[News] The missiles of the Palestinian resistance throw the enemy off balance

[Anti-Imperialist News]

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210517-the-missiles-of-the-palestinian-resistance-throw-the-enemy-off-balance/
The
missiles of the Palestinian resistance throw the enemy off balance
Dr Amira Abo el-Fetouh - May 17, 2021
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This year's 73rd anniversary of the Nakba was not marked with sadness,
bitterness and grief over the loss of the land, as it was in the past, but
rather with joy despite the pain, and pride despite the bitterness. It has
spread hope amongst the people about the restoration of Palestine, which
was usurped by the Zionist enemy after the resistance kick-started its
legendary struggle against Israel and the spark of the intifada was ignited
across all of Palestine, its flames burning from the River Jordan to the
Mediterranean Sea. The uprising is no longer confined to Jerusalem and the
Gaza Strip but has also spread to the West Bank and the territories
occupied in 1948. The occupation authorities have not managed to displace
the residents of Sheikh Jarrah from their homes, as they have done in the
rest of occupied Palestine.

[image: Nakba Day 1948 - Cartoon [Latuff/MiddleEastMonitor]]

Nakba Day 1948 – Cartoon [Carlos Latuff/MiddleEastMonitor]

For the first time since the Nakba, the Palestinian struggle is extending
across every part of Palestine. The resistance has connected Gaza and
Jerusalem.

Who would have believed that missiles from Gaza would one day be capable of
reaching Ben Gurion Airport, paralysing air traffic and forcing flights to
be diverted to Greece and Cyprus? Who would have believed that the missiles
could target Israel's strategic points? Ayyash missiles are named after the
martyr Yahya Ayyash, who was murdered by Israel; they have a range of 250
kilometres and have brought work on the Eilat-Ashkelon pipelines to a halt.
Israel had presented these pipelines as an alternative to the Suez Canal
but has instead been forced to close down some gas field platforms. This
has reduced the international enthusiasm to invest in the Israeli gas
sector.

Who would have believed that the resistance could force a curfew to be
imposed in Tel Aviv, sending illegal Jewish settlers scuttling into their
shelters? The missiles cause panic and fear across the occupation state,
prompting analysts to express concerns about its future, which is weaker as
a result. As the headline in *Maariv *newspaper said, "The state is
burning".

Yair Lapid, head of the Yesh Atid party, was charged with forming a
government after Netanyahu failed to do so, and has said that the area is
witnessing a loss of control on the prime minister's watch. He also tweeted
that Jewish and Arab rioters have declared war on Israel and that there is
no adequate response from the government, the police and the leadership.

*READ: Warnings of 'terrible massacre' planned by Israel against
journalists
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210517-warnings-of-terrible-massacre-planned-by-israel-against-journalists/>*

In fact, I think this is exactly what Netanyahu wanted in order to protect
himself; to spread anarchy in Israel, first by provoking the Palestinians
with the Sheikh Jarrah displacement issue, then by escalating Israeli
violations against the Palestinians in Al-Aqsa Mosque, to which the
Palestinian resistance in Gaza was fully expected to respond. In turn, the
Israeli army would launch intensive raids on Gaza as usual, and another war
would ensue. Netanyahu is the one who started it and he is the one who will
end it, as happens every time. All of this casts him as Israel's
"strongman", delays the formation of the new government headed by his
opponent, and diverts attention from the corruption charges against him. It
may even lead to the postponement of his trial.

However, Netanyahu has ignored the fact that this is not the same as
before; that the violence is more intense, and the anger is stronger.
Moreover, the struggle has spread to include areas that do not typically
witness conflict between Arabs and Jews, such as Galilee in northern
Israel, where the Palestinian citizens represent half of the population and
live side by side with their Jewish neighbours. This struggle also
escalated very quickly for the first time.

Netanyahu has also overlooked the fact that Palestinian anger is at an
unprecedented level and the reaction to Israel's actions is stronger; the
people are more organised. Moreover, their willingness to die for the cause
has become greater.

He has also ignored the fact that the strength and capabilities of the
Palestinian resistance in Gaza have developed to an astonishing degree. The
Qassam Brigades now have powerful, sophisticated missiles which act as more
of a deterrent.

Never before has Israel been challenged in such a way, not even during its
wars with regional Arab armies. The occupation state is behaving as if it
is gravely insulted by this, but it faces even more "indignity" at the
hands of the resistance fighters who have devoted their lives to defending
their land, freedom and dignity. It may even lose again.

For decades now, Israel has played the old colonial trick of divide and
rule, splitting the Palestinians into several sections: one in Gaza, one in
the West Bank, one in Jerusalem and one within the state itself. It also
created the Palestinian diaspora and has worked hard to keep them all
separate, trying to make each section focused on itself and not paying
attention to the others. This allows Israel to single each one out if it
dares to defend one or more of the others. Thus the Palestinians in Gaza
face massive military "retaliation" if they seek to defend Jerusalem and
its indigenous people, while West Bank residents are arrested if they try
to participate in the struggle to lift the blockade imposed on Gaza. The
same goes for the Palestinians in Jerusalem or Israel if they try to defend
Gaza or the West Bank.

*READ: Israel arrests 1,500 Palestinians since April
<https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210517-israel-arrests-1500-palestinians-since-april/>*

The new Aqsa Intifada has changed that. Gaza responded and showed
solidarity with the Palestinians in Jerusalem, casting off the chains of
division and rule to unite all Palestinians wherever they are, including
the diaspora. The people of occupied Palestine are thus united against the
Israeli occupation despite their very different circumstances and
conditions.

Yet again, a war has been imposed on the Palestinians; they did not seek it
but — all praise and glory be to God — the magic has backfired, as the
saying goes, and turned against the magician. The Zionists' deception has
turned against them. They started the war and thought they had enough power
to protect themselves; that the threat of their nuclear arsenal and "Iron
Dome" would protect them from the resistance rockets, but this was not the
case. "They planned, but Allah also planned. And Allah is the best of
planners."(The Qur'an, chapter Al-Anfal, verse 30) The missiles of the
Palestinian resistance have thrown the enemy off balance.

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