بالنظر إلى ما يخطّط له الاحتلال ومستوطنوه من فعاليات تهويدية في ذكرى احتلال المدينة المقدسة. وفي انتظار ما ستذهب إليه الأمور في الساعات والأيام المقبلة، يمكن الاكتفاء، إسرائيلياً، بالحقيقة «القاسية والكئيبة» التي باتت تقرّ بها وسائل إعلام العدو، وعنوانها أن هذه الجولة لن تغيّر شيئاً لأن ثمن التغيير «ثقيل ومؤلم»؛ وفلسطينياً، أن المعركة الجارية حالياً ستسهم في تصليب معادلة «وحدة الساحات»، وتعزيز ميزان الردع الذي استطاعت المقاومة إرساءه في وجه العدو في خلال الأشهر الماضية
غزة | في اليوم الثالث، واصلت المقاومة الفلسطينية ردّها على الاحتلال ضمن معركة «ثأر الأحرار»، وسط ضغوط تمارَس عليها لدفعها إلى القبول بالتهدئة، وهو ما ردّت عليه بتوسيع بقعة الاستهداف، موجهةً ضرباتها ….
قد يكون من المبكر الحديث عن نتائج المواجهة الحالية بين العدو الإسرائيلي وحركة «الجهاد الإسلامي»، وإن كان جزء منها بات ملموساً. وسواء أُعلن وقف إطلاق النار الآن، أو تَأجّل أياماً، وهو ما تريده ….
بعد ليلة ساخنة شهدت عشرات الغارات التي طاولت مختلف محافظات قطاع غزة، وفي وقت كانت فيه مفاوضات وقف إطلاق النار تصل إلى لحظاتها الأخيرة، إلى الحدّ …. الذي دفع جيش الاحتلال إلى نشر حصيلة أيام القتال…
تلقّت مستوطنة «رحوفوت» جنوبي تل أبيب، أوّل من أمس، ضربة موجعة، بعدما فشلت منظومة “القبة الحديدية”، «لأسباب تقنية»، كما ادّعى المتحدث باسم جيش الاحتلال، في اعتراض صاروخ أصاب مبنًى فيها إصابة مباشرة، ….
«أبناء الموت»؛ وصفٌ تطلقه إسرائيل على الأشخاص الموضوعين على لائحة الاغتيال لديها، والذين يُعتبرون بالنسبة إليها أمواتاً، ولكنهم الآن أحياء لأن يدها لم تصل إليهم بعد. تستهدف دولة الاحتلال، من وراء هذه ….
لن يَعدّ محمد الأيام والساعات بعد اليوم. ليس في رحاب أيام الصيف المنتظَر، ما سيغمض عينيه ليلاً ليتأمّل روعته، بعد أن استحال حلم الزواج ذكرى سيجتهد كثيراً ليستطيع مواصلة حياته الطبيعية على وقعها. على ….
لم يتوقّف الاستثمار الإسرائيلي في محاولة عزل حركة “الجهاد الإسلامي” عن فصائل المقاومة الأخرى أوّلاً، ثمّ تعريتها جماهيرياً ثانياً. صباح أمس، أفردت قناة “مكان” الإسرائيلية الناطقة بالعربية، مساحة…
During his visit to Sayyeda Zeinab (A.S.) Holy Shrine in Damascus Countryside, the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi led the worshippers’ prayer.
The Iranian president also visited the Holy Shrine of Sayyeda Roqayya (A.S.) in Damascus.
President Raisi stressed that Syria managed to emerge victorious from the 12-year terrorist war, adding that the Islamic Republic will support Syria during the reconstruction stage just it did during the hard times.
Addressing a public ceremony held on Wednesday at Sayyeda Zeinab (A.S.) Holy Shrine in Damascus Countryside, Sayyed Raisi said that the meeting is aimed at celebrating the victory over terror and thank Holy God for this bless.
The Iranian President maintained that the relation between Iran and Syria is popularly emotional and governmentally strategic.
The acts of resistance in Palestine and the whole region against the Israeli enemy led to changing the circumstances in favor of the axis of resistance, according to Sayyed Raisi who added that Iran will keep supporting the Resistance groups in Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine.
Sayyed Raisi also highlighted the role of the Palestinian resistance fighters in liberating Al-Quds, saying that they can take the initiative.
While Israeli occupation forces kill, bomb, assault, and arrest innocent Palestinians, their social media platforms seem to be turning such heinous acts into jokes in search of desperate likes.
Young dancing soldiers, jumping on TikTok trends, memes, and jokes… it all sounds “fun” doesn’t it?
However, if there would ever be a backstage of the Israeli occupation forces’ social media platforms, it would be a room full of blood, murderous weapons, and the bodies of thousands of murdered Palestinians.
What happens backstage is a pure whitewashing of Israeli crimes for the sake of some desperate interaction and affection. Attacking Gaza? Let’s make an infographic about how many “terrorists” there are in the Strip. Palestinians defending themselves against Israeli attacks? Let’s film a short clip about our soldiers crying to get some emotions out of our audience.
And this is how it works… for them…
Know your audience: Who are they targeting?
In 2012, Fast Company conducted an interview with IOF Spokesperson at the time, Eytan Buchman, in which he spoke about certain insights on how Israeli forces get things done regarding their social media platforms.
During the interview, the spokesperson said the Israeli army is “a very young army” and that’s where “the innovation comes from.”
“… most people come in when they’re 18. Males serve for three years and women serve for two years. This forms a parity where people find themselves between 18 and 21 and inside military operations. The idea of flexibility and innovation is always encouraged.”
The Israeli spokesperson went on and talked about how “innovation” usually makes it to the world and how it “opens up new horizons.” He even recalled one of the soldiers who had to pay for the IOF WordPress account “using her own credit card… instead of dealing with the military bureaucracy.”
He said, during the interview, that there are “two primary interactions with social media. The first is the interactive media branch, which is responsible for outreach to different audiences online. The second is desk offices from traditional media, such as Leibovitch… In some cases, we also maintain Facebook pages and websites in specific languages in order to reach out to certain regions.”
Ironically, the spokesperson bragged about how the IOF is operating on different social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, Google+, and even Pinterest in order to increase the occupation’s “legitimacy, to be transparent… to combat misinformation that being flooded out from inside Gaza.”
Legitimacy and transparency by ‘Israel’? Think again.
Whether it’s jumping on trends, trending music, or even memes, the IOF’s strategy on TikTok does the job of completely victimizing the occupier while criminalizing the occupied.
For example, in one of the TikTok videos, during New Year’s Eve, the IOF account posted a wrap-up about the year 2022, as part of the relevant TikTok trends where one would recall moments that took place during the year with background music playing A Sky Full of Stars, asong by Coldplay.
Zooming out, the video had no sight of Israeli occupation forces committing any massacres, murders, bombings, arrests, or assaults on Palestinians. The short video completely altered reality, failing to mention Israeli crimes and showcase Israeli weapons, its soldiers ‘in action’, and its warplanes.
Playing innocent, the IOF captions the video with: “This year was filled with highs and lows, but we pushed through every challenge. How was your 2022?”
The videos are endless.
In 2021, on TikTok, the IOF jumped on the “She’s Gonna Be A Victoria’s Secret Supermodel” trend where they filmed one of their tanks, with the caption: “We’re serving looks since 1948.”
Of course, the IOF will make no mention of the 1948 Nakba (catastrophe) during which Zionist gangs committed horrific massacres in Palestine against Palestinians, killing and forcefully expelling them from their motherland. This date is marked by “Israel” as its “independence”.
The only thing that “Israel” has been “serving” since 1948 is aggression, occupation, and colonization of an entire population.
In another instance, the IOF posted a video on TikTok on Easter with an Israeli soldier running with the writing on the video “POV: Us on easter morning looking for chocolate eggs [chocolate emoji].”
There was no context for the footage. Was it an Israeli soldier running toward a Palestinian to beat him as what always happens? If so, why chasing a Palestinian would be turned into a joke on social media? One comment said he was probably “hunting the Christians celebrating Easter.”
Palestinian Orthodox Christians in occupied #AlQuds are celebrating the #HolyFire ceremony under occupation and siege imposed by the Israeli occupation forces at a time when "Israel" hopes to excise the Arab identity of Al-Quds, comprised of both Christian and Muslim rituals,… pic.twitter.com/T4xv8tWOeS
On International Women’s Day, the IOF account on TikTok posted “Women get the job done,” with a video of a girl being trained in the IOF as she is filmed going on missions while holding weapons and on a tank. At the end of the video, the girl is seen having this “dreamy” look on her face after the end of her shift, making the military occupation of Palestine look “dreamy” to the audience.
Of course, there was no mention of the following. In January this year, the Israeli occupation launched a large-scale campaign of brutal repression against Palestinian prisoners, most notably female prisoners as they were subjected to brutal practices by Israeli authorities.
Israeli occupation forces usually brutally assault Palestinian women stationed at Al-Aqsa Mosque while harassing, expelling, and arresting many others.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) May 5, 2022
If this is their definition of women empowerment, the IOF needs a whole new dictionary.
‘Is this a parody account?’
Not a single Ramadan has passed without the Israeli occupation forces, along with the illegal settlers, attacking Palestinian worshippers.
This Ramadan alone and for three nights in a row, the Israeli occupation forces stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque and attacked Palestinian worshippers practicing Itikaf.
