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Israel attempts to distract attention away from Palestinian prisoner uprising

February 15, 2014 at 1:27 pm

Forces of the Israeli Occupation stationed along the obsolete border line between the Gaza Strip and the territories occupied in 1967 continues to shoot Palestinian citizens, particularly farmers, violating the articles of the cease fire agreement struck between Palestinian resistance factions and Israel in late November, 2012.


The truce agreement signed in Cairo under Egyptian sponsorship stipulates that Israel must halt all its military activities, allow farmers to reach their lands adjacent to the border, gradually lift the siege on Gaza, open commercial border crossings, and allow fishermen to fish at a distance of 6 nautical miles off the coast. This was in return for the commitment of Palestinian resistance factions to halt rocket attacks.

However, the Occupation has, as usual, reneged on its obligations and temporized the lifting the blockade. Moreover, it continues to shoot at Palestinian citizens, farmers and fishermen killing two individuals and injuring more than 50. Most recently, three Palestinian citizens were injured
in northern Gaza.

The leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Ahmed Al-Modalal, has suggested that by shooting at citizens and farmers, Israel is trying to provoke the resistance and drag it into a new round of conflict. This is in light of growing Israeli concerns over the outbreak of a prisoners’ uprisings, while at the same time trying to deactivate efforts toward reconciliation file.

In a statements to Al-Esteqlal, Al-Modalal explained that the Palestinian resistance shows a great deal of restraint and wisdom in their decisions. Nevertheless, it will not give up on Palestinians rights. He pointed out that his movement was monitoring all Israeli violations and submitting them to the Egyptian side which sponsors the truce agreement signed in Cairo on January 21.

Al-Modalal stressed that all options were open before the resistance if Israelis violations continue and if the prisoners and the inhabitants of the West Bank are harmed. He added that the military arms of the resistance movements are ready to respond to such violations.

Regarding Israel’s announcement that rockets were fired on Ashkelon, Al-Modalal said that they constituted a clear warning message to the Zionist enemy that it should stop its follies against the prisoners and commit to the truce agreement before the situation explodes.

The Islamic Jihad leader did not rule out the possibility of a new military confrontation between resistance factions and the forces of the Occupation. He pointed out that the enemy will have to reconsider before taking steps to attack on Gaza, because in such an instance its losses would be heavy given that the resistance has not revealed all its potentials yet.

The Hamas leader, Yahia Moussa, said that the goals of the Occupation’s violations is to reduce Palestinians expectations, overcome the factors curbing the Occupation’s soldiers, and impose its own rules on the game as it pleases. However, the resistance will remain alert and won’t allow a turnabout. Rather it will compel the Occupation to commit to the truce agreement by enhancing its military capabilities which will force the occupation to give in to the resistance’s conditions.

In his interview with Al-Esteqlal, Moussa also noted that the resistance is seeking to enhance its deterrence power, through which it preserves the rights of Palestinians, and to advance the
Palestinian Cause. He added that the resistance has not halted its preparations and arming operations since the end of the 2008 war.

Moussa praised Egypt’s leading role in following up on the Palestinian situation and its latest developments on the ground despite the exceptional internal circumstances it is experiencing. He called on Egypt to redouble its efforts to end Israeli violations and preserve Palestinian blood.

He denied Israel’s allegations that the resistance in Gaza had fired rockets at Israeli cities considering such accusations as mere propaganda. This hoopla is aimed at starting a new confrontation with Gaza and causing distractions away from the intifiada taking place in the West Bank as well as the suffering of prisoners in Israeli jails.

On his part, the policy analyst, Hassan El Kashef, said that the deal struck between the Palestinian and Israeli sides in Cairo imposes on Israel a commitment not to use gunfire, attack Palestinian citizens. However, Israel has adopted a policy of systematic violation of the truce in order to reach its goals and achieve its interest. He noted that each violation has a field goal and is not just an isolated incident.

He told Al-Esteqlal that Israel is currently trying to create distractions away from what is happening to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. In this way, Israel is finding a way around the popular anger felt by the people of the West Bank over the death of Arafat Jardat in Israeli custody.

“Israel has been also looking for an opportunity to trigger a military conflict with the Palestinian resistance through which it can unleash its soldiers and military machine,” Moussa said and called on the Palestinian factions to exercise self-restraint, to read the situation carefully, not to get dragged into Israeli plots, and to have a united and balanced stance.