Uprooted Palestinians are at the heart of the conflict in the M.E Palestinians uprooted by force of arms. Yet faced immense difficulties have survived, kept alive their history and culture, passed keys of family homes in occupied Palestine from one generation to the next.
There is an unmistakable shift in American politics regarding Palestine and Israel, a change that is inspired by the way in which many Americans, especially the youth, view the Palestinian struggle and the Israeli occupation. While this shift is yet to translate into tangibly diminishing Israel’s stronghold over the US Congress, it promises to be of great consequence in the coming years.
Recent events at the US House of Representatives clearly demonstrate this unprecedented reality. On September 21, Democratic lawmakers successfully rejected a caveat that proposes to give Israel $1 billion in military funding as part of a broader spending bill, after objections from several progressive Congress members. The money was specifically destined to fund the purchase of new batteries and interceptors for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.
Two days later, the funding of the Iron Dome was reintroduced and, this time, it has successfully, and overwhelmingly, passed with a vote of 420 to 9, despite passionate pleas by Palestinian-American Representative, Rashida Tlaib.
In the second vote, only eight Democrats opposed the measure. The ninth opposing vote was cast by a member of the Republican party, Thomas Massie of Kentucky.
Though she was one of the voices that blocked the funding measure on September 21, Democratic Representative, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, switched her vote at the very last minute to “present”, creating confusion and generating anger among her supporters.
As for Massie, his defiance of the Republican consensus generated him the title of “Antisemite of the Week” by a notorious pro-Israel organization called ‘Stop Antisemitism’.
Despite the outcome of the tussle, the fact that such an episode has even taken place in Congress was a historic event requiring much reflection. It means that speaking out against the Israeli occupation of Palestine is no longer taboo among elected US politicians.
Once upon a time, speaking out against Israel in Congress generated a massive and well-organized backlash from the pro-Israeli lobby, especially the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), that, in the past, ended promising political careers, even those of veteran politicians. A combination of media smear tactics, support of rivals and outright threats often sealed the fate of the few dissenting Congress members.
While AIPAC and its sister organizations continue to follow the same old tactic, the overall strategy is hardly as effective as it once was. Members of the Squad, young Representatives who often speak out against Israel and in support of Palestine, were introduced to the 2019 Congress. With a few exceptions, they remained largely consistent in their position in support of Palestinian rights and, despite intense efforts by the Israeli lobby, they were all reelected in 2020. The historic lesson here is that being critical of Israel in the US Congress is no longer a guarantor of a decisive electoral defeat; on the contrary, in some instances, it is quite the opposite.
The fact that 420 members of the House voted to provide Israel with additional funds – to be added to the annual funds of $3.8 billion – reflects the same unfortunate reality of old, that, thanks to the relentless biased corporate media coverage, most American constituencies continue to support Israel.
However, the loosening grip of the lobby over the US Congress offers unique opportunities for the pro-Palestinian constituencies to finally place pressure on their Representatives, demanding accountability and balance. These opportunities are not only created by new, youthful voices in America’s democratic institutions, but by the rapidly shifting public opinion, as well.
For decades, the vast majority of Americans supported Israel. The reasons behind this support varied, depending on the political framing as communicated by US officials and media. Prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union, for example, Tel Aviv was viewed as a stalwart ally of Washington against Communism. In later years, new narratives were fabricated to maintain Israel’s positive image in the eyes of ordinary Americans. The US so-called ‘war on terror’, declared in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, for example, positioned Israel as an American ally against ‘Islamic extremism’, painting resisting Palestinians as ‘terrorists’, thus giving the Israeli occupation of Palestine a moral facade.
However, new factors have destabilized this paradigm. One is the fact that support for Israel has become a divisive issue in the US’ increasingly tumultuous and combative politics, where most Republicans support Israel and most Democrats don’t.
Moreover, as racial justice has grown to become one of the most defining and emotive subjects in American politics, many Americans began seeing the Palestinian struggle against the Israeli occupation from the prism of millions of Americans’ own fight for racial equality. The fact that the social media hashtag #PalestinianLivesMatter continues to trend daily alongside the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter speaks of a success story where communal solidarity and intersectionality have prevailed over selfish politics, where only money matters.
Millions of young Americans now see the struggle in Palestine as integral to the anti-racist fight in America; no amount of pro-Israeli lobbying in Congress can possibly shift this unmistakable trend. There are plenty of numbers that attest to these claims. One of many examples is the University of Maryland’s public opinion poll in July, which showed that more than half of polled Americans disapproved of President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israeli war on Gaza in May 2021, believing that he could have done more to stop the Israeli aggression.
Of course, courageous US politicians dared to speak out against Israel in the past. However, there is a marked difference between previous generations and the current one. In American politics today, there are politicians who are elected because of their strong stance for Palestine and, by deviating from their election promises, they risk the ire of the growing pro-Palestine constituency throughout the country. This changing reality is finally making it possible to nurture and sustain pro-Palestinian presence in US Congress.
In other words, speaking out for Palestine in America is no longer a charitable and rare occurrence. As the future will surely reveal, it is the “politically correct” thing to do.
– Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of five books. His latest is “These Chains Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons” (Clarity Press). Dr. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) and also at the Afro-Middle East Center (AMEC). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net
At a time Palestine and its people are still suffering the apartheid entity’s brutality and occupation, Saudi Arabia has reached out to Tel Aviv about the possibility of procuring “Israeli”-made missile military systems.
In this context, Breaking Defense has learned that the Saudi step comes when the American systems the Kingdom has for so long relied upon have been removed.
Sources here have confirmed an AP report from the weekend that American THAAD and Patriot batteries have been quietly removed from Prince Sultan Air Base, located outside of Riyadh.