During these attacks, Israeli occupation forces use rubber bullets and smoke and stun grenades against the unarmed worshippers.
On March 2023, the IOF page wished Muslims “a meaningful and peaceful holiday” with audacity. This prompted one Twitter user to question whether the account was a parody account.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) May 5, 2022
Memes to defeat the ‘enemy’: Social media 101?
On a Twitter post on Valentine’s Day, the IOF posted three photos about “Hamas’ love language” where they mentioned quotes and previous news about Hamas. One of the pictures hinted that Hamas fires rockets “without any occasion” as part of its “gift giving” while completely disregarding the Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque, in Gaza Strip, and in the West Bank.
Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas seem to be the IOF’s favorite opponents on their social media platforms. In one of their posts on Halloween, the IOF posted a costume for the occasion named “Hamas terrorist”, while describing what the costume includes.
The caption that was posted was: “If you see this walking down the street, it’s not a costume…” The comments on the post varied, with some people saying this was an IOF costume and others writing “FREE PALESTINE”.
“Do YOU know what the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization in Gaza is? Watch to find out.” With this caption, the IOF decided to describe a video they posted about the Islamic Jihad Movement. The video said the Palestinian faction is focused on the “destruction of the state of Israel.”
The video received a backlash. People in the comments slammed the video with some saying, “Since when defending and dying for the liberation of your own country is terrorism?” Others stated the fact that “Israel” is an occupation by saying, “Why don’t u tell the people how u came into power? Did u not steal their land and harm Palestinian citizens?”
The IOF social media team also got on the “Little Miss” trend where people make comedic characters that sum up their personality and are called Little Miss “something”.
This was also slammed by social media users. When the IOF posted a picture that says “little miss combats terrorism in the Middle East,” people started to reply “Little Miss Terrorism in the Middle East” and “Little Miss War criminals.” In another picture of the same trend, people started commenting “Little miss makes me sick to my stomach…” and “Ethnic cleansing but make it quirky,” hinting at using memes to hide Israeli crimes against Palestinians.
While the obsession seems to grow against whoever resists the Israeli occupation and defends the Palestinian lands, the Palestinian narrative has always triumphed and excelled over the Israeli one.
During Seif Al-Quds Battle, many pro-Palestine accounts started to publish videos and infographics about the Israeli aggression on Gaza Strip in 2021.
Even Israeli media admitted that the most popular posts that were made then were in support of the Palestinians.
“…The most viral example had nearly 2 million likes on Bella Hadid’s Instagram page… Another popular infographic from @paliroots had over 500,000 likes. In comparison, most of the IDF’s videos and photos had likes in the tens of thousands, and only occasionally topping 100,000.”
– The Forward
At one point, during the Israeli aggression on Gaza Strip, the IOF social media team seemed desperate enough to copy the same format of a Pro-Palestine post while changing the whole narrative to become pure Israeli propaganda.
While the IOF’s social media account may look “glorious” and “fun” to some from the outside, there is no mention of the brutal Israeli administrative detention policy, there is no mention of killing children, there is no mention of uprooting Palestinian olive trees, there is no mention of ethnically cleansing a whole indigenous population, just as there is no mention of Israeli illegal checkpoints and settlements. There is not even any mention of “Israel” being the OCCUPATION it is!
Eight Israeli settlers were injured in a car ramming attack carried out by Palestinians on Monday in Jaffa area in occupied Al-Quds.
Zionist media reported that one of the injuries was critical, noting that the incident occurred 200 meters away from a ceremony held on the anniversary of the dead Israeli soldiers where PM Benjamin Netanyahu was delivering a speech.
The Israeli army’s radio announced that the occupation’s military units opened fire at three Palestinians and killed the attacker, adding that reinforcements were sent to the scene of the attack.
Netanyahu said that the operation underlines the agonies of the Israelis, adding that such attacks are aimed at obliterating ‘Israel’.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian considered that the apartheid “Israeli” entity to be “the biggest threat to the region and the international Muslim Nation.”
Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks on Thursday in a phone call with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi.
The Iranian top diplomat also laid emphasis on the necessity for the existence of unity across the Muslim world in the face of the occupying regime, the need to cut the regime’s hands off the al-Aqsa Mosque’s compound in the holy occupied city of al-Quds’ Old City — which is Islam’s third holiest site, and the importance of complete restoration of Palestinians’ rights.
Turning to the issue of the bilateral ties, Amir-Abdollahian pointed to his visit earlier this year to Amman, and announced the Islamic Republic’s readiness for expansion of the level of relations and cooperation between the countries.
For his part, Safadi stressed his country’s support for regional peace and stability, and defense of the holy sites in Al-Quds in the face of the Zionists’ acts of aggression.
He further hailed Iran to be “an important country in the region”, pointing out that Amman attached “great importance” to further development of its ties with Tehran.
Safadi, meanwhile, welcomed the recent reconciliation agreement reached between Iran and Saudi Arabia under the auspices of China in Beijing.
Also on Thursday, Amir-Abdollahian talked on the phone with his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan.
The officials described as positive the process of underway work by the technical teams that have been exchanged mutually to lay the groundwork for the reopening of each country’s Embassy and Consulate on the other’s soil.
The Iranian official expressed hope that the Iranian Embassy in Riyadh and its Consulate General in the port city of Jeddah be opened in time before this year’s Hajj Pilgrimage.
The Saudi official said the kingdom would do its part to contribute to the prospect, and also hoped that the top diplomats would meet each other in the countries’ respective capitals in the near future.
الخسائر الإسرائيلية في الربع الأول للعام الجاري، يفوق الخسائر الإسرائيلية في كلّ الأشهر الأولى من السنوات الماضية عقب “هبة القدس” عام 2015، الذي شهد تفاقم عمليات الطعن والدهس خلال ما عرف بـ”انتفاضة السكاكين”.
نحو حرب تحرير شعبية.. كيف تطورت العمليات الفدائية الفلسطينية؟
شهدت العمليات الفدائية الفلسطينية تصاعداً هاماً في وتيرتها ونوعيتها، منذ العدوان الإسرائيلي على غزة عام 2014، واتخذت إلى حدّ كبير طابعاً شعبياً عفوياً، تميّز بالروحية الاستشهادية عند المقاومين الشباب. ومع اندلاع “انتفاضة القدس” عام 2015، ازداد الحديث عن أنّ الساحة الفلسطينية تشهد مرحلة جديدة أقرب إلى انتفاضة ثالثة حقيقية، تستمر بلا هوادة منذ 8 سنوات.
وقد تنوعت العمليات الفدائية الفلسطينية، واختلفت معها تفاصيل كل نوع من العمليات، وما يرتبط به من استعداد وتجهيز، وما يعنيه على مستوى قدرة الإسرائيلي على توقعه ومواجهته والحد منه.
عمليات الدهس
تشكل عمليات الدهس التي نفذها فلسطينيون ضد المستوطنين وضد جنود الاحتلال قلقاً كبيراً لسلطات الاحتلال، فخلال 14 عملية حصلت خلال عام 2022، بحسب الإحصاءات الفلسطينية، تضاف إليها عمليتان نوعيتان في 2023، في تل أبيب والقدس المحتلة، خلفتا قتيلين و11 مصاباً إسرائيلياً.
وتعتبر عمليات الدهس من أصعب العمليات على الاحتلال، إذ تشكل خطورة كبيرة على أفراده مستوطنين وجنوداً، كما أنّ منعها شبه مستحيل، ولا تحتاج إلى أيّ استعداد لوجستي خاص أو عتاد أو أسلحة، ما يعتبر رعباً حقيقياً لأجهزة أمن الاحتلال.
عمليات الطعن والاشتباك بالسلاح الأبيض
وبالإضافة إلى عمليات الدهس، شكلت عمليات الطعن، التي انتشرت بشكل واسع عقب انتفاضة القدس عام 2015، سبباً آخر لإضعاف فعالية أجهزة أمن الاحتلال ضد العمليات الفدائية الفلسطينية، مع 36 عملية طعن ضد المحتل تم توثيقها خلال العام 2022، فضلاً عن أنّ عملية طعن قاتلة تمّ توثيقها في شباط/فبراير الفائت، أدّت إلى مقتل عنصر من شرطة الاحتلال.
وتعدّ عملية الالتحام المباشر مع الاحتلال بواسطة السكين من العمليات القاسية والمؤثرة، إذ قد لا يتطلب الإعداد لتنفيذها أكثر من سكين مطبخ، يخفيه الرجل أو المرأة الفلسطينية في حقيبة أو كم، وأن يقترب إلى درجة كافية من أحد المستوطنين أو الجنود.
وقد اعتمد بعض الفدائيين الفلسطينيين أسلوباً جمع بين النوعين، كما حصل في هجوم بئر السبع في 22 آذار/مارس 2022، عندما دهس منفذ العملية مستوطناً إسرائيلياً، ثم طعن ثلاثة آخرين، ما أدى إلى مقتل 4 إسرائيليين بينهم شرطة.
إطلاق النار
كما كان للاشتباكات المسلحة أهميتها الخاصة هذين العامين، إذ تزايدت بشكل خاص وتيرة إطلاق النار على حواجز الاحتلال ومواقعه وتجمعات عناصره، من قبل عناصر فلسطينية في الضفة الغربية المحتلة والداخل. وأدت عمليات إطلاق النار والاشتباك المسلح مع الاحتلال ومستوطنيه، والتي وصل عددها إلى نحو 650 حالة إطلاق نار موثّقة ضدّ قوات الاحتلال، إلى عشرات القتلى والجرحى الإسرائيليين.
