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Will Israel ever learn?

Apr 30,2016 - Last updated at Apr 30,2016

The Israeli government committed last week one more strategic mistake that will, in the long run, have a serious impact both on Israelis and on Palestinians.

Nearly three decades ago, military occupation authorities in the West Bank and Gaza deported 415 Palestinian activists to Lebanon in the hope of eradicating all roots to the resistance.

The deportees found the only welcome from villagers and Hizbollah leaders, who offered them tents, food and medical facilities.

That event, on December 17, 1992, proved to be a turning point in the history and ideological orientation of Hamas.

Long hours of discussions between Marj Al Zohour deportees and Hizbollah theological scholars resulted in the deportees accepting suicide by a combatant as permissible, as one manifestation of martyrdom, according to the Shiite doctrine (the Sunni doctrine prohibits that).

Since then, Hamas resorted to a new strategy in its fight; it started to use suicide bombers and mujahedeen carrying explosive belts as part of its arsenal in confronting the Israeli occupation soldiers, targeting civilians, restaurants, night clubs, the public transport system and even synagogues.

Though some Sunni scholars still condemn that fatwa issued by a Shiite cleric, it proved to be pivotal in changing the course of Palestinian struggle against the occupation.

Had the Israeli military authorities kept the 415 activists away from Lebanon’s Marj Al Zuhour, which led to their Shiite indoctrination, many lives would have been saved.

This month, the Netanyahu government allowed ultra-Orthodox fanatics to storm Al Aqsa Mosque escorted by army soldiers and border police.

This flagrant aggressive act of provocation forced some sort of a field reconciliation between Hamas and its ideological archenemy Fateh, which has more cadres in the West Bank.

Many dormant Hamas cells in the West Bank were welcomed by Tanzim of Fateh, which controls an elaborate network of semi-military infrastructure and which provided all logistical support to Ezzeddin Al Qassam potential suicide bombers.

A new motto was coined: “For Jerusalem, we all unite.”

The great dichotomy between the two main Palestinian rivals has been bridged by Netanyahu’s escalating provocation of Islamic feelings and lack of respect for their religious symbols.

The Palestinian man in the street might tolerate many excessive practices of the occupation authorities, but will never accept the desecration of his religious identity.

 

Being armless forced him to accept humiliation, persecution, injustice and marginalisation for decades. Now, when Ezzeddin Al Qassam brigades of Hamas find a new ally in Tanzim of Fateh, a new chapter in the Palestinian resistance to the Israeli occupation will start, one of a totally different calibre.

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