Although a withdrawal of air assets from the region had been expected for several months, it was unclear exactly when US assets would head elsewhere. Now, “Israeli” sources say, Saudi Arabia is seriously considering its alternatives.
Specifically, the Saudis are considering either the Iron Dome, produced by Rafael, which is better against short range rockets, or the Barak ER, produced by IAI, which is designed to intercept cruise missiles.
“Israeli” military sources told Breaking Defense that such a deal would be realistic, as long as both sides received approval of Washington; one source added that Saudi “interest in the ‘Israeli’ systems has reached a very practical phase.”
Those same sources say that the Saudis have had low-level talks with “Israel” for several years about such systems, but that the talks began to take on more energy once it became clear America would remove its air defense assets from the Kingdom.
On the cusp of the fifteenth anniversary of the July 2006 war and the victory of the resistance, the “Israeli” media is pumping out material to cover the occasion. Today, the narrative in “Israel” underscores the inability of the “Israeli” army to emerge triumphant from any battle. One of the central questions being raised is whether the army’s ground forces that have not been used extensively for many years are capable of performing incursions into “enemy” territory – in this case Lebanon.
An article by “Israel” Hayom’s military correspondent Lilach Shoval concludes that without drastic improvements within the media sphere, the “Israeli” army would also be defeated at the tactical and even strategic level in the next war. She notes that victory will not be evident, while the feeling of bitterness from 2006 may repeat itself.
Below is the text from Shoval’s article:
Fifteen years have passed since the outbreak of the Second Lebanon War, which left the “Israeli” public with a resounding feeling of missing out on an opportunity and failure after the “Israeli” army failed to win the battle. Katyusha rockets were fired until the last moment, and Hezbollah pursued the withdrawing forces. In terms of time, failure seems dangerous, at least in terms of the relative calm that has prevailed on the border since that war. But this calm is misleading and is not necessarily a direct result of the military steps of the war.
A balance of mutual deterrence prevailed between “Israel” and Hezbollah in recent years, and the two sides are not interested in a broad confrontation at this time. Nevertheless, “Israel” and Hezbollah are preparing for the day the order is issued, through a reasonable assumption that a confrontation could erupt at any moment as a result of one tactical incident or another.
“Israeli” army officials rightly believe that the next confrontation will not be similar to the previous ones. The lessons the “Israeli” army learned during those years, the updated operational plans, as well as the training and equipment upgraders, are reasons to hope that the army will act in a different way next time.
Those concerned in the “Israeli” army realize that if in the past Hezbollah’s previous victory entailed launching rockets until the last day and withstanding attacks from the “Israeli” army, today the organization is talking about launching attacks against the “Israeli” forces. This understanding, combined with the events of “Operation Guardian of the Walls” and “Operation Resolute Cliff” [Protective Edge] in Gaza, which were a small prelude to the war in the North, is prompting the “Israeli” army to prepare a strong defense along the border.
After all, the central question to be asked is whether today’s ground forces, which haven’t been utilized for many years, are sufficiently suitable for land incursions into enemy territory. In light of the understandable unwillingness to maneuver on the ground and all that comes with it, it seems that in recent years the “Israeli” military partly reverted to the approach that accomplishments can only be achieved from the air.
The military and political leadership is very afraid about ground forces entering the battle because their efficiency has not been proven in recent years. They are also concerned for the lives of soldiers and the sensitivity of “Israeli” society towards this issue. The “Israeli” army, for its part, is doing all it can to prepare the ground forces so that the political leadership can feel more comfortable activating them when and if the next confrontation occurs. Meanwhile, the “Israeli” army continues to rely on its air force. If on the eve of the Second Lebanon War, the “Israeli” army had hundreds of targets to attack from the air, today there are thousands, and the Intelligence Division knows how to add more in real time. There is a high dose of energy behind any potential attack, and the air force can attack thousands of targets per day.
According to estimates by the “Israeli” army about strikes on the home front, Hezbollah will launch about 1,500 missiles at “Israel”. The Iron Dome will provide a good response, but, contrary to the expectations of the “Israeli” public, the system will not be able to intercept all the missiles.
In the army, officials are very afraid of the deep gap between the public’s expectations in this field and what is expected to happen in practice during the northern confrontation. One of the lessons learned – specifically from Operation Guardian of the Walls – is the need to find a more effective solution to hitting missiles in enemy territory. If we are talking about the “Israeli” home front, defense of the northern settlements received less attention in recent years than in the settlements near the fence in Gaza, and the condition of the shelters there is also worrying.
There is also a weak cell – the media, which was a weak point in the recent confrontations. In “Operation Guardian of the Walls”, the weakness of the “Israeli” media was exposed internally and externally. The gap in linking qualitative information with the media was also exposed. The “Israeli” army is not the only one to blame for the failure of the media because, at least in the international arena, the intervention of other parties, such as the Foreign Ministry, is required.
Without a drastic improvement in the media’s efforts [explanations], the “Israeli” army will also be defeated at the tactical and even the strategic level in the next war. Victory will not be evident, and the bitterness from 2006 may repeat itself.
Praise be to God. Greetings on the Prophet and his family. Peace be upon you, as well as the Mercy of God.
I apologize for having given no speech since Al-Quds Day, I was a bit sick and I still am [Nasrallah clearly had difficulties breathing and was coughing; it was a pneumonia, not Covid, despite the usual Israeli propaganda about a terminal disease, as proven by his ability to make a 2-hours live speech on May 25, and by his healthy looks on his June 8th 1-hour-speech].