وكان لعملية النبي يعقوب الفدائية، في القدس المحتلة، والتي نفذها الشهيد خيري علقم رداً على ارتكاب العدو مجزرة جنين قبلها بيوم، أثر هائل في أوساط الاحتلال، بعد أن قُتل فيها 7 إسرائيليين وأصيب 3 بجروح، وأدّت إلى بلبلة في أوساط المؤسسة الأمنية الإسرائيلية وتفاقم الضغط على حكومة نتنياهو الجديدة.
وتعدّ عمليات إطلاق النار الأخطر والأقسى على الاحتلال، لقدرتها على إيقاع أكبر عدد من الإصابات القاتلة، ويعتمد فيها المنفذون بشكل أساسي على انتشار السلاح الحربي في الداخل المحتل، وعلى بعض الأسلحة المصنعة محلياً بشكل جزئي، كرشاش الكارلو، وعلى المسدسات الحربية.
وفيما يراهن الاحتلال على تتبع مصادر التسليح وقطع خطوط الإمداد والتهريب، ويريد إقرار قوانين تقيد وصول الفلسطينيين للأسلحة، نجحت بعض العمليات التي اعتمدت على هجوم مزدوج في إيقاع خسائر كبيرة في صفوف مستوطني الاحتلال وجنوده، كما تمكن بعض المنفذين من الانسحاب بسلام من مكان تنفيذ العملية، ونجحوا في توجيه ضربات إضافية قبل الاشتباك مع الجنود والمستوطنين.
كما شكّلت العبوات الناسفة نقلة نوعية العام الفائت بالتحديد، بعدما انفجرت عبوتان ناسفتان في محطتي حافلات في القدس المحتلة، قُتل فيها إسرائيلي وأصيب 19 آخرون بجروح بينها 4 خطيرة.
وكان للانفجار الذي وقع عند مفترق مجيدو شمالي فلسطين المحتلة، الشهر الفائت، تبعات خطيرة على أمن الاحتلال، لا سيما بعد كشف أنّ الانفجار الذي وقع نفّذه فدائي تسلل من الحدود الشمالية، وهو ما شكّل سابقة أنذرت بفتح جبهة جديدة للاحتلال بالإضافة إلى مناطق الداخل المحتل والضفة الغربية والقدس المحتلة وغزة.
وتشكل العبوات الناسفة سبباً حقيقياً لقلق الاحتلال، إذ يخشى قادته ومستوطنوه من عودة عمليات التفجير التي فتكت بالكيان خلال الانتفاضة الثانية. وبالرغم من أنّ الاحتلال يتتبع بشكل دقيق كافة المواد التي يمكن أن يستفاد منها لبناء قنبلة، وييتبع مصادرها ومبيعاتها، ولكنّ قدرات المقاومة على خرق أمنيات العدو باتت تزداد يوماً بعد يوم.
وسبق أن أعلن الاحتلال إسقاط طائرات مسيرة تحمل أسلحة ومواد متفجرة، قادمة من جهة الأردن وسوريا، كما ألقت القبض على شحنات من الأسلحة كان يتم تهريبها إلى فلسطين المحتلة عبر الحدود مع لبنان، ما دفع قادته إلى التساءل عن حجم ما لم يتمّ كشفه من عمليات إيصال الأسلحة، لا سيما مع إعلان صريح من قبل قادة محور المقاومة عن التوجه إلى مزيد من دعم الضفة الغربية بالسلاح.
تطور خسائر الاحتلال جراء العمليات الفدائية الفلسطينية
21 قتيلاً إسرائيلياً في أول 4 أشهر من 2023
شهد الربع الأول من عام 2023 تفاقماً هائلاً في عدد الخسائر البشرية الإسرائيلية نتيجة العمليات الفدائية الفلسطينية، إذ وصل عدد قتلى الاحتلال إلى 21 قتيلاً وعشرات الجرحى، بعد أن قُتلت 3 مستوطنات في عملية الأغوار في الأسبوع الأول من الشهر الجاري، وقتل آخر جراء جراح سابقة تعرض لها في عملية دهس في تل أبيب.
ويفوق رقم الخسائر الإسرائيلية في الربع الأول للعام الجاري، الخسائر الإسرائيلية في كلّ الأشهر الأولى من السنوات الماضية عقب “هبة القدس” عام 2015، حتى نفس العام 2015، الذي شهد تفاقم عمليات الطعن والدهس خلال ما عرف بـ”انتفاضة السكاكين”، وأدى إلى سقوط 29 قتيلاً إسرائيلياً خلال عام.
ويستمرّ بالتالي الخط التصاعدي للقتلى الإسرائيليين من خلال العمليات الفدائية، إذ قتل 3 إسرائيليين عام 2020، و 21 إسرائيلياً عام 2021، و30 إسرائيلياً عام 2022، فيما يبدو أن العدد هذا العام مرشّحٌ لمزيد من الارتفاع، في حال استمرت الوتيرة على ما هي عليه من التوتر والتصعيد من قبل الاحتلال ضد الفلسطينيين.
ومن أبرز العمليات التي شهدها العام الفائت كانت عملية “بئر السبع”، حيث قتل 4 مستوطنين إسرائيليين وأصيب آخرون، في عملية طعن ودهس، نفذها الفدائي محمد أبو القيعان.
كما شكلت عملية “الخضيرة”، بالتزامن مع “قمة النقب” التي عقدتها تل أبيب بمشاركة الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية و4 دول عربية مطبعة مع الاحتلال، هي مصر والإمارات والمغرب والبحرين، نقلة نوعية في طبيعة العمليات واتصالها بتوجهات القيادة السياسية للمقاومة الفلسطينية، حيث أدّت إلى مقتل جنديين إسرائيليين، واستشهاد المنفذين أيمن وإبراهيم إغبارية.
حصيلة العمليات الفدائية الفلسطينية عام 2022
دلالات الأرقام ونوعية العمليات
لم يترك قادة الاحتلال مجالاً للتعبير عن مخاوفهم من استمرار العمليات الفدائية وتفاقم آثارها المادية والنفسية على كيان الاحتلال ومستوطنيه إلا وعبّروا عنه، إذ أكّد كبار ضباطه وسياسييه أنّ العمليات الأخيرة كبدت الكيان “خسائر فادحة”، واعتبروا أنّ الامر بات “أصعب من انتفاضة”، وأنّ الإسرائيليين يعيشون “مأساةً مستمرة”.
ومع ازدياد الحديث عن إجراءات جديدة تتضمن نشر الجيش في المناطق المدنية، وتسليح المستوطنين، والتشدد ضد التسلح غير المرخص مقابل فتح باب التراخيص للإسرائيليين وزيادة عدد الشرطة الذين يجوبون الشوارع بلباس مدني، ورفع مستوى العمل الاستخباري ضد المشتبه بهم، يخشى العديد من قادة الاحتلال أنّ الكيان يتجه نحو أن يكون كياناً بوليسياً موصوفاً، يعيش فيه الإسرائيليون في قلق دائم.
ولا تقتصر أضرار هذه الإجراءات على الأثر النفسي عند المستوطنين، بل تتعداه إلى أن تكون سبباً لإبعاد الاحتلال أكثر فأكثر عن المعايير المستهدفة من السعادة والأمن والرفاهية والجاذبية السياحية، التي يحاول تثبيتها منذ عقود.
كما تساهم الإجراءات الإرهابية للشرطة والمستوطنين، انفعالاً على هذه العمليات، في تظهير الصورة الإرهابية للإسرائيليين في الدول الغربية والأوساط العالمية، والتي بات يعاني جراءها قادة الاحتلال من حظر للسفر إلى العديد من البلدان، بينها بلدان أوروبية.
وتأتي هذه العمليات في وقت تتفاقم فيه الانقسامات الداخلية الإسرائيلية، حيث أدّت غلى أن يتبادل أطراف السياسة الإسرائيلية الاتهامات بشان المسؤولية عن هذه العمليات والفشل الأمني الإسرائيلي في منعها أو الحدّ منها.
وفي وقت يؤكد نتنياهو وحكومته أنه سيستمرّ بالضغط على الفلسطينيين، وممارسة الحصار والإرهاب ضد كافة أشكال الحياة الطبيعية لأصحاب الأرض في فلسطين، فإنّ الخيار الوحيد أمام الشعب الفلسطيني هو الانتفاض ضد الاحتلال ومراكمة الفعل المقاوم والعمليات الموجعة، وصولاً إلى يوم قد تفتح فيه الحرب الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين أبوابها.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah responded to the threats of the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu by similarly saying in an intimidating tone, “You Will See!”
Sayyed Nasrallah abstained from commenting on the missile fire from Southern Lebanon at the Zionist settlements, stressing that reassuring the Zionist enemy is forbidden.
Hezbollah will resort to silence and avoid clarifying the missile fire from Southern Lebanon in order to keep ‘Israel’ confused and terrified, according to the Resistance Leader.
Sayyed Nasrallah indicated that the Israelis themselves acknowledge that the response to the missile fire from Lebanon was feeble due to the balance of deterrence maintained by the Resistance, highlighting the strategic reflection of the Zionist keenness on avoiding any direct clash with Hezbollah.
