AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): “Oh, people of our Arab and Islamic nation everywhere, our people in Palestine will continue their valiant uprising and revolution despite hunger, torment, and siege. They will continue defending the nation’s last wall and waging the battle of the nation, the whole nation, in defense of its faith and its land, in defense of its freedom, uprising, and independence. So, do not abandon them, and let us all rise together instead of being killed one by one."
These are the immortal words of the founder of the Islamic Jihad Movement Dr. Fathi Shaqaqi. These words are still applicable in the second millennium amid the ongoing struggle by the Palestinian people and the development of their resistance designed to bring out the demise of the “Israeli” occupation on all Palestinian soil.
As Land Day approaches and two months before the anniversary of the al-Quds Sword Battle, the Secretary General of the Islamic Jihad Ziad al-Nakhalah sat down with al-Ahed News. The comprehensive interview covers a range of issues including the state of the Palestinian resistance, the development of its capabilities, the escalation of individual operations inside the occupied land, the coordination with the axis of resistance, the normalization by Arab regimes, and a solid relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Al-Nakhalah stressed that "the stabbing operations and other individual operations are a manifestation of the Palestinian people's resistance to the Zionist enemy, and they are an expression of the state of oppression that inhabits all of Palestine." He explained that "such an action should push the resistance forces to better organize their ranks and get closer to the people who know, today more than ever, that if they do not fight today, they will be killed tomorrow.”
Al-Nakhalah said that “Land Day is a historic day in the life of the Palestinian people, and it is a true expression of our people's will to uphold their rights. The fact that our people take to the streets on this day every year confirms that the flag of Palestine is carried by its people, generation after generation in Al-Quds, in the valiant West Bank, throughout the 1948 territories, in the Gaza Strip, and the Diaspora. Neither misinformation campaigns nor defeats around them were able to defeat their awareness and will, and we will remain on this path, God willing, resisting, and steadfast until we topple the banners of the enemy.”
Touching on the normalization of ties between some Arab states and "Israel" and the state of some regimes, al-Nakhalah pointed out that "the mind is unable to explain the state of collapse of the Arab system as a whole in front of the Zionist project, and they see that our besieged people can resist and fight, and with all humiliation, they go in the other direction and ally themselves with the enemy. The recent summit of Sharm el-Sheikh is but one of the scenes that show the extent of the Arab weakness.”
On the other hand, al-Nakhalah points out that "in this world that is crowded with everything except justice, the Islamic Republic of Iran stands by the Palestinian people, supporting them. I can say that it is the only one that is paying the price for its support for the Palestinian people."
The following is the transcript of the interview:
1- Two months ahead of the anniversary of the al-Quds Sword Battle, what is your assessment of the state of the Palestinian resistance?
The Palestinian resistance today is under enormous pressure, and attempts to contain it, directly or indirectly, have not stopped.
The Al-Quds Sword Battle is supposed to have opened new horizons for the Palestinian people and for the Arab world.
Unfortunately, the Palestinian side could not use it in the context of its conflict with the Zionist project in a positive way and with a serious national vision. Meanwhile, the Arab world, which decided in advance to remove Palestine and Al-Quds from its agenda in favor of the enemy, is conspiring with the enemy to contain the resistance by all the means available, to thwart and besiege it and give it some cheap temptations so that it opens up more and more to the Zionist enemy. Instead of betting on the Palestinian people and their will to resist the occupation and confront the nation's historical enemy, it is siding more and more with the enemy.
Palestine is no longer the Arab regime’s cause. Palestine has become a burden on it, and it wants to get rid of it. Therefore, the challenges facing the resistance have become greater and more complex, and this imposes on us a greater responsibility than before and a different performance commensurate with the challenges we face.
2- The stabbing operations inside the “Israeli” entity do not stop, and the enemy expects an escalation during the next three months, starting with the holy month of Ramadan. Are the Palestinians really coming to a sensitive security stage?
Stabbing operations and other individual operations are a manifestation of the Palestinian people's resistance to the Zionist enemy, and they are an expression of the state of oppression that inhabits all of Palestine. However, this is not enough to stop the enemy’s intrusion on our rights. It is also not enough for all of us as political forces to praise the heroic individual actions of the creative Palestinian youth. Such an action should push the resistance forces to better organize their ranks and get closer to the people who know, today more than ever, that if they do not fight today, they will be killed tomorrow – by insults, hunger, or being shot. It makes no difference. Whoever does not fight today will see that what remains of his land and homeland will vanish. Whoever does not fight today will see with his own eyes Al-Quds become Jewish; he will see that Palestine, all of Palestine, will become “Israel”; and whoever does not fight today will see himself standing in the queue of humiliation, working in his land as a slave for the enemy.