The days gone by have seen historical events which I have followed closely, but I could not speak publicly despite my will. I will speak extensively about the events in Gaza in this speech. Quranic verse: « And slacken not in following up the enemy: if ye are suffering hardships, they are suffering similar hardships; but ye have hope from God while they have none. » (S. IV, v. 104).
The month of May saw some unhappy events (the Nakba) and other happy ones (the Liberation of Lebanon on May 25, 2000). Congratulations to the people of Palestine who have added a new victory, from Gaza to Jerusalem to the territories occupied in 1948. Condolences to the families of martyrs and best wishes for recovery to the wounded. Congratulations in particular to the cadres of the Resistance & the people of Gaza who patiently endured Israeli barbarity.
I also congratulate the Lebanese on this Liberation Day. I want the Lebanese people, especially the new generations, not to forget that this Liberation of May 25, 2000 is the result of long years of sacrifices by many Lebanese and Resistance factions, not just Hezbollah. Let us recall the memory of the martyrs of Hezbollah, Amal movement, other nationalist movements, the Lebanese and Palestinian resistance fighters, as well as the Lebanese Army and the martyrs of the Syrian army. Let us not forget the Lebanese civilian martyrs, men, women and children, victims of the civil war and of the Israeli massacres. Finally, we should mention the martyrs of the Resistance and the people’s support for this Resistance. I don’t speak only of southern Lebanon, but of the Bekaa, cradle of Hezbollah, and all over Lebanon. May 25, 2000 (the date of the expulsion of the last Israeli forces occupying Lebanon) was the victory of all of Lebanon, of Beirut, of the North, of every place in Lebanon. The whole country helped shape this victory.
I recall in particular the martyr Sayed Abbas Mousawi (former Hezbollah Secretary General), assassinated by Israel with his wife and child; the martyr Sheikh Ragheb Harb; the martyr Imad Moghniyeh; the martyr Sayed Zulfiqar. A whole caravan of Hezbollah martyrs.
In addition to the Lebanese Resistance and the Lebanese people, we must salute the official Lebanese position embodied by President Emile Lahoud, Nabih Berri and Salim al-Hoss, as well as the majoritary position of the Lebanese government which supported the Resistance and its legitimacy. All this made it possible to obtain the Liberation, and to avoid the civil war that Ehud Barak was preparing (to devastate Lebanon after the departure of the Israeli troops).
I also praise the Syrian support of Hafez al-Assad and Bashar al-Assad, and the support of Iran, of Imam Khomeini and Imam Khamenei. And I especially salute Qassem Soleimani’s role in the 2000 victory, even though his name and role were kept secret at the time. This Liberation ushered in the era of victories for the Arab-Muslim world. On May 25, 2000, I dedicated this victory to the Palestinian people, with the Liberation of Palestine and Al-Quds (Jerusalem) being the ultimate goal. This victory opened a new culture, new values, imposing new clear strategic equations. In 2000, many Zionist leaders spoke of the dire consequences this humiliating retreat would have. Yithzak Shamir, at Ben-Gurion’s grave, spoke of Hezbollah’s victory as something that could lead to Israel’s demise. Then took place the first Intifada in 2000, and the Liberation of Gaza in 2005.
The Popular Armed Resistance established two strong bases in Lebanon and Gaza, which the enemy wanted to destroy. He failed, accumulating defeats and strengthening the Resistance, whether during the 2006 war against Lebanon, or the 2008, 2012 or 2014 wars in Gaza. The siege of Gaza for more than 15 years, assassination campaigns, etc. have also failed. The last 11-day war is very different. But all these wars won by the Palestinian and Lebanese camp have confirmed and strengthened the path of the Resistance.
I now come to the last battle named “Sword of Al-Quds” by the Palestinian Resistance. I will not go into detail, but explain why this is a great victory and what it announces for the future of the struggle against Israel. The beginning was in Al-Quds (Jerusalem), with Israel’s insistence on ethnically cleansing Al-Quds and the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, attacks on Palestinians, preventing worshipers from praying at Al-Aqsa during Ramadan (the Palestinians from the territories of 1948, 1967 and Jerusalem itself). Israel did its best to prevent worshipers from going to Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa, and repeatedly assaulted those who did manage to get there.
There was a real threat to Al-Quds, which caused the Resistance in Gaza to issue a historic ultimatum to Israel: cease your ethnic cleansing in Sheikh Jarrah and your assaults on believers in Al-Aqsa, or we will intervene militarily. The threat was carried out by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who launched their rockets/missiles at the promised time.
This whole crisis was caused by the stupidity of Netanyahu & the Israeli leaders, their arrogance, hubris, contempt and underestimation of Arabs, traits which are a constant in the history of Israel. All previous wars had the same cause, and this enemy will remain blind, arrogant, stupid, making mistakes and miscalculations that will lead to its downfall and demise. Imam Khomeini said “Praise be to God who made our enemies stupid”. Netanyahu and the Israelis believed they could take over Jerusalem and Judaize it, expel Palestinian families, replace them with Jewish settlers, assault the Muslim/Christian worshippers, without anything happening, just empty protests. They did so, deeming the Arabs defeated and having normalized their relations with Israel. They believed that the Arab world had abandoned the cause, that the Palestinians of the territories occupied in 1948, of the West Bank and of Gaza were powerless.
The enemy never even imagined that Gaza could intervene militarily in defense of Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa. It hadn’t occurred to anyone within the Zionist entity, neither the political leaders, nor the military leaders, nor the security services. But Gaza surprised both the enemy and the friend. Israel did not imagine such a thing, and therefore persevered in its indiscriminate aggression in Al-Quds (Jerusalem). That’s why Israel was surprised and defeated.