“The Israelis have boasted the only achievement of avoiding any direct clash with Hezbollah.”
Sayyed Nasrallah said that the Israeli raids did not target any site for Hezbollah or Hamas, but that an irrigation canal and a banana farm were hit.
His eminence maintained that all the Israeli threats are useless, rather they reinforce the Resistance commitment to accumulate all the required capabilities in order to sustain the balance of deterrence and confront any Zionist aggression on Lebanon.
Any Zionist attack on the Lebanese territories or any person present in Lebanon will be responded to without any hesitation, Sayyed Nasrallah maintained.
Addressing Hezbollah central ceremony marking International Quds Day in Beirut’s Dahiyeh, Sayyed Nasrallah warned the Israeli enemy of any folly against Al-Aqsa Mosque, Al-Quds, West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon or Syria may lead to an all-out war in the whole region.
Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that Imam Khomeini announced Al-Quds International Day more than 40 years ago in order to be an occasion of voicing and expressing solidarity with Palestine.
Sayyed Nasrallah indicated that marking Al-Quds International Day sends a message of solidarity with the sacrificing Palestinian people, adding that Muslims and Christians as well as Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of Resurrection in Palestine are not left alone.
His eminence pointed out that Marking Al-Quds International Day is also aimed at intimidating the Israeli enemy that feels concerned and has made void threats to all the surrounding countries.
Hezbollah Secretary General highlighted the developments that occurred since last year’s Al-Quds Day and reviewed their effects on the Palestinian cause.
To begin with, Sayyed Nasrallah underlined the recession of the US hegemony all over the world, shedding light on the Venezuelan sample.
America was obliged to back off in Venezuela after a political and economic siege, according to Sayyed Nasrallah.
Sayyed Nasrallah indicated that one of the most important factors behind the regional changes is the milestone US defeat in Afghanistan, “which was wailed by the Israeli officials”.
Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that ‘Israel’, Gulf states, and other regional countries have become convinced that the US is unreliable for protection, adding that some Arab countries have started to consider dialogue and agreement as a way to maintain the regional stability.
Sayyed Nasrallah noted that USA is now concentrating on the confrontation with Russia and China more than Eastern Asia and the Middle East, adding that this is worrying the Israelis.
Such developments move towards a multipolar world system that cannot be ruled by the USA alone, according to Sayyed Nasrallah.
Sayyed Nasrallah pointed out that the US administration moves according to its interests, adding that it even imposed the normalization deals on the Arab countries and that the Israeli officials falsely claim they have made this “achievement”.
The US political decline will lead to the decline of the normalization deals as well as the Israeli deterrence power and strategic status.
The powerful emergence of the axis of the resistance from the global war run by the US which employed states and criminal organizations will affect the conflict with the Israeli enemy, Sayyed Nasrallah said, recalling the bets on the collapse of the the Resistance coalition.
Sayyed Nasrallah highlighted Syria’s recovery and the restoration of its diplomatic ties with a number of the Arab countries, including Algeria, Tunisia, Saudi, UAE and Egypt, mentioning also the issue of Syria’s return to the Arab League and the Turkish endeavor to normalize relations with Damascus.
Sayyed Nasrallah emphasized that Yemen, which we have supported since the beginning of the war in 2015, is witnessing positive developments pertaining the peace talks, noting that this would leave positive effects on the axis of resistance, Palestine and Al-Quds.
Hezbollah Chief hailed Algeria’s return to support the Palestinian cause displayed by the expelling of the Zionist delegation from the African Union Summit,
Sayyed Nasrallah highlighted Iraq’s considerable recovery from its crises, adding that the axis of resistance bets on the Iraqi people support to the Palestinian cause and underlining their enormous human and materialistic capabilities.
Sayyed Nasrallah also mentioned Iran development and steadfastness in face of the siege, isolation and recent trivial riots, adding that the Iranian-Saudi agreement has speedily started showing its positive outcomes.
Sayyed Nasrallah indicated that Iran-KSA pact frustrated the normalization schemes and the Israeli plot to establish coalition against Iran, adding that the concentration of the attack on the Islamic Republic is caused by the fact that it is the main supporter of the regional countries and resistance movements.
Hezbollah Leader indicated that the recent rift which appeared in the Zionist entity over the judicial amendments which reflect an existential war waged by Netanyahu and the right groups against the rest of the political parties.
This war would have turned to be bloody had not the US administration interfered few weeks ago to prevent the escalation would threatened the army, businessmen and all the Zionist society, according to Sayyed Nasrallah, who also highlighted the lack of confidence in the Israeli army and the military readiness to make sacrifices for the sake of the occupation entity.
Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that the escalating armed resistance in the West Bank, the popular steadfastness, sacrifice and support to the resistance fighters inside and outside Palestine, the youths participation in the heroic clashes with the Zionist occupation forces despite the discrepancy of military capabilities, the Palestinian persistence and insistence on defending Al-Aqsa Mosque in spite of the Israeli aggression versus the Zionist confusion and fear, and the growing capabilities of the resistance in the Gaza have maintained the certainty of victory.
Sayyed Nasrallah indicated that Syria considers several factors before deciding a response to the Israeli raids as its army units are deployed along hundreds of kilometers in face of the terrorist groups, warning Israeli enemy must beware that Syria may get rid of the current formula and respond at a certain time to the Zionist raids.
West Bank
Hezbollah Secretary General reiterated that the West Bank is indeed the shield of Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque, calling for supporting the West Bank and its resistance financially and militarily in order to sustain its steadfastness.
Sayyed Nasrallah asserted that all who can dispatch weapons to the West Bank, must do that, adding that the political support provided by the Arab and Muslim states is also important.
Sayyed Nasrallah warned the US and ‘Israel’ against any folly in the region will lead to a major war, warning the Zionist enemy against tampering with the Islamic and Christian sanctities in Palestine.
Head of Hezbollah Executive Council Sayyed Hashem Safieddine
Head of Hezbollah Executive Council Sayyed Hashem Safieddine stressed on Wednesday that the axis of resistance has unified its capabilities to engage in the major confrontation with the Israeli enemy.
Addressing “Al-Quds Shield” conference in Beirut, Sayyed Safieddine emphasized that the target is the demise of ‘Isael’ whose officials, consequently, started reflecting pessimism and losing temper.
His eminence indicated that the rulers’ policies have driven people away from the resistance project, adding that this allowed the Israeli enemy to exercise oppression without any limit.
Sayyed Safieddine warned Netanyahu that all the components of the axis of resistance would respond to any Israeli folly.
Sayyed Safieddine said, “As the West Bank is the Shield of al-Quds, we, all the resistance fighters, are the shield of the West Bank, al-Quds, and our people in Palestine and the Ummah to eradicate this entity.”
Sayyed Safieddine highlighted the role of the Islamic Republic since the Revolution emerged victorious in 1979 in supporting the Palestinian cause and shaking the pillars of the occupation entity despite all the high costs.
Sayyed Safieddine indicated that Imam Khomeni set Al-Quds International Day as being for all Muslims and free people across the world, not just the Palestinians.
Scene of the shooting in Jordan Valley (Friday, April 7, 2023).
Three Israelis were killed and another was seriously hurt on Friday in a West Bank shooting described by Israeli media as “painful”.
Israeli media reported that three Israeli women were shot in a drive-by-shooting attack in the Jordan Valley region.
Two succumbed to their wounds, Israeli officials confirmed, while the third was in critical condition. Later on, Zionist media indicated that the third settler also died.
Ynet reported that the car which was hit by bullets had lost control and crashed and hit another vehicle on the road, citing emergency teams.
The Israelis were shot in their vehicle near the Hamra Junction i24News reported. It quoted eyewitnesses as saying that one of the two attackers approached the vehicle after the initial salvo that left the women hurt and fired at a point-blank range.
Israeli occupation military confirmed that the incident represents a “terrorist attack” and said they launched a manhunt after the attacker, who apparently fled on foot.
After the shooting, Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai called on licensed gun Israeli owners to carry them.
Resistance movements hailed the operation, stressing that it comes as a natural response to the continuous Israeli aggression against Palestinian people in Al-Aqsa.
Hamas spokesman in Al-Quds Mohammad Hamade said the shooting proves the resistance’s swift response to Israeli crimes and its capability to hit sensitive security targets across the Zionist entity.
Tensions are on the rise across the Zionist entity as Palestinian people are determined to go ahead with all forms of resistance against the Israeli occupation.
Friday’s attack attack comes few hours after Israeli occupation struck Gaza and Lebanon and went ahead with its aggression in Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Al-Quds.
The Israeli occupation media reveal that IOF are on high alert in the occupied West Bank and on the Palestinian borders with Lebanon.
Israeli soldiers mobilized in the occupied West Bank illegal settlement of ‘Ariel’, occupied Palestine, March 17, 2016 (AP)
The Israeli occupation forces are on high alert in preparation for Passover, Israeli media reported Tuesday.
And the Israeli Channel 13 said that the occupation forces were mobilized on the Palestinian borders with Lebanon in a measure related to the upcoming holiday period and “reinforced its forces in the West Bank amid warnings of impending attacks.”
The Israeli alert was “different” this time, Channel 12 reported.