This is the challenge that our Palestinian people are facing today, and it is present throughout the month of Ramadan and other months.
3- The movement in the occupied areas of the interior is expanding, and the confrontations in Sheikh Jarrah in the face of the settlers are intensifying. Do you expect things to explode more there?
There is always a reason or reasons for confrontations with the enemy; the presence of the enemy on our land is a permanent reason for confrontation. The persecution of people and the non-stop killing of young people throughout Palestine, the confiscation of lands, and the demolition and destruction of homes are additional reasons that push people to resist. Resistance here is obligatory as long as there is occupation. Resistance is the natural response to occupation. There is no free people who accept occupation, and the Palestinian people are always resisting the occupation and did not stop for a single day.
4- What about the recently announced national committee for the defense of the internally displaced inside occupied Palestine? Are we facing a new type of confrontation expected with the Zionists?
This body was formed to communicate with our people in Palestine occupied in 1948, and it is an expression at the same time of the unity of the Palestinian people in all their places of residence and that we are one people in the face of one enemy.
5- How would you describe the relationship with the rest of the Palestinian factions?
The Palestinian situation suffers from severe weakness, and this affects the general performance, both politically and militarily. Partisanship is still dominant despite attempts to get out of it to a broader and more welcoming vision.
The Palestinian people know the front of their true enemies, but they see that the forces that control the official framework recognized as the representative of the Palestinian people lie on the doorstep of these enemies. Our people know their rights, but they no longer know whether their national forces want a Palestinian state or autonomy in Gaza or the West Bank [according to the “Israeli” program]. This ambiguity in the Palestinian political programs makes Palestinian relations problematic and in a state of constant confusion, and we are always looking for a common denominator. However, our relations as Palestinian forces are still governed by our party programs and our interests.
Organizations that see themselves as being closer in their programs are trying to develop joint struggle programs whenever possible, and in recently, there was a joint statement issued on behalf of the Jihad - Hamas - the Popular Front. This was a positive step that we can build on, but it is not enough.
6- What is your position on what is happening in Ukraine and the war going on there?
This war is a world war in every sense of the word, even if America and NATO countries are not directly involved militarily. They, however, are pushing for this war to continue with all their might. They are also providing enormous military and economic support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian Federation.
America created this war and prepared all the conditions for it, with the aim of draining Russia and limiting its international role, which has begun to emerge strongly in recent years. But I believe that the end of the war will change the direction of international relations and will impose new alliances other than those that were arranged at the end of World War II. The world relations and the balance of power will differ from what they were before.
What causes worry and fear is the effect of these variables on the situation of the Arab and Islamic worlds. Until this moment, we have seen nothing but a state of confusion and hesitation that prevails in the Arab region as it anticipates results. What is worse is them cozying up to the Zionist enemy and allying with it. The Sharm el-Sheikh conference attended by Egypt, the Emirates, and the enemy, as well as the conference that will be held in the Zionist entity, in which some Arab countries and America will participate, are nothing but an indication of the state of affairs and the state of the Arab identity being lost in favor of the enemy. Therefore, I see that siding with the Zionist enemy and allying with it is choosing subordination in advance to the American side and the Zionist enemy.
7- How would you describe the military capabilities of the resistance, specifically the Islamic Jihad?
The resistance depends above all on the Palestinian resistance and on its popular support from which it derives the will to resist the occupation. In our Palestinian case, a person goes through two stages. In the first, he is a fighter, and in the second, he is a martyr. When you are a fighter, you must be brave, and when you are martyred, you must be a role model. Then comes the talk about military capabilities, which are basically modest capabilities compared to what the enemy possesses, but we are betting on the fighter who has a message and does not fear anything or anyone but God. Even martyrdom will be a gift from God Almighty at the end of the journey of jihad and resistance. This is our real capabilities in confronting the enemy, in addition to what the resistance’s engineers produce in its non-stop workshops, offering innovations of great value and having an important impact on the battlefield, and the Al-Quds Sword Battle is proof of that.
8- In light of the sweeping wave of Arab and Gulf normalization, where does the Palestinian resistance derive its support from?
This wave of normalization is not new. Yes, it took a more rude and more immoral form. Since the Camp David Accords with Egypt and the subsequent Wadi Araba Accords with Jordan, as well as the Oslo Accords with the Palestine Liberation Organization, Arab taboos have been broken in the face of the Zionist enemy.
This was followed by the so-called Arab Peace Initiative, which was an Arab declaration that Palestine had become "Israel", and they were only trying to tame the Palestinian people to accept the fait accompli.
