Preliminary notes on the Battle of “Al-Aqsa Flood”

It is difficult to write now about the rolling strategic event, which began on Saturday in the early morning hours with the battle of “Al-Aqsa deluge”. But it has become clear that it is an important historical event in the military, political and strategic sense, and it will have its implications, consequences and results as the dust of the battle settles.

However, some quick notes to think about now. The first of these observations is the repetition of the word surprise and astonishment in all media outlets, in all languages, and on the lips of a very large number of analysts, even though what happened was not supposed to surprise anyone.

What has happened and is happening, up to this moment, is completely in line with the law of physics that we all know, which is that excessive pressure leads to an explosion. Dozens of years of occupation, siege, assassination of leaders, daily killing of people, and violations of the sanctity of the Palestinian people, their property, and their sanctities - all of this could only lead to a reaction, and the real surprise is the endurance of the Palestinian people until they reached the point of explosion.

The second observation is about the Israeli racist mentality, which deals with the Palestinians and Arabs with terrible arrogance. Worse than this mentality is that some Arabs and Palestinians are accustomed to this racism, accepting it and coexisting with it, as if the life of an Israeli person is worth many times the life of a Palestinian person, just as the rights and dreams of the Israeli citizen are equal. His ambitions are all legitimate and acceptable, even those related to expansion, settlement, occupation, and the siege of millions of Palestinians and the destruction of their lives on a daily basis. As for the Palestinian’s right to live in dignity, it is a strange matter and far from reality, as is his right to seek to get rid of the occupation, lift the siege, achieve liberation, and establish his independent state. This racist mentality, its superior discourse and its acceptance, stripped the Palestinian of his humanity, and turned him into a mere worker who dreams of working for Israel and whose highest ambition is to be able to obtain food and drink.

The third observation is the comparison with the October 1973 war. What happened is very far from this war in all its meanings and dimensions. Of course, the element of surprise is shared. What is important here is that Israel and its intelligence are human beings like us, who do not know everything. They can also be prevented from infiltrating our countries, parties, and political movements, if the will is present and we are organized properly, and more than that, if small and besieged Gaza is able to do so, and at this level, then others can do it in a more effective and simpler way.

The fourth observation is about the dimensions of what is happening in the normalization process. Why raise so many questions about the results of this battle over the possibility of normalization with Saudi Arabia? This is really strange! What is the relationship between the two things? Is normalization an interest for the Palestinians, and serves them and advances their interests in any case, or does it not serve them, but rather harm them and their interests? Does normalization require that the Palestinians be weak, submissive, and surrender only to Israeli dictates? Is the strong and resistant Palestinian in need of normalization?

The fifth observation is about the racist Israeli political mentality and the politics of revenge. The US President, Joe Biden, and a large number of other heads of state, gave the green light to Israel to take revenge on all our people in Gaza and to sow destruction without accountability, and now everyone is waiting for Israeli revenge against Gaza, the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Palestinians of 1948, without even specifying how much. Israel and its fascist government have enough Palestinian blood and destruction to feel satisfied. Why is all of this entitled to Israel? Does the Palestinian have the same right? If the matter is a matter of self-interested policies, racism, and double standards in Western countries, why do we, the Arabs and Palestinians, accept being treated in this way?

The sixth note is short and simple, for all those “concerned” with Gaza workers. Let your support for them and express your love and concern for them be through your support for them in building and rebuilding Gaza instead of rebuilding Israel.

The seventh and final note is about the political harvest of this battle. After all the struggle and sacrifices expected in this battle, in order for Gaza, Palestine and its people to benefit optimally from all of this, the resistance must involve the Palestine Liberation Organization with all its components in the political path that the battle will open, and it must also involve the Arab countries. This requires the beginning of coordination to end the battle with the least possible losses and achieve the goals. Managing this file without involving others, Palestinians and Arabs, will necessarily prolong the battle, increase losses, and reduce the possibility of achieving political goals. 

From  "Arabs 48"