“There is a different and reinforced state of alert, only in the West Bank, and four battalions were deployed by the army there and on the contact line,” the Israeli channel’s military affairs commentator, Nir Dvori, said Tuesday. “Due to there being so many security alerts, the forces will also be reinforced in the center of the cities and near synagogues.”
“All eyes are on the north, where there is a state of alert as well,” Dvori added, noting that there were a lot of warnings, “but the main problem we saw this morning in Tzrifin, where a lone attacker, about whom there is no available information, attacked the soldiers. This is also why they are preparing by mobilizing a lot of soldiers so that there would be someone to carry out the initial response.”
Iran responsible for 95% of security threats
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said while raising the Passover toast that Iran was behind the majority of the occupation’s security threats.
“Iran is responsible for 95% of our security threats… including those that you deal with directly and indirectly,” the premier said, stressing that “we must, of course, deal with these new threats.”
“Israel is in a period full of challenges, both internally and externally, and the source could be Iran… Hamas… the Palestinian Islamic Jihad… and many local groups,” he said.
200 attempted ‘major attacks’ in 2023
Three months into 2023, there have been more than 200 major attacks aimed at Israeli settlers and the IOF, Israeli Shin Bet director Ronen Bar said Tuesday.
“Only three months have passed since the new year, and during those, more than 200 major attacks were thwarted, including 150 shootings and 20 attacks with IEDs, vehicle ramming operations, suicide attacks, and kidnappings, and besides all that, we received 15 painful losses,” Bar added.
Moreover, the chief revealed that the Tequila Squad, a joint team between the Shin Bet and the Security Operations Combat Unit, dedicated to arresting Palestinian resistance fighters who are jeopardized on their way to carry out an attack, was mobilized 14 times since the start of the year.
Israeli Channel 13 Zvi Yehezkeli revealed earlier that “the wave of anticipated Palestinian attacks will increase during Ramadan.”
“They will come from the citizens of Al-Quds who use their blue identity cards and yellow license plates,” he claimed.
Lions’ Den threatens occupation
West Bank resistance group Lions’ Den called on Palestinians to confront the terror brought upon by illegal Israeli settlers, especially in light of the commonplace raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy Month of Ramadan, threatening “Tel Aviv” against committing any blunders in the holy mosque.
“Our fighters will have no red lines,” the resistance group warned.
“O’ our great people, mobilize yourselves to confront their calls [to desecrate Al-Aqsa] with blood and arms,” the Lions’ Den concluded their statement by saying.
This comes after the Israeli occupation forces raided the Al-Aqsa mosque on Sunday, intending to expel Palestinian worshippers from the sacred mosque and its Al-Qibli prayer hall. However, the Palestinians stationed inside the hall locked the doors from the inside and prevented the IOF from entering.
Moreover, an Israeli Zionist group that goes by the name Return to Temple Mount has offered monetary rewards to anyone that succeeds in sacrificing animals inside the sacred Al-Aqsa mosque.
The intention, under the pretense of a “Passover Sacrifice”, is to desecrate the mosque during the most sacred month in Islam, impose a supposed Zionist identity upon Al-Aqsa, and consequently threaten the identity of the eternal Arab capital of Palestine, Al-Quds.
A poster being circulated by the Zionist group says the remuneration for any settler that gets arrested during the process, or the settler that succeeds, has at least doubled vis-a-vis the rewards the group offered last year.
The poster stated that the settler that gets arrested “during the preparation shall receive NIS 500 ($140); Whoever is arrested in the Old City carrying an Easter we will receive 1,200 shekels ($330); Whoever is arrested inside Al-Aqsa carrying an Easter ewe to be compensated will be NIS 2,500 ($690). finally; Whoever succeeds in slaughtering communion within Al-Aqsa will receive prize money of NIS 20,000 ($5,500).”
Last year, in the early days of the holy month of Ramadan, dozens of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Al-Quds under the protection of Israeli occupation forces.
Resistance fighters defend Nablus as the Israeli Occupation Forces raid the city attempting to detain Palestinian youth.
Palestinians mourn Muhammad Hallak in the West Bank city of Nablus, Monday, April 3, 2023, who was martyred during the IOF raid (AP).
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) stormed the West Bank city of Nablus and the Askar refugee camp earlier on Monday with dozens of armored vehicles and special forces. Confrontations erupted when Palestinians attempted to defend their city from the IOF incursion.
Two Palestinians were martyred by live IOF fire, Muhammad Al-Hallak and Muhammad Abu Bakr Junaidi, as a result of the confrontations, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Local media also reported that the IOF raided Nablus Speciality Hospital with teargas, leaving tens of people suffering from breathing complications.
Moreover, the raid, according to Israeli media, initially sought to detain two Palestinians, Izz al-Din Touqan and Nidal Tabanga, who were accused, allegedly, of being involved in the act of Resistance that took place last week against the Huwara checkpoint. The IOF besieged and raided their homes leaving behind a trail of violence.
صور | جانب من المواجهات التي اندلعت مع قوات الاحتلال خلال اقتحامها مدينة نابلس. pic.twitter.com/LIWXC6jjq9
The Hamas movement proclaimed during the funeral processions of the two Monday morning martyrs, that “there is no way to confront the occupying Israeli regime other than resistance and an increase in retaliatory measures.”
"شبابنا متجهزون للرد على الجريمة".. حـ ـماس تنعى شهيديْ نابلس وتؤكد أن لا سبيل للجم الاحتلال إلا بالمقاومةhttps://t.co/JbR8QFIMna
Moreover, the Resistance movement noted that the martyrdom of Al-Hallak and Abu Bakr brings “the number of Palestinians martyred since the start of the year to 95,” which Hamas considered an obvious indication of “the rise in the criminal policy of the Israeli enemy and its widespread exercise of murder and assassination.”
To conclude, Hamas reaffirmed its commitment to “respond to the crime,” and explained that the Resistance is “fully prepared to defend our nation as well as the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the face of the incessant aggression of Israeli forces and terrorist settler groups.”
Palestinian martyred at the entrance of Al-Aqsa
It is also worth noting that on April 1, Al Mayadeen‘s correspondent in occupied Al-Quds reported that the IOF opened fire on a Palestinian near Bab Al-Silsila in Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Our correspondent cited witnesses as saying that Mohammad Al-Osaibi, 26, was martyred by Israeli forces.
At the time of the attack, the IOF closed the doors of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City in Al-Quds and assaulted Palestinian worshippers as they were leaving the Mosque through Bab Al-Qataneen.
As a result of his martyrdom, the Higher Follow-up Committee in the occupied Palestinian territories in 1948 announced a general strike to be held on Sunday to condemn the cold-blooded execution of Al-Osaibi.
In support of the general strike, people in Haifa demonstrated. The IOF then attacked the protestors for raising the Palestinian flags and arrested four Palestinians.
نتقلت الأزمة الداخلية العاصفة بكيان الاحتلال الصهيوني، والتي أحدثت شرخاً عميقاً سياسياً ومجتمعياً. انتقلت الى داخل الجيش «الاسرائيلي» وباتت تهدّد قدرته على مواصلة عملياته القتالية.. مما شكل حسب الكثير من المسؤولين السابقين والخبراء والمحللين الصهاينة خطراً داهماً، يهدّد وحدة وتماسك الجيش الذي طالما اعتبر الأساس الصلب الذي يرتكز اليه كيان الاحتلال في استمرار وجوده المصطنع والمؤقت، وفي مواصلة احتلاله لأرض فلسطين، والجولان السوري وأجزاء من الأراضي اللبنانية.. على انّ المؤشرات على هذا التهديد لوحدة وتماسك جيش الاحتلال تجسّدت بالوقائع التالية:
أولاً، فشل جهود رئيس الأركان في جيش الاحتلال «الاسرائيلي»، هرتسي هليفي، للحيلولة دون وصول الأزمة الى الجيش، بعد انضمام المئات من نخبة الجيش من الطيارين والضباط وجنود الاحتياط الى الاحتجاجات ورفضهم الخدمة في الجيش.
ثانياً، ظهور احتمال تمرّد جنود عاملين في الخدمة، مما قد يؤثر على مهام وعمليات جيش الاحتلال في الضفة الغربية والقدس المحتلتين.
ثالثاً، دعوة وزير الحرب يواف غالانت، وهو نائب في الكنيست عن حزب ليكود، إلى تعليق إقرار التعديلات القضائية لمدة شهر، محذراً من أنّ الاحتجاجات ضدّ التعديلات وانضمام عدد متزايد من جنود الاحتياط إلى الاحتجاجات «يؤثر على عمل القوات النظامية ويهدّد الأمن القومي»، وأكد أنه «لن يجعل ذلك يسيراً»، في إشارة إلى احتمال امتناعه عن التصويت على التصديق على مشروع القانون في الكنيست.
رابعاً، ردّ رئيس الحكومة بنيامين نتنياهو على دعوة غالانت بإقالته، مما دفع وزير الحرب السابق بيني غانتس إلى القول: «نواجه تهديداً حقيقياً ونتنياهو وضع نفسه قبل أمن إسرائيل».