But the Palestinian people still adhere to their right to Palestine and are creative in forms of resistance, based on their absolute belief in the justice of their cause and their historical right to Palestine and the state of solidarity and sympathy from the Arab and Islamic peoples, as well as the position of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It has spared no effort in supporting the resistance and the Palestinian people at the political, military, and moral levels and in confronting with all force and power the Zionist project that is targeting the entire region and is seeking to end the Palestinian cause in every sense of the word.
9- How do you approach this wave, especially since some Arab capitals have become open before the enemies of the nation?
Frankly, the mind is unable to explain the state of collapse of the Arab system as a whole in front of the Zionist project, and they see that our besieged people can resist and fight, and with all humiliation, they go in the other direction and ally themselves with the enemy. The recent summit of Sharm el-Sheikh is one of the scenes that shows the extent of the Arab weakness.
The Zionist occupation entity has become a major regional state, and the enemy’s prime minister, who has Palestinian blood on his hands, has become an essential partner in drawing up the policies of the Arab region; the Arabs have become partners with those who occupied their land and massacred their sons in all wars, while they are prisoners of war.
“Israel” its issue, the godfather of normalization, the Emirates, which has become a center for laundering Jewish money, and Egypt attended the Sharm el-Sheikh summit in Egypt.
Issues regarding some aid and promises were mentioned, while the Arabs’ central issue was absent – Al-Quds and its people as well as Palestine and its occupation were absent. If Gaza or the West Bank were mentioned, it was to see how they can we subjugate its people and make them more responsive to the “Israeli” security conditions.
10- What can be said about the relationship with the Islamic Republic today? Do you think that the Arab countries have completely abandoned Palestine?
In this world that is crowded with everything except justice, the Islamic Republic of Iran stands by the Palestinian people, supporting them. I can say that it is the only one that is paying the price for its support for the Palestinian people – sieges, sanctions, and conspiracies. Despite this, its position is becoming more solid and insistent on supporting the Palestinian people and their resistance. On the other hand, the Arab regime shamelessly bows down before the Zionist enemy and abandons Palestine and Al-Quds.
11- How do you comment on the upcoming visit of the Jordanian King to Palestine and effort he is reportedly leading to prevent an escalation in the coming month of Ramadan?
Frankly, if you had not asked me, you would have excused me from this answer. Unfortunately, this is a job that Jordan is doing for the enemy for free, especially since this visit comes at the request of the Zionist enemy, with the aim of calming the situation in the West Bank, which is expected to explode in the face of the enemy on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.
12- Ahead of Land Day, what do you say to the Palestinian interior and its youth who write the most wonderful epics with their awareness and their confrontation of the occupation?
Land Day is a historic day in the life of the Palestinian people, and it is a true expression of our people's will to uphold their rights. The fact that our people take to the streets on this day every year confirms that the flag of Palestine is carried by its people, generation after generation in Al-Quds, in the valiant West Bank, throughout the 1948 territories, in the Gaza Strip, and the Diaspora. Neither misinformation campaigns nor defeats around them were able to defeat their awareness and will, and we will remain on this path, God willing, resisting, and steadfast until we topple the banners of the enemy and expel it from our country. Our duty today, more than ever, is to continue the jihad and resistance until God allows us to achieve a clear victory.
13- Imam Khomeini stressed on the necessity to mark the last Friday of the blessed month of Ramadan as the International Day of al-Quds. What do you pledge to the Imam and the nation on this day?
The blessed month of Ramadan is upon us, and it is the month of jihad and the month of great victories in the history of Islam. In it is Laylat al-Qadr [the Night of Decree], which is better than a thousand months. In it is Al-Quds Day, which coincides with the great nights of decree, and which Imam Khomeini chose to be a day in which Muslims unite in word and their banners for the liberation of Al-Quds are raised. Peace be upon Imam Khomeini on the day he was born and on the day he will be resurrected.
Final Word:
In past, the white West invaded and colonized Africa, transporting people to their country and turning them into slaves. In the modern era, invaders come to us to enslave us in our country, here in the holiest country, Palestine, and turn our people into slaves to build their settlements and work in their factories. Meanwhile, Arab and Muslim countries are opened to these murderous invaders, and they are received as masters who enjoy in Arab and Muslim countries. Hotels and resorts are opened for them, and everyone is at their service, in the service of the killers.
As for the victims, they must be besieged, starved, and tamed. Under the pretext of realism, the defeated and the oppressed accept what the invaders want; those who do not want to fight accept what the killers want, and whoever does not accept is killed in front of people's eyes and his house demolished. He’d be into an example for others and another reason for the oppressed and defeated to say: We cannot face them, and we have to surrender. We have abandoned the rules of engagement, the rules of combat, and the rules of victory that God has set for us, so humiliation befell us.
The Almighty said: {Fight them; Allah will punish them by your hands and will disgrace them and give you victory over them and satisfy the breasts of a believing people.}
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