Gaza’s decision is historic, and its lessons must be understood. Previously, all the wars in Gaza had causes linked to Gaza: reaction to assassinations or Israeli aggressions in Gaza, struggle against the severe siege of Gaza, etc. The Resistance’s calculations were still purely Gazan, protecting only the residents of Gaza. But what happened in this last round is that Gaza intervened to protect Al-Quds (Jerusalem), Sheikh Jarrah, Al-Aqsa. This decision is historic, exceptional, and turns things upside down. The Resistance knew it was heading for war, massacres, destruction of Gaza. But the Gaza Resistance was ready to sacrifice itself to defend Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and Al-Aqsa.
Gaza and all of its inhabitants sacrificed themselves to preserve Islam’s 3rd holiest site, considering themselves to be in charge and responsible for it. It was a decision of a high level of jihad and sincerity, and that is why it had this enormous influence, rocking the Palestinians all over occupied Palestine, with the support of the refugees and the whole world, except the minority of zombies (Arab dictators) who normalized their relations with Israel. The protests on the Lebanese-Israeli, Jordanian-Israeli border and all around the world, the popular support and final victory were exceptional, commensurate with this exceptional decision of the Gaza Resistance.
The Zionists must understand this, as must the Muslim community and the Resistance Axis, but I am addressing the enemy and its leaders: this experience must lead you to redo all your calculations. You should know that laying your hands on Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa is a red line. Assassinations here or there, expropriations here or there, besieging here or there has nothing to do with laying your hands on Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa, our holy places, as demonstrated by what Gaza has done, the promises made and kept by the Resistance in Gaza. They were sincere and will stand ready to do what they did again if Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa are threatened or desecrated again.
All the factions of the Resistance Axis (Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, Irak’s PMU & Yemeni Resistance) were in constant contact, hour by hour during this war. In the future, we will ensure that touching Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa will not only involve Gaza but the entire Resistance Axis. The Resistance in Gaza has imposed a new equation: if Israel lays its hands on Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa, Gaza is going to war. What we must now impose is that if Israel lays its hands on Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa, then there will be a regional war!
The whole Resistance Axis must be ready and make this clear to Israel: we will never allow the Al-Aqsa Mosque to be endangered. For the outcome of any regional war can only be the eradication of the Zionist entity. It is this new equation that will allow us to protect the holy city of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and its Muslim and Christian holy places. We are working very seriously on it. When our holy places are in danger, there is no more red line, no more calculation (= it will be total war).
I will not analyze all the consequences of this war, but highlight a few of them:
1/ The soul of the Resistance resurfaced in all the Palestinians, who all united and rose up as one man, in Gaza, the West Bank, the territories occupied in 1948, the Palestinians refugees all over the world, etc. The decades-long division and dislocation is over: the Palestinian people are united.
2/ The Palestinian cause has been revived all over the world. It was deemed buried once and for all by Trump and normalization, but this cause has reclaimed its prominent place all over the world, in all media, all minds and all consciousnesses.
3/ The Palestinian identity and the dream of Liberation have been brought back to the fore.
4/ Belief in the Armed Resistance and the Intifada has once again become the best choice to obtain Liberation. The soul of Resistance has returned to our peoples.
5/ The failure to locate (and assassinate) the main military leaders. Israel came up with several names, including Hamas Commander Mohamed Dayf, but they failed to kill them. That some (minor field commanders) were killed is normal in a war, but it is far from what Israel wanted.
6/ Israel, both in terms of political, military and security leaders, was unable, as I said, not only to anticipate, but even to imagine that Gaza would enter the scene militarily to protect Al-Quds, Al-Aqsa and Sheikh Jarrah, just as Israel was unable to anticipate or imagine that all of Palestine would rise up in the face of Israeli aggression at Al-Quds.
7/ The Deal of the Century is definitely buried. The Resistance in Gaza and the Israeli failure to win made the Biden administration abandon Trump’s concessions. Biden put East Jerusalem back on the table and called on the Israelis not to expropriate the residents of Sheikh Jarrah. The heart of the Deal of the Century was to give all of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) to Israel, but that is forgotten now. Of course, Biden did not intervene for humanitarian reasons, but because he saw Israel’s helplessness and the risk of an explosion in the region, which thwarted his own international priorities.
8/ The true face of Israel, barbaric, bloodthirsty, slaughtering children, racist and Jewish supremacist, clearly returned to everyone’s eyes and mind, despite Israel’s grip on media and social networks. Israel couldn’t care less about the opinion of the Arab world, but not that of the Western world, and we have seen that even EU countries were forced to condemn Israel in one way or another, and put it in an awkward position.
9/ One of the most important political results is that the compass of conflict in the region has settled again on Israel, after years of civil wars, creation of bogus enemies like Iran, etc. Today, it is clear to the whole world (and not just in the Arab-Muslim world) that the enemy of humanity, of justice, of truth, the racist and criminal entity is Israel and nobody else.
After discussing the political consequences of this Gaza-Israel war, I now come to the military consequences. We must take into account the scales (in this asymmetric conflict): on the one hand, Israel is the regular Army of a State, US-backed, which has the most powerful air force in the region, and on the other hand, Gaza, under siege for more than 15 years, is a tiny territory surrounded on all sides, with +2 million inhabitants, and an ungrateful geography (from the point of view of Resistance opportunities: no mountains, etc.). Some weapons from Gaza are imported and others are manufactured locally. But we can clearly see that despite their very limited possibilities, and Israel’s total control over information (Gaza is under constant surveillance by all means: drones, electronic surveillance, spies, etc.), Gaza has been able to demonstrate courage, sagacity and victorious struggle against one of the most militarily powerful States in the world.
I will quickly set out the military consequences of this conflict:
1/ The entry of Gaza into the protection equation of Al-Quds, Al-Aqsa and Sheikh Jarrah. In fact, Gaza has entered the issues of all of Palestine, shifting from defense to attack.