هذه الوقائع والتطورات تؤشر الى عمق الأزمة التي امتدّت إلى الجيش الذي طالما كان في السابق بمنأى عن الصراعات السياسية، ويوصف بـ «جيش الشعب وحامي الكيان»، ويُقال عنه بأنه «أساس وجود الكيان»، ولهذا عندما تبلغ الأزمة حد إحداث الشرخ والتمرّد داخل الجيش فهذا إنما يدلل على حجم الخطر الذي بات يتهدّد وجود الكيان وأمنه واستقراره الداخلي، لأنّ الشرخ الحاصل في المجتمع الصهيوني بين متديّنين وعلمانيّين، وبين يهود اشكيناز غربيّين، ويهود سفرديم شرقيّين، ينعكس على المؤسسة العسكرية، وهو ما دفع قادتها الى التحذير من مخاطر استمرار الازمة على الجيش، الأـمر الذي حذر منه أيضاً العديد من الصهاينة الذين باتوا يعبّرون عن خوفهم من اندلاع حرب أهلية إذا ما واصل نتنياهو عناده ورفض التخلي عن مشروعه إدخال تعديلات على القضاء لحماية نفسه وحليفيه بن غفير وسموتيريتش من ملاحقات قضائية بتهم الفساد.
انطلاقاً من هذه المعطيات، يبدو أنّ الأزمة تسير نحو مزيد من التفاقم استنادا إلى ثلاثة عوامل: العامل الأول، عدم وجود أيّ استعداد لدى نتنياهو وحليفيه بن غفير وسموتيريتش، على التراجع عن مشروعهم بإقرار إصلاحات قضائية، تجعلهم قادرين على التحكم بالقضاء، لا سيما المحكمة العليا، لحماية أنفسهم من الملاحقات بتهم الفساد.
العامل الثاني، ارتهان نتنياهو للتحالف مع بن غفير وسموتيريتش، لإبقاء حكومته، مما يجعله مكبّل اليدين لا يستطيع الإقدام على قبول حلول وسط مع المعارضة للخروج من الأزمة، من دون موافقة حليفيه اللذين يرفضان ايّ حلول وسطية ويصرّان على السير بالتعديلات القضائية مهما كانت التداعيات، بل ويهدّدان المعارضة باستخدام القوة لقمع الاحتجاجات… فنتنياهو يدرك انه في حال تراجع ووافق على تعليق التعديلات، فإنّ عقد الائتلاف الحكومي سوف ينفرط…
العامل الثالث، عدم قدرة نتنياهو على تصدير الأزمة الداخلية من خلال قيامه بشنّ حرب ضدّ المقاومة في لبنان، او ضدّ المقاومة في قطاع غزة، أو ضرب البرنامج النووي الإيراني، لأنّ اتخاذ مثل هذا القرار يحتاج إلى موافقة المؤسّستين الأمنية والعسكرية في كيان الاحتلال، وهو أمر لا توافق عليه هاتان المؤسستان، بسبب عدم ضمان تحقيق النصر من ناحية، والخوف من تدحرج الأمور نحو حرب واسعة تهدّد بالخطر وجود الكيان من ناحية ثانية، كما أنّ قرار شنّ الحرب يتطلب الحصول على ضوء أخضر أميركي، وهو أمر غير وارد لدى إدارة بايدن، إما لأنها لا تريد إبعاد الأنظار والانشغال بعيداً عن الحرب الأساسية ضدّ روسيا في أوكرانيا، أو بسبب المخاطر الكبيرة للحرب على النفوذ الأميركي وأمن ووجود الكيان الصهيوني..
واذا افترضنا أنّ نتنياهو مستعدّ للمغامرة وتجاوز موقف واشنطن، فإنه لا يستطيع تجاوز اعتراض المؤسّستين الأمنية والعسكرية في الكيان الصهيوني.. لكن هل يعني ذلك أنّ نتنياهو وحليفيه باتوا في طريق مسدود؟
من الواضح أنهم فعلاً أصبحوا في طريق مسدود، بسبب ما يلي:
أولا ـ اشتداد وتوسّع دائرة المعارضة للتعديلات القضائية، لتشمل إلى جانب تزايد حجم المشاركة في التظاهرات والاحتجاجات في معظم المدن، وإقفال مطار بن غوريون، والشلل الحاصل في الاقتصاد والبورصة، واحتمالات اندفاع الوضع إلى الفوضى. ثانيا ـ مخاطر انتقال تمرّد ضباط وجنود الاحتياط، إلى داخل الوحدات النظامية في الجيش الإسرائيلي مما يهدّد بانتقال الانقسام السياسي والحزبي والمجتمعي إلى صفوف الجيش الذي يشكل حصن الكيان وحاميه…
ثالثا ـ أمام مخاطر تصاعد وتفاقم الأزمة، من المحتمل ان تنتقل الأزمة إلى داخل حكومة نتنياهو بانضمام وزراء آخرين إلى جانب وزير الحرب بالدعوة إلى تعليق إقرار التعديلات القضائية، مما قد يقود إلى انفراط عقد الائتلاف الحكومي وفقدانه الأغلبية في الكنيست إذا لم يرضخ نتنياهو وحليفاه إلى دعواتهم ويقبلوا بحلول وسطية للأزمة،
ولهذا من المرجح أن يسلك نتنياهو سبيل تأجيل إقرار التعديلات لتجنّب اتساع الأزمة واحتواء غضب المعارضة في الشارع.
هذه الأزمة العنيفة التي تعصف بكيان الاحتلال ويهدّد استمرارها وحدة وتماسك جيشه، ووجود الكيان برمّته، دفعت وزير الخارجية السابق أفيغدور ليبرمان إلى وصف نتنياهو بأنه «الخطر الاكبر على إسرائيل، أكثر من إيران وحزب الله»… فيما بات ينعت من قبل المحتجّين بالديكتاتور الذي أدخل الكيان الصهيوني في صراع داخلي حادّ أدّى إلى انقسام سياسي، وشرخ مجتمعي لم يسبق أن شهده منذ اغتصابه أرض فلسطين واعلان قيامه عام 1948…
Israeli media say hundreds of Israeli settlers gathered outside Netanyahu’s house in occupied Al-Quds to protest against the “judicial overhaul”.
Israeli settlers set up bonfires and block a highway during a protest in “Tel Aviv”, March 26, 2023 (AP)
Israeli media reported on Sunday that thousands of Israeli settlers are blocking the “Ayalon Highway” in “Tel Aviv” in both directions after Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Security Minister Yoav Gallant.
In occupied Al-Quds, hundreds of settlers gathered outside Netanyahu’s house, as Israeli occupation police are using water cannons to disperse them.
Mass protests throughout Tel Aviv against the judicial overhaul.
The Times of “Israel” said Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet, was spotted on Gaza Street outside Netanyahu’s home to check the security arrangements at the residence, in what was described by Israeli media as one of the Shin Bet’s biggest security failures in its history.
The newspaper reported that thousands of Israelis are gathering in occupied Beer El Sabe and Haifa.
The Israeli Channel 12 said in an unconfirmed report that 600,000-700,000 Israelis took to the streets.
It added that protesters are marching from Netanyahu’s home on Gaza Street toward the Israeli Knesset and the Prime Minister’s Office in occupied Al-Quds.
The Israeli Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu is considering announcing on Monday morning that he will halt the “judicial overhaul”, adding that the occupation PM is reported to be at his office conducting “security and legal discussions.” But “Justice” Minister Yariv Levin is threatening to resign if he does so.
The report said that most members of Netanyahu’s coalition are in favor of halting the legislation.
Commenting on reports that the “judicial overhaul” may be stopped, former Israeli occupation Prime Minister Ehud Barak pointed out that “pausing the overhaul won’t stop the protests. We’ve passed the point of no return.”
“What happened tonight will not be forgotten,” Barak stressed.
Labor union, universities to announce general strike
The powerful Histadrut labor union will hold a press conference on Monday in light of the protests against the Netanyahu government’s “judicial overhaul” and the Prime Minister’s decision to oust Security Minister Yoav Gallant.
Israeli media suggested that the union is expected to announce a general strike.
In the same context, Israeli media also reported that a group of universities announced a general strike starting Monday morning over the Netanyahu government’s “judicial overhaul” and the ousting of the Security Minister.
“We call on the prime minister and the members of the coalition to stop the legislation immediately, and immediately enter talks in order to reach an agreed and broad outline,” the group underlined in a statement.
Mayors and community leaders announce hunger strike
The Israeli Channel 12 reported that several mayors, heads of “regional councils”, and heads of “local councils” announced a hunger strike.
The report said the mayors and community leaders will strike in front of the Israeli occupation Prime Minister’s Office in occupied Al-Quds.
The channel cited “political sources” as saying that Netanyahu is mulling freezing the “judicial overhaul” legislation, adding that Shas leader Aryeh Deri supports stopping the legislation.
Resignations, trips cut short
The Israeli occupation’s Consul General in New York, Asaf Zamir, announced on Sunday resigning from his position, apparently over the judicial overhaul.
On Twitter, Zamir wrote: “I quit”.
Later, he joined the demonstrations in New York against Netanyahu.
עכשיו מול הקונסוליה בניו יורק – הפגנת תמיכה ספונטנית של ישראלים בקונסול @asafzamir שעשה את כולנו גאים – לא משרתים דיקטטורה. עד שננצח. pic.twitter.com/799qC690OU
— Shany Granot-Lubaton (שני גרנות-לובטון) (@ShanyGranot) March 26, 2023
Moreover, the police chief of the “Tel Aviv” district joined the demonstrations against Netanyahu.
