[News] Palestinian resistance imposes new rules of engagement on Israel

[Anti-Imperialist News]

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210511-palestinian-resistance-imposes-new-rules-of-engagement-on-israel/
Palestinian
resistance imposes new rules of engagement on Israel
Motasem A Dallou - May 11, 2021
------------------------------

At 5 pm on Monday, the Palestinian resistance in Gaza had issued a one-hour
ultimatum to the Israeli occupation authorities, calling on them to end
their month-long aggression against Muslim worshippers in Al Aqsa Mosque;
refrain from evicting Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah; and release
Palestinian prisoners detained since the start of the latest increase in
tensions in mid-April, which also saw the start of the holy month of
Ramadan.

Across the nominal border, the Israeli authorities were confused as they
did not believe that the resistance would dare to issue an ultimatum to a
country with the strongest army in the region and one of the best equipped
in the world. However, the one-hour ultimatum passed, and just two minutes
later seven rockets were launched towards Israeli settlements in occupied
Jerusalem.

This was confusing for the Israeli political and military leadership; it
was the first time that they had had to deal with such serious warnings.
The Israeli authorities had asked the settlers' to cancel their provocative
march commemorating the day in 1967 that Israel's occupation of East
Jerusalem began, but did not respond to the other demands. Then the Israeli
police raided Al Aqsa Mosque and attacked the Palestinian worshippers
inside, broke windows and furniture, and fired tear gas and rubber-coated
bullets and sound grenades, causing hundreds of casualties.

[image: Israeli police support Israeli settlers in their theft of
Palestinian homes in Jerusalem]

Israeli police support Israeli settlers in their theft of Palestinian homes
in Jerusalem – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]

In response to the Israeli aggression, the Palestinian resistance increased
its rate of rocket fire towards Israeli cities and settlements. It renewed
its warning and called for the Israeli forces to end the siege of Al-Aqsa
Mosque and pull back. The occupation forces met the resistance demand, but
this prompted a new Israeli stance.

In Israel, political, military and security analysts could not grasp what
was going on in the minds of their politicians and senior military
officers, because it was clear that they did not know what to do in this
unprecedented situation. Reports came in about Egyptian, Jordanian, Saudi
and UN efforts to broker a ceasefire, but the resistance insisted on going
ahead until new rules of engagements were fixed.

*READ: Palestinian-Israeli killed protesting support for Al-Aqsa
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210511-palestinian-israeli-killed-protesting-support-for-al-aqsa/>*

According to Israeli writer and Arabic affairs specialist Gal Berger, the
Palestinian resistance had achieved its goals in its confrontation with
Israel. "Hamas could reinforce itself as the defender of Jerusalem," he
told Israel's *Channel 11 TV*, "as it is trying to create a new rule which
stipulates the fact that any attack on Jerusalem will have an immediate
response from Gaza, whatever the price is."

He pointed out that the resistance in Gaza could have received a ceasefire
proposal, and it could have accepted it; not because it was hurt by the
response of the Israel Defence Forces, but because it had achieved its
goals. In Israel, the leadership believes that Hamas was commissioned by
all the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, as well as
the Arab citizens of Israel, and not just in the Gaza Strip. The attacks by
Hamas on Israel, it is believed, hurt the occupation state.

Alex Fishman of *Yedioth Ahronoth* said that the Palestinian resistance
broke all records with its first attack which "broke" the IDF. "Hamas
proved its courage when it issued its first-ever warning to Israel
regarding its behaviour in Jerusalem," he acknowledged. The Palestinian
resistance in Gaza is mobilising all of the Palestinian community, not just
in Gaza. Fishman called on the Israeli leadership to hit Gaza hard,
otherwise, the resistance will never be deterred in the future. Going even
further, he said that the Israeli leadership should not succumb to
international pressure for a ceasefire, in order to kill resistance once
and for all.

I am sure that Israel is thinking about this, but the issue is now out of
its hands. "It is too late for the Israeli occupation to think of a very
short strike against the Palestinian resistance and go back with an easy
victory," said Abu Obeida, a spokesman for the Hamas military wing, Al
Qassam Brigades. "We are ready for this battle and we have enough equipment
and plans for a very long battle."

*OPINION: Rhetoric about international intervention is an excuse for
risking nothing, while Palestinians risk their lives
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210511-rhetoric-about-international-intervention-is-an-excuse-for-risking-nothing-while-palestinians-risk-their-lives/>*

In less than 24 hours, the Palestinian resistance launched about 300
rockets towards Israel, including some with the range to hit Jerusalem.
Israeli writer and analyst Yossi Yehoshua described it as a victory for
Hamas in the first round by targeting the occupied city regarded as its
"united" capital by Israel. "The Israeli leadership does not know what to
do and the Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Israel are happy."

My evaluation is that Israel will accept a ceasefire by the end of today or
by tomorrow at the latest, for a number of reasons: it does not have enough
knowledge about the resistance capabilities, including long-range rockets
with 80kg warheads; the economic crisis which has been hitting Israel since
the start of the Covid-19 pandemic; the Palestinian consensus that Hamas
won through its resistance and popular Arab and international support; and
the possibility that Israeli leaders who are involved in attacking the
Palestinians could face trials at the International Criminal Court.

With regional and UN attempts to put a ceasefire together, the US called
for both sides to deescalate the tension. It is also pushing for a
ceasefire, but the situation is different this time. If Israel rejects the
ceasefire with Palestinian conditions today, it will be shocked into
accepting one after it sees what the resistance is planning for it tomorrow.

*READ: Israel is carrying out war crimes against worshippers at Al Aqsa
Mosque, Hamas says
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210511-israel-is-carrying-out-war-crimes-against-worshippers-at-al-aqsa-mosque-hamas-says/>*

The Palestinian resistance is ready and waiting for the Israelis, said one
senior member of Al Qassam Brigades. "For every Israeli plan, we have a
counter-plan, even to the routes of Israeli flights which have refrained
from using Ben Gurion Airport."

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz has said that he will send Hamas and
Islamic Jihad backwards in return for every day that they fire rockets
towards Israel. "Following the Israeli offensive on Gaza in 2014, Gantz
claimed that he sent us back to the Stone Age," said the Al-Qassam Brigades
member, "but we are still here fighting and preparing for the big battle of
liberation. It is not him who decides the rules of engagement, but us."

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not
necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

0 Comments | Be the first
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/news_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20210511/b277c5cb/attachment.htm>