2/ Despite the severe siege, the Resistance was able to greatly improve its rocket/missile & fighting capacities. For 11 days, they continued to fire rockets/missiles despite Israel’s best efforts, its planes, drones, artillery strikes, etc.
3/ Gaza even proved its ability to fire rockets/missiles at times announced in advance, to the point that some brothers were surprised, advising not to give this information to the enemy (which would allow him to better defend itself), but it was a point of strength (psychological warfare).
4/ The number of rockets/missiles fired was very large, hundreds every day, which reflects very large stocks and great skill. The type of rockets/missiles fired, the targets hit, the damage done, it was all very powerful.
5/ All of this shook the Israeli State like never before. All countries can go through civil wars, very trying crises, and remain. But Israel is a fake, artificial State that has been shaken to the point that its very existence has been called into question. Israel is a State whose precondition for existence is security. If security is no longer there, all Israelis (who all have dual citizenships) will come back from where they come from: Europe, USA, Australia… At the first (serious) storm, Israeli society will pack up and leave! This sets Israel apart from all other countries: the Palestinians, despite 1948 and 1967, remained attached to their land. They are willing to sacrifice themselves by the hundreds of thousands to return there, until this day. They have not abandoned their territory! But Israel, no! The Israelis have their second passport ready, their suitcase ready, and they will leave at the first storm: if neither the government nor the military can protect them, why would they stay? This consequence, namely to shake Israel to such an extent, is unprecedented, even during the 2006 war. Never before has such a large area of Israel been under rocket fire: Tel Aviv, Beer Sheva, Ashdod, airports, the Negev… 70% of Israelis were holed up in shelters for 11 days ! The worst for Israel was not the material losses, but the psychological losses: the warnings rang everywhere, introducing terror into their hearts. It doesn’t really matter if the rockets hit their target or not!
6/ In addition to all the economic losses and the feeling of insecurity at home, it is the same abroad: who is going to come and invest in Israel without guarantee of security for their investments, without stability? Israel’s dream of becoming an economical/financial hub in the Mediterranean is over!
7/ For the first time, the Palestinian territories occupied in 1948 entered into revolt. It’s not just Gaza and the West Bank anymore. All Israeli leaders recognize that this is an existential threat for Israel!
8/ The Gaza Resistance was also exceptional: the way they carried out the fight, the way they prepared for a ground invasion, to the point that the enemy did not dare to set foot in Gaza, all of this is a huge victory.
9/ The Resistance was able to present to its people, to the whole world and to its enemies a brilliant image of victory.
On the other hand, let us see the failures of the enemy, as admitted by their officials and experts:
1/ Failure to achieve any strategic success after 11 days. Nothing!
2/ Israeli officials speak of tactical successes, but these are insignificant for such a powerful army: destroying some tunnels, killing some cadres, it’s negligible! The rocket fire could not be stopped, and Israel did not even know where it was coming from. Even when they knew the time of the rocket salvos in advance, their planes and drones were unable to locate them. The Iron Dome was also a failure. The 90% interception figure is a lie, it’s more like 50-60%. The damage proves that their 90% figure for the Iron Dome is a lie. The proof of the failure of the Iron Dome is also the fact that Netanyahu asked for military aid from Biden, who immediately granted it. The rockets kept hitting all of occupied Palestine!
3/ The failure of the trap set for the Resistance in Gaza, which Israel had been preparing to neutralize for years, but the Israeli Army proved to be powerless.
4/ The failure to prevent weapons from reaching the Resistance. The rockets did not stop and could have been launched at this rate for months on end. Israel is incapable not only of knowing where the rockets are, but has no idea how many they are, which is a colossal failure of their intelligence.
5/ The failure to locate (and assassinate) the main military leaders. Israel came up with several names, including Hamas Commander Mohamed Dayf, but they failed to kill them. That some (minor field commanders) were killed is normal in a war, but it is far from what Israel wanted.
6/ Israel, both in terms of political, military and security leaders, was unable, as I said, not only to anticipate, but even to imagine that Gaza would enter the scene militarily to protect Al-Quds, Al-Aqsa and Sheikh Jarrah, just as Israel was unable to anticipate or imagine that all of Palestine would rise up in the face of Israeli aggression at Al-Quds.
7/ The worst part is that Israel found itself completely taken aback, lost, not knowing what to do with this unforeseen explosion on all sides.
And now I ask a question to the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, Aviv Kochavi, this so-called “philosopher” who for 3 years has been rethinking Israel’s strategy, organizing colossal maneuvers, etc. His main thought was that the infantry was the basis for achieving victory. But this great strategic thinker [irony] bit the dust against Gaza, despite all his measures, all his maneuvers, all his preparations. There was not even a land incursion into Gaza! It’s a humiliating mark of their defeat.
I am not claiming that Israel is incapable of carrying out a major ground operation, no, but I am claiming that the morale of the Israeli troops is shaped by fear: they are terrified at the idea of a ground operation, whether in Gaza, Lebanon or anywhere. Despite their technology, weaponry, planes, tanks, etc., they are scared to death to conduct a ground operation. They are still haunted by their bloody debacle in 2014 in Gaza (+60 soldiers killed), with soldiers they did not even know if they were alive. That the so-called most powerful army in the region is so afraid is a major strategic failure.
Lastly, Israel has failed to present even an image of victory, short of a real victory! Polls indicate that no more than 20% of Israelis consider Israel to have won. So much for the description, consequences and lessons to be learned from this confrontation in Gaza.
