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<font size="1"><a href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210511-palestinian-resistance-imposes-new-rules-of-engagement-on-israel/">https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210511-palestinian-resistance-imposes-new-rules-of-engagement-on-israel/</a>
</font><h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Palestinian resistance imposes new rules of engagement on Israel</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Motasem A Dallou - May 11, 2021</div></div>
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<div class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-reader-show-element"><div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page"><div id="gmail-post-content"> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <div id="gmail-attachment_469540" class="gmail-wp-caption"><p><img src="https://i2.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/IMG_2618-scaled.jpg?fit=933%2C579&quality=85&strip=all&zoom=1&ssl=1" alt="Israeli police support Israeli settlers in their theft of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem" style="margin-right: 0px;" width="476" height="296"></p><p class="gmail-wp-caption-text">Israeli police support Israeli settlers in their theft of Palestinian homes in Jerusalem – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]</p></div><p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p><strong>READ: <a title="Palestinian-Israeli killed protesting support for Al-Aqsa" href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210511-palestinian-israeli-killed-protesting-support-for-al-aqsa/">Palestinian-Israeli killed protesting support for Al-Aqsa</a></strong></p> <p>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 <i>Channel 11 TV</i>, "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."</p> <p>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.</p> <p>Alex Fishman of <i>Yedioth Ahronoth</i>
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.</p> <p>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."</p> <p><strong><a title="Rhetoric about international intervention is an excuse for risking nothing, while Palestinians risk their lives" href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210511-rhetoric-about-international-intervention-is-an-excuse-for-risking-nothing-while-palestinians-risk-their-lives/">OPINION: Rhetoric about international intervention is an excuse for risking nothing, while Palestinians risk their lives</a></strong></p> <p>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."</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p><strong>READ: <a title="Israel is carrying out war crimes against worshippers at Al Aqsa Mosque, Hamas says" href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210511-israel-is-carrying-out-war-crimes-against-worshippers-at-al-aqsa-mosque-hamas-says/">Israel is carrying out war crimes against worshippers at Al Aqsa Mosque, Hamas says</a></strong></p> <p>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."</p> <p>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."</p> <p>The
views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not
necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.</p> <div> <p><a>0 Comments | Be the first</a>
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