A senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad official at the weekend stated that Israel was today weaker than ever given its mounting internal strife, and that the time had come to pressure it “militarily,” by which he meant acts of terrorist violence.
Speaking at an event in the Gaza Strip, senior Islamic Jihad official Khaled al-Batash stressed that “Allah armed the Muslims with weapons and documents that cannot be overcome and gave us, Arabs and Muslims, evidence and proof that the land is ours.”
He said that this had led to Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, which groups like Islamic Jihad see as a military defeat of the mighty Jewish state.
And with Israel looking set to implode, al-Batash said the same dedication to the Palestinian cause could now result in Israel surrendering large swaths of what he calls the “West Bank,” the biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria.
“The enemy cannot afford even one defeat,” said the terror chief. “If the occupying forces leave Gaza, the (West) Bank, Lebanon, or any (other) arena and clear one square kilometer, the occupier will walk away from dozens of square kilometers.”
This thinking on the part of the Palestinians has long been a focal point of those who oppose Israel’s concessions of land in return for empty promises of peace and security. Israel makes these deals with the Palestinian Authority, but the Palestinian Authority has demonstrated that it has no real control over groups like Hamas, Islamic Jihad and upstarts like the Lions’ Den. And these groups are greatly encouraged to continue their violence by every seeming Israeli surrender.
Thus, Israeli concessions like withdrawing from Gaza ultimately serve only to perpetuate the conflict.
Palestinians firebomb Jerusalem hospital
In related news, video footage released by police showed four Palestinian Arabs hurling firebombs at Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital on the eastern side of Jerusalem.
The attack occurred last month. The four were arrested and had a preliminary indictment filed against them on Sunday.
Police investigators found that the four young men had been involved in numerous stone-throwing and firebomb attacks on the hospital, as well as against other Jewish targets in recent months.