I come now to Lebanon. On this day commemorating the Liberation of Lebanon, I assure the Lebanese people that Hezbollah has never been better off than today. We are more powerful than ever (weapons, numbers, experience, preparation, faith, courage, morale, etc.). I tell the Israelis not to be stupid, not to be arrogant, not to miscalculate against Lebanon. The rules of engagement remain valid (the slightest aggression against Lebanon will trigger a response). You made a big miscalculation with Gaza and saw what it cost you, so imagine what it would be like with Hezbollah, which is in a much better situation than Gaza! Despite the sanctions and the difficulties, we are not under siege! We will not tolerate any aggression against our territory or population!
Third point, the masses who support Hezbollah remain firmly attached to the Resistance despite the economic difficulties, which will not change the massive support of our popular base. The President of Lebanon, Michel Aoun, continues to support the Resistance and the rights of Lebanon. The same goes for the government and the Parliament. All US sanctions and threats weaken neither the Resistance nor those who support it.
Fourth point, in terms of our pending accounts with Israel, we add (to our 2 martyrs in Damascus to avenge) the martyr Mohamad Tahan, killed on the Lebanese-Israeli border while demonstrating unarmed for Palestine. I renew my congratulations and condolences to his family. This blood will be avenged: we had the patience not to avenge it immediately, but we add it to the pending accounts (and he will be avenged sooner or later).
Fifth point before the conclusion: the formation of a new government is the key to everything. There is no need for the resignation of President Aoun, nor the resignation of Prime Minister Hariri charged with forming the government, nor the simultaneous resignation of both. What prevents the formation of a government are purely internal obstacles.
There are two solutions:
– either Hariri sits down with Aoun for as long as it takes to achieve the formation of a government. Lebanon is in your hands.
– or a friend intervenes to help you, like Nabih Berri, the President of the Chamber of Deputies. Everyone must help them to achieve the formation of a government to save the country. There is no other solution. Because the country must move forward: the dire economic, social situation can’t stand the vacuum.
In conclusion, looking back on all that has happened over the past few days, months and years, the Middle East has gone through the 10 most difficult years it has ever experienced. Entire countries were targeted for destruction. But the Resistance Axis thwarted these plans. The Resistance Axis not only preserved the Middle East, but also enabled Palestine to stand tall and achieve victories. If it hadn’t been for Iran who faced ISIS alongside the local forces in Irak and Syria, where would we be? What would have become of Lebanon, of the other countries? Iran has overcome the threat of (US) war, triumphed over sanctions, and is heading towards presidential elections. ISIS is almost eradicated in Iraq. All of Iraq supported Gaza and the Resistance. Syria is recovering from ISIS, and will also hold presidential elections tomorrow. Lebanon is holding on despite everything. But imagine what the situation would be in Palestine if Iran, Syria and Lebanon had been defeated? Where would we be, with all the regimes having normalized with Israel? Today, the Arab-Muslim world stands alongside Palestine, from one end to the other, and joins the Resistance camp at least at the level of the populations.
And in terms of political and military forces, Yemen has joined the Resistance Axis, and it is ready to share its bread with Gaza despite the famine there (Nasrallah is moved to tears): the solidarity of famine-stricken Yemen with Palestine, ready to share the very bread it lacks, while the billionaire oil monarchies normalize with Israel! This is a basis that makes you optimistic about the future.
The Liberation of Al-Quds is closer than ever, and the demise of Israel is very near. Independence, stability, noble and dignified peace are the future of our region.
I thank all those who have supported the Resistance, in one way or another, first and foremost the Islamic Republic of Iran & Sayed Khamenei, as well as the soul of Hajj Qassem Soleimani who has dedicated more than 20 years to strengthen our region. When he came to our help, he had not a single white hair on his head, and when he left, all of his hair was white. I salute the soul of this great martyr, Soleimani, who sacrificed everything for the region and Palestine, tireless even when others got tired.
‘Israeli’ newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said Tel Aviv begged the US to mediate a ceasefire during the 11-day military aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip that prompted the Palestinian resistance to retaliate with a massive rocket barrage.
Contrary to what is believed, ‘Israel’ was the side trying to achieve a truce during the war, Yedioth reported on Saturday.
According to the report, Tel Aviv repeatedly contacted the administration of US President Joe Biden to broker “a dignified ceasefire” by putting pressure on Egypt and some other countries.
After the Biden administration did not show much interest in intervening in the matter, Tel Aviv sent a message to Cairo calling on the North African state to intervene with the US approval, it added.
Tel Aviv launched the bombing campaign against Gaza on May 10, after Palestinian retaliation against violent raids on worshipers at the al-Aqsa Mosque and the regime’s plans to force a number of Palestinian families out of their homes at Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of occupied East al-Quds.
The Gaza-based resistance groups did not sit idly by in the face of the ‘Israeli’ onslaught. Appearing noticeably stronger than before, the Palestinian fighters took the occupation entity by surprise with massive barrages of rockets.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad fired 4,300 rockets towards different cities in the occupied lands during the war, which ended on May 21 after ‘Israel’ announced a unilateral ceasefire that the resistance movements accepted with Egyptian mediation.
The Palestinian resistance struck the Red Sea port of Eilat, over 190 kilometers away using a new Ayyash-250 rocket.
Zionist media admitted at least 13 Zionist settlers were killed in the panic-stricken occupied territories and 357 others were injured, suggesting that the regime’s much-publicized “Iron Dome” missile system had failed in the face of the massive rocket fire.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said 253 Palestinians lost their lives in the ‘Israeli’ offensive, including 66 children and 39 women, and 1948 others were wounded.
For eleven days, Hamas tried to paralyze central and southern ‘Israeli’-occupied territories by firing thousands of rockets from Gaza, says Chris Mitchell in CBN News. Now, strategists are looking for other potential threats and an ‘Israeli’ expert points to the north as a much bigger threat.