עכשיו מול הקונסוליה בניו יורק – הפגנת תמיכה ספונטנית של ישראלים בקונסול @asafzamir שעשה את כולנו גאים – לא משרתים דיקטטורה. עד שננצח. pic.twitter.com/799qC690OU
— Shany Granot-Lubaton (שני גרנות-לובטון) (@ShanyGranot) March 26, 2023
On his part, the Israeli occupation Security Ministry confirmed that the Ministry’s Director General Eyal Zamir, who is currently in the US to hold meetings with American officials, will be cutting his trip short and returning to “Israel”, following Gallant’s dismissal.
On his part, Israeli occupation Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he was heading to the police headquarters in occupied Al-Quds to evaluate the situation “following the serious events tonight.”
Netanyahu “declared civil war”
Eitan Ben-Eliahu, a former Israeli occupation Air Force chief, considered that Netanyahu “declared civil war.”
Former Israeli occupation Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned that “Israel is in greater danger than at any time” since the 1973 War.
“I call from here to prime minister Netanyahu… to withdraw the dismissal of Gallant, to completely suspend the overhaul,” he told the Israeli Channel 12.
Over the past month, upheaval and chaos took the Israeli occupation entity by storm. Violent clashes erupted between the opposition and police, as Israeli settlers protest against the government’s judicial reforms. Appeals for civil disobedience and riots have been met with stern warnings from both sides, as political rifts are widening and warning against the outbreak of a “civil war”.
Israeli protesters on Thursday take part in what they called a day of “escalating resistance to dictatorship” against controversial judicial overhaul presented by government of Benjamin Netanyahu, a day after President Isaac Herzog warned of a civil war in the Zionist entity.
Acts of disruption and protest began before dawn, with demonstrators painting a bright red line in the street leading up to the Supreme Court in Al-Quds (Jerusalem), and staging many other protests across the occupied territories.
Roads blocked across Tel Aviv and Haifa, with several protesters being arrested and reportedly oppressed by occupation police.
Lapid Blames Gov’t over Violence
Opposition leader Yair Lapid condemned rising violence against protesters and blamed the government.
“The violence against protesters this morning is growing. Government of Israel — the responsibility is on you,” he tweeted after at least one incident in which protesters were attacked with pepper spray.
“Stop inciting against the protesters, they are wonderful Israeli protesters and you are responsible for their safety,” Lapid said.
The video below, posted by an Israeli account on Twitter, shows an Israeli protester sprayed with pepper.
“Threats to Existence”
In Germany, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed the need to “obstruct evil designs early on.”
Alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Platform 17 memorial in Berlin’s Grunewald train station, Netanyahu said that ‘Israel’ faces threats to its existence today, adding that “we have learned that the Jewish people must have the capability to defend ourselves by ourselves.”
Protesters held demonstrations in and around Ben Gurion International Airport on Wednesday afternoon in an effort to disrupt Netanyahu’s flight to Germany on a state visit. The premier’s flight took off about five hours later than expected.
“Civil War”
In an address on Wednesday night, Herzog warned of a brewing “civil war” and an approaching “abyss” if a compromise on the radical judicial changes could not be reached.
The opposition has repeatedly demanded the government pause its relentless legislative push during negotiations, which the coalition has refused to do, moving the legislation forward despite widespread opposition.
“Those who think that a real civil war, with human lives, is a border we won’t cross, have no idea,” said the Israeli president, adding that in the 75th year of the Zionist regime, “the abyss is within touching distance.”
“A civil war is a red line. At any price, and by any means, I won’t let it happen,” he added.
While the Netanyahu coalition quickly dismissed Herzog’s plan, opposition leaders expressed cautious approval for the framework as a basis for talks. They also lashed the government for so readily dismissing what Herzog had presented as the last, best chance to avoid a catastrophic tear in the fabric of Israeli society.
Five settlers are injured during a shooting on “Dizengoff Stree” in “Tel Aviv”, and the executor is killed.
Medics at the scene of a shooting on ‘Dizengoff Street’ in ‘Tel Aviv’, occupied Palestine, March 9, 2023 (United Hatzalah)
By Al Mayadeen English
A Palestinian young man was killed Thursday after executing a shooting operation in “Tel Aviv”, wounding five illegal Israeli settlers, one of whom is in critical condition.
بعد تشييع شهداء #جنين.. انتفض الفارس.. خطط وتجهز. ومن ثم سار في طريقه، وصل إلى تل أبيب وتحديداً شارع ديزنغوف الشارع الأهم والأكثر تحصيناً داخل الكيان وهو يحمل سلاحه.. قائلاً لن نبكي.. سنثأر..
— حسن🇵🇸فِـلَسْـ𓂆ـطِين🇸🇾 (@Hasen58523668) March 9, 2023
The operation’s executor was killed after armed Israeli settlers fatally shot him on “Dizengoff Street” before the Israeli occupation forces cordoned off the scene.
The operation took place next to a cafe, and social media users swiftly shared footage from the scene right after the incident.
There are reports about there being a second executor, with Israeli media saying the police were looking for the other one.
“Two young men carried out the operation, and each one took a street before executing it,” Israeli media reported.
Footage also showed the sheer fear and panic experienced by Israeli settlers at the moment of carrying out the shooting on “Dizengoff Street” in downtown “Tel Aviv”, as well as the extensive deployment of the occupation police in the wake of the operation.
In the wake of the operation Israeli media reported that Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant directed the Israeli occupation forces to demolish the executor’s home and arrest his immediate family and close friends.
“A large number of Israeli soldiers raided the town of Ni’lin, west of Ramallah, where the home of the executor’s family.”
Palestinian factions laud operation
The Palestinian resistance factions lauded the operation, saying it underlined the “preparedness of the Palestinian people to swiftly and decisively respond to the occupation’s terrorism and aggression.”
It was revealed that the executor was Al-Moataz Bellah Al-Khawaja from Ramallah, and the Hamas resistance movement lauded the martyr and his “heroic operation” pledging that there was more to come.
Hamas said the “operation is a natural response to the assassination that took place in Jabaa and the massacre that took place in Jenin.”
“The shooting on Dizengoff Street in downtown Tel Aviv is a preliminary response to Israel’s crimes, the latest of which is the murder of three young men in Jabaa, Jenin,” Hamas spokesperson Abullatif Qanou said.
“The operation in Tel Aviv comes as a response to the Israeli occupation’s crimes against our people in the West Bank and Al-Quds,” Hamas official Daoud Shehab said.
The operation, he added, is a clear indication of what the situation can turn to because of the “war being waged by the fascist, extremist government on the West Bank and Al-Quds.”
“This heroic operation is a natural response to the assassination of Al-Quds brigades freedom fighters in Jabaa, Jenin, this morning,” Palestinian Islamic Jihad spokesperson for the West Bank, Tariq Ezzeddine, said.
Three Palestinian youths were martyred by the Israeli occupation forces on Thursday morning when their car was targeted in Jabaa, Jenin, following a campaign of raids and incursions across the West Bank and Al-Quds.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced the martyrdom of Sufian Al-Fakhouri, (30), Naif Ahmad Malaisha,(25), and Ahmed Mohamed Fashafsha, (22), after they were shot, by IOF, inside their vehicle, at the entrance to the town of Jaba.
Palestinian news agencies reported violent confrontations with the occupation forces during the storming of Jabaa in Jenin.
Special Coverage | The situation in occupied Palestine after the commando operation in Tel Aviv
ما حقيقة توتر العلاقات الأميركية الإسرائيلية؟ وماذا في تصريحات الحرب على إيران؟ | …
The most right-wing government in Israel’s history is committed to advancing the Judaization of Jerusalem, including demolishing the Al-Aqsa Mosque and diminishing the Arab demographic in Al-Quds.
Jerusalem has been a sticking point in attempts to find a political solution between Palestinians and their occupiers ever since the onset of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Yet, the situation involving the Holy City and its Al-Aqsa Mosque has reached a critical turning point since the recent ascension of ultra-right-wing Zionist parties to power in Israel.
On 3 January, Itamar Ben Gvir, the head of the Otzma Yehudit party, fulfilled his election promises by storming the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque under official Israeli security cover. In doing so, the extremist minister of national security became the first official figure to take such a step since former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s similar action in 2000, which triggered the Second Intifada (also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada).
Storming Al-Aqsa, a calculated move
Many political analysts agree that Ben Gvir’s storming of the mosque – which was coordinated by the Israeli police and General Security Agency (Shin Bet), and with the prior knowledge of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – signals the new government’s policy towards the city of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa.
They say that the most right-wing and extreme government in the history of Israel is in the process of strengthening illegal settlements and changing the historical status of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Analyst Ayman al-Rafati tells The Cradle that the storming of the mosque’s courtyard, as well as the prevention of Jordanian Ambassador Ghassan al-Majali from entering the mosque in mid-January, have two implications:
“The first is an attempt to break psychological deterrence that was established after the Battle of Sayf al-Quds (Sword of Jerusalem) in 2021, which erupted due to practices like this; The second is to reduce the margin of Jordanian guardianship over Al-Aqsa.”
The occupation authorities also seek to replicate the Ibrahimi Mosque experience in the West-Bank city of Hebron (Al-Khalil) by dividing Al-Aqsa in time and space between Muslims and Jews.
Israel hopes that the storming of the mosque will pass over without any significant backlash from the occupied-West Bank and Jerusalem, from the resistance fighters of Gaza, or from the Israeli left and center parties who raise concerns about its potential impact on state security and stability.