Prof. Boaz Ganor, the executive director of the International Institute for Counter Terrorism, told CBN News his main concern after the recent ‘Israeli’ war on Gaza.
“I have to admit that as an ‘Israeli,’ this is not the only front that I’m concerned of. I look north and I see Lebanon and I see Hezbollah,” he explained.
Ganor estimates Hezbollah could have as many as 200,000 missiles – an amount that represents a far greater threat than Hamas.
“If you ask me what concerns with Hezbollah? Everything that concerns me with the Hamas, but big-time, much more than what we had. So, everything we have seen in the last two weeks, we should multiply that in 10 and that’s going to be the challenge that we would face from Hezbollah.”
After studying the recent war, Ganor believes Hezbollah would try to overwhelm the Zionist entity’s number one ‘defense,’ the Iron Dome. Ganor also points out Hezbollah possesses not just rockets but missiles.
What’s the difference a missile and a rocket? A missile is a guided rocket. You can guide it. You can direct it to the targets, so they have guided missiles with much, much bigger warheads… and they cover all the ‘Israeli’-occupied territory. They can launch rockets from Lebanon and hit Eilat, which is the most southern part of the ‘Israeli’ entity.
Ganor, like most ‘Israelis,’ takes Iran at its word regarding the desire to eradicate the ‘Israeli’ occupation entity.
Ganor adds that Hezbollah represents an unprecedented challenge to ‘Israel’ and that any war against it would dwarf the recent conflict with Hamas.
“I believe that Hezbollah would cause much more damage and much more casualties in ‘Israel’ in the numbers of hundreds, not thousands, of casualties in ‘Israel.’ In that case, no doubt in my mind, that the ‘Israeli’ government and the ‘Israeli’ military and the ‘Israeli’ public would expect the ‘Israeli’ government to do whatever they can in order to prevent those ‘atrocities’ against ‘Israel’ in a much lesser restrictive manner than ‘Israel’ in Gaza.”
A short report by Al-Manar TV on the economic, financial and material losses suffered so far by Israel as a result of the latest fighting and confrontations with the Palestinians.
Source: Al-Manar TV (website)
Date: May 14, 2021
Transcript:
Article:
Israeli occupation suffering great losses in “Sword of al-Quds” Battle
May 14, 2021
Operation “Sword of al-Quds” has inflicted grave economic and financial losses on the Israeli occupation. This is besides the Israeli fear of an intifada (uprising) by Palestinians living in the occupied territories, (who have being carrying out acts of popular resistance) that have paralyzed the economic cycle in the (1948 occupied) territories.
Has the operation laid waste to the Zionist entity’s dream of becoming the financial center of the Mediterranean coastline?
Over the past five years, the Zionists have been attempting to turn Tel Aviv into the hub of the Middle East following the recent discovery of oil in the Mediterranean. However, the Palestinian resistance’s strikes, its game-changing surprises, and its targeting of the occupation’s capital and its critical facilities (during the latest fighting) have complicated the matter further.
The economic losses incurred by the Zionist entity since the first day of operation “Sword of al-Quds” (as of May 14th 2021) are:
28% losses in the Tel Aviv stock market
26% of factories have completely shut down in the area around the Gaza strip, and 17% have partially suspended operations in the rest of the occupied territories.
More than 2,800 houses in the cities and settlements have been directly damaged.
The total cost of the military operation against Gaza has exceeded $250 million so far, averaging $50 million/day.
The operating cost of the Iron Dome has gone upwards of $60 million so far.
Flights have been shut down at the (Israeli) entity’s Ben Gurion and Ramon airports.
70% of schools and universities have closed throughout the occupied territories.
Economic activity has been paralyzed within territories witnessing a Palestinian Intifada in support of Gaza and al-Quds.
Furthermore, Zionist economic experts have stated that the continuation of the war will necessitate a transfer of emergency funds to the War Ministry, which comes at the expense of the budgets that were supposed to be used for private civilian needs.
This comes amidst the economic impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the (Israeli) entity, further complicating issues amid rising fears of the effect this might have on foreign investments in the occupied territories, which could very well lead to their cancellation.
With its different factions, Gaza collectively enshrined the state of consciousness of all of Palestine and achieved its goal of breaking Israel’s prestige, despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that the country had become “a superpower, not just a regional power.” This new Palestinian awareness was achieved in the wake of the escalation and aggressive Israeli campaign against the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, inhabited by more than 38 Palestinian families threatened with eviction from their homes. Israel also savagely attacked protesters and worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The fate of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood has become an international issue raising global awareness and solidarity with the oppressed Palestinians. The Palestinian cause had been absent from the international scene following the normalizations of Arab and Islamic countries after Donald Trump offered all of Jerusalem to Israel.
However, the battle in Gaza is not expected to end any time soon, because Israel will try to restore the deterrent power it has lost due to Palestinian missiles successfully fired from Gaza. A noteworthy fact is the 1948 Arab uprising. After 72 years of coexistence, in the city of Lod in particular and in other mixed Arab-Israeli cities, they have shown that the new generation wants its occupied territory back, rejecting the unsuccessful Oslo and Camp David agreements.The turn of events is not only generated from the field: Gaza rockets burn the ground under the feet of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas delayed parliamentary and presidential elections that would inevitably lead to the loss of the presidency he has held since 2005. Of course, Israel believes that the current Palestinian president is its best partner, because he has rejected armed resistance. Moreover, Abbas maintains security cooperation with Israel and avoids any possibility of Palestinians living in the West Bank joining Gaza to confront both Israeli aggression and expansion.
It is plausible that Israel also acted in its own self-interest by disrupting the Palestinian presidential elections that coincided with the illegal eviction of families from Sheikh Jarrah, with the aim of preventing Palestinians in Jerusalem from participating in the polls. Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu is no doubt aware that attacking al-Aqsa and Jerusalemites is like lighting the fuse of a powder keg. The first and second intifadas were the best proof that such acts have consequences.
Hamas, Islamic Jihad and all other factions in the Gaza Strip have achieved unity with Jerusalem by defending it. Hamas did not start shelling Israeli settlements before giving Israel many hours to stop attacking the civilian population of Jerusalem. However, Tel Aviv insisted on its position and dragged everyone into the battle for Benjamin Netanyahu to achieve his goals of postponing Israeli elections, thus saving his political future for the time being. Palestinian groups in Gaza shelled Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ashkelon and Ashdod with hundreds of rockets, which landed not far from Haifa. Israeli officials did not anticipate the intensity of the Palestinian rocket response or the reaction to the Gaza shelling. The various resistance groups proved their credibility with time and intimidation. They gained increased popularity among the Palestinian and Arab population who supported the cause and were against normalization with Israel.
One of the most important goals the Palestinians have achieved has been to demonstrate the failure of the Iron Dome system to intercept all the cheap rockets – domestically made – that were launched into Israeli areas. Gaza overwhelmed the sophisticated Israeli interception systems by launching more than 100 rockets simultaneously. Israel admitted that it was unable to stop the rocket fire despite the Israeli army shelling dozens of targets. To intimidate the population, Israel bombed several civilian towers (al-Hanadi, al-Jawhara and al-Shorooq) in prestigious commercial and residential areas with the intention of turning the inhabitants against Palestinian groups confronting Israel.
So far, at least 60 Palestinians have been killed and 6 Israelis, including a serviceman, have been killed in the exchange of shelling. Palestinian groups managed to launch more than 1,300 rockets. Shameful scenes appeared of members of the Israeli Knesset and Defense Minister Gantz fleeing to bomb shelters.
Israel has not only lost its deterrence capability, but also its prestige. In the 1940s, a Jewish terrorist group attacked British forces and blew up the King David Hotel in 1946, killing 91 people. The Irgun group claimed responsibility for the bombing, which killed British officials of the British Empire, which ruled Palestine at the time. David Ben Gurion, the founder of the so-called State of Israel, was asked at the time, “Will the Haganah gangs defeat Britain with this bombing?” He replied, “The aim is to break the prestige of the British Empire.” Now, Gaza has shattered the prestige of the Israeli myth. Israeli policemen crack down on demonstrators protesting the eviction of local Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, May 8, 2021 (Photo: Menahem Kahana / AFP).
The history of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood:
Following the expulsion of Palestinians in 1948, known as the “Nakba”, some 750,000 Palestinians were forced to flee their homes to neighboring countries. Following these events, 28 families (today numbering 38) settled in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in 1956. They reached an agreement with the Jordanian Ministry of Construction and Development and the UN refugee agency (UNRWA) to provide them with housing in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. At that time, the West Bank was under Jordanian rule (1951-1967).
The Jordanian government provided the land, while UNRWA covered the cost of building 28 houses for these families. It was agreed that the residents would pay a token fee, provided that ownership was transferred to the residents more than three years after the completion of construction. However, this was interrupted by the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, including Jerusalem, in 1967, which prevented the registration of the houses in the families’ names.
This month, Jordan’s Foreign Ministry said it had provided the Palestinian Foreign Ministry with 14 ratified agreements intended for residents of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah that support their claim to their land and property. In a statement, the Ministry said it provided the residents with a certificate proving that the Jordanian Ministry of Construction and Development had agreed with UNRWA to establish 28 housing units in Sheikh Jarrah to be delegated and registered in the name of these families. The process, however, was interrupted as a result of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank in 1967. The Ministry had previously provided the Palestinian side with all documents that could help the Jerusalemites maintain their full rights, including lease contracts, lists of names of beneficiaries and a copy of the agreement concluded with UNRWA in 1954.
In 1972, the Sephardi Committee and the Israel Knesset Committee claimed that they owned the land on which the houses were built in 1885, and asked the court to evict four families from their homes in the neighborhood, accusing them of land grabbing.
In 1982, Israeli settlement associations filed an eviction suit against 24 families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and 17 families hired Israeli lawyer Tosia Cohen to defend them. In 1991, the lawyer signed an agreement, without the families’ knowledge, whereby the ownership of the land belonged to the settlement associations. The lawyer put the Palestinian families under threat of eviction if they did not pay rent to the settlement associations.
In 1997, Suleiman Darwish Hijazi, a resident, filed a lawsuit in the Israeli Central Court to prove ownership of his land, using title deeds issued by the Ottoman Empire, brought from Turkey. However, the court rejected the claim in 2005.The court said the documents did not prove ownership of his land, and Hijazi’s appeal filed the following year was also rejected. In November 2008, the al-Kurd family was evicted from their home, followed by the eviction of the Hanoun and al-Ghawi families in August 2009.
So far, 12 Palestinian families in the neighborhood have received eviction orders issued by Israeli central and lower courts. Four Palestinian families filed an appeal to the Supreme Court, Israel’s highest judicial body, against the decision to evict them from their homes. The Israeli Central Court in East Jerusalem approved earlier this year a decision to evict four Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in favor of far-right Israeli settlers.
In 1948, Al-Sabbagh’s family already fled their home in Jaffa, which is now inhabited by Israelis. Al-Sabbagh, a family of 32, including ten children, fears that the court verdict will make him and his family refugees again.
Voltaire, actualité internationale, n°186
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