However, the actions of Ben Gvir and the Israeli police, while dangerous, do not align with the aspirations of the Jewish Temple group extremists who seek to build a structure on the ruins of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Judaizing Al-Aqsa
On the day Ben Gvir assumed office as minister of national security, Aviad Fisoli, the attorney for the new Sanhedrin council (the central rabbinical institution of extremist Temple settler groups) sent a letter to the Israeli police commissioner in Jerusalem requesting an audience with the minister to inform him of their demands and to determine the level of support they could expect from the government and police.
The letter stipulated 11 demands, all of which would lead to the division of Al-Aqsa Mosque. These include:
Extending the hours in which the extremists could storm the mosque;
Allowing them to perform prayers and religious rituals inside the mosque;
Opening the mosque to raids throughout the week; Allowing “sacred tools” into the mosque, including Torah scrolls, the Ark of the Covenant, trumpets, and plant and animal offerings;
Establishing a Jewish synagogue inside Al-Aqsa Mosque;
Ending police escorting of extremists;
Allowing storming from all doors, not just the Mughrabi Gate controlled by the occupation authorities since 1967;
Not barring the mosque from intruders during Islamic events;
Declaring “equal rights” for all religions at Al-Aqsa;
Cancelling the policy of ejecting Jews from the mosque;
Opening the door of the synagogue in the historical Tanziah school – which overlooks the Al-Aqsa grounds – and is currently controlled by the Israeli Ministry of Security, to all Jews.
The “Returning to the Temple Mount” movement, led by an extremist Jewish settler named Raphael Morris, sent a message to Ben Gvir in early January, asking for his help in facilitating the slaughter of the “Passover offering” in the courtyards of the mosque.
In their letter, the group stated that the formation of a real right-wing government “is a golden opportunity to return the crown to its former glory and to renew the Passover sacrifice for the first time in about two thousand years.” They believe that this act “will be recorded in the pages of history as the beginning of the building of the third Temple.”
‘Development:’ a pretext for demographic engineering
On the ground in Jerusalem, the settlers’ ambitions are being matched by ongoing state-sponsored excavations and the construction of roads and bridges. Mahmoud Abu Arqoub, a Palestinian guard stationed at Al-Aqsa Mosque, reveals to The Cradle that the Israeli police are preventing Jerusalemites and “Mourabitoun” (guards tasked with protecting Islamic holy sites from hostile non-believers) from restoring the dilapidated parts of the mosque.
Meanwhile, multiple projects are being implemented to accommodate the increasing number of settlers who storm the mosque.
According to the Palestine Information Center “Maata,” last year, around 55,000 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, compared to 34,000 in 2021. Abu Arqoub also noted that in 2022, the Israeli government initiated a project to expand the wooden Mughrabi Bridge that connects Mughrabi Gate to Al-Buraq Square, which is used by settlers and “tourists” to enter the mosque courtyards.
Adnan al-Husseini, the head of the Jerusalem Affairs Department in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), believes that the bridge expansion project aims to increase the number of settler intrusions and paves the way for the implementation of a large settlement project by facilitating access for motorized vehicles.
Abu Arqoub predicts that “major unrest may break out in the month of Ramadan (next March) around the Damascus Gate. The occupation is imposing more restrictions on this region in preparation for its Judaization and annexation.”
Under the guise of developing the transportation network, the Israelis are racing against time to seize more land from Jerusalemites. In mid-January, the local planning and construction committee in the Jerusalem municipality approved plans to build a light-rail transit track connecting east and west Jerusalem.
They claim that the project is part of the “modern transportation revolution in Jerusalem to ease traffic congestion.” However, Jerusalemite researcher Nevine Najeeb posits that the track, set to be completed in 2028, will provide an excuse for the occupation municipality to seize more land and properties belonging to Jerusalemites. As Najeeb explains to The Cradle:
“In the future, the occupation municipality will demand the demolition of homes that Jerusalemites have owned for hundreds of years because they stand in the way of the train, or to strengthen security measures around its track. This scenario was previously implemented by the occupation in the town of Shuafat nine years ago, when dozens were forced to leave their homes under the same pretext.”
In parallel, the occupation authorities and temple groups continue to excavate tunnels beneath the Al-Aqsa Mosque. On 10 January, sources in Jerusalem revealed the discovery of a new tunnel that penetrates the wall of the Old City, four meters wide, extending from the town of Silwan to a point near the Mughrabi Gate.
“The goal of the tunnels is to provide conditions for the demolition of Al-Aqsa Mosque as a result of natural factors, such as an earthquake, in order to avoid a comprehensive confrontation with the occupying power,” Najeeb explains.
‘Strangers in Jerusalem’
The most dangerous Israeli development, however, is the implementation of the “Greater Jerusalem” plan, which seeks to change the demographic balance in the Holy City in favor of the Jewish population, as revealed by the Applied Research Institute in Jerusalem (ARIJ).
In a report published in late 2022, the institute indicated that Israel had begun adding four large settlement blocs – Givat Ze’ev, Ma’aleh Adumim, Gush Etzion, and Psagot – to Jerusalem. This move is expected to decrease the percentage of Palestinians in the city’s population from 37 percent to 21 percent.
In a press release, ARIJ director Jad Isaac stated that in 2022, the Israeli government approved several settlement projects, including the construction of 4,900 settlement units in Jerusalem, 9,000 units in the Atarot area north of the city, and the “Silicon Valley” settlement project spanning over 710,000 square meters in the Wadi al-Jouz neighborhood.
Additionally, there are plans to transform the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and Silwan town into mixed neighborhoods by increasing the number of settlers residing there and issuing orders to evict Palestinians or demolish their homes.
In 2022, ARIJ documented 138 cases of house demolitions and 273 settler encroachments on the lands of Jerusalemites. Furthermore, the Israeli occupation authorities initiated the “Land Settlement and Registration” project to seize more property, which may result in 80 percent of the land being registered as “absentee property,” making Palestinians “strangers in Jerusalem,” as noted by Isaac.
The existential threat to Al-Quds
Palestinians in the city are facing systematic alienation, with the occupation authorities attempting to prevent Palestinian schools from teaching the Palestinian curriculum. Last year, two schools had their licenses revoked under the pretext of teaching curricula that allegedly included “incitement against the Israeli state and army.”
Approximately 45,500 students in Jerusalem, attending 146 schools affiliated with the Palestinian education system, are at risk of being forced to study the Israeli curriculum, according to the Faisal Husseini Foundation.
Since the occupation of Jerusalem in 1967, all Israeli governments, both right and left, have pursued projects to Judaize the city. However, the current Israeli government, described by Israelis themselves as the most right-wing in Israel’s history, poses a greater threat to the city.
There is an unprecedented opportunity for right-wing groups to Judaize the city and demolish the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Such a step is likely to ignite another conflict that may escalate into a major regional war, as leaders of resistance movements in Palestine, Lebanon, and elsewhere have repeatedly warned.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of The Cradle.
According to Israeli media, a large number of settlers seek to resettle somewhere else, showing a possibility of reverse migration out of Palestine.
Protesters carry a large copy of the Israeli “Declaration of Independence,” during a protest against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new occupation government to overhaul the judicial system, near the Knesset, “Israel’s” parliament in al-Quds, February 20, 2023. (AP)
Israeli media reported on Friday that Israelis are rushing to acquire foreign passports to relocate and live elsewhere because “Israel” is no longer a viable option.
“More Israelis are afraid of what is happening, and there is an increase in the percentage of applications for foreign nationality,” one expert told Channel 12, stressing that settlers are asking where is a better land to resettle in and where they can transfer their money, adding: “people in ‘Israel’ are preparing the ground for ’emigration’.”
A few days ago, former Israeli occupation Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that there is a real threat of civil war breaking out in “Israel.”
Bennett, during an interview with Israeli Channel 12, said that the occupation’s government and the opposition should “take a week off from legislating and protesting and sit down to negotiate the proposed judicial amendments” by Justice Minister Yariv Levin.
“A settlement can be reached regarding the judicial amendments,” Bennett said. “There are things that must be fixed and changed, but we should not go from one extreme to another.”
Around 100,000 Israelis gathered outside the Knesset in occupied Al-Quds on February 20 to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial reform plans, organizers said earlier in the night.
Israeli settlers have for months been taking to the streets in the thousands to protest the government’s judiciary reforms.
“We can already declare a huge success. [The number of protesters is] approaching 100,000 in the Knesset [parliament] area. This is a huge force of civil resistance to a coup. At the moment of truth, the people of ‘Israel’ stood up to stop the danger to Israeli democracy,” the organizers said on Twitter.
An Israeli cop was gravely injured before succumbing to injuries at a military checkpoint in Occupied East Jerusalem Monday evening.
The cop and a civilian security guard got on a bus near the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Shaafat to conduct a routine inspection, when a 13-year-old Palestinian assailant charged at the cop with a knife and stabbed him.
The security guard opened fire to neutralize the attacker, and the officer was apparently by hit a misfire. He was rushed to Hadassah Mt. Scopus Medical Center. The Zionist Police closed the checkpoint to traffic.
A Palestinian child was killed and two others were wounded on Sunday by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) gunfire during their storming of the Jenin refugee camp amid violent confrontations that took place between the IOF and the Jenin Brigade.
UPROOTED PALESTINIANS: SALAM ALQUDS ALAYKUM 