The Assassination of the engineer Mohammad Al-Zuwari

The late martyr Mohammad Al-Zawari was one of the greatest Arab innovators. He also decided to use his skills for innovation in the Arab resistance against Zionism. In Tunisia, Zuwari quickly emerged as an excellent student. He studied in Sfax and he moved around from one Arab country to another. He was particularly gifted in the domain of electronics. He lead his students towards the direction of building auto-piloted airplanes.

According to media sources, Al-Zawari tried piloting during his university days. His department switched him over to land operations as part of the Arab resistance in Gaza. Al-Zawari travelled through the underground tunnels to join the ranks of Hamas in Gaza. He worked on developing his weapons so that they would be the most efficient in the fight countering Zionists. Gaza was the perfect environment for Zuwari to further develop his innovations. According to a number of diverse media news outlets, he succeeded in making many changes and developments in the engineering of the Ababil model planes, which were used by the Arab fighters to infiltrate Zionist airspace. Al-Zawari has stated that he was working on developing the jet such that it would have capabilities equal to that of Israel’s fighter jets. But the Israelis learned of his plans and assassinated him in his house in Sfax, making a martyr out of him.

There are number of questions that we must ask of both the Tunisian and Gazan authorities: Why did Tunisia not accommodate this innovative engineer who was known on his university campus? It would have been possible to create a centre of innovation and invention for him. He could have developed planes from there and the country of Tunisia could have sold them to a number of countries in the world, just as the Zionists have done.

Yet, the difference between the Arabs and the Zionists is that is that Zionists are constantly looking for innovators and the Arabs are always killing their inventors. And after he came to Gaza, How as it that Zuwari’s name was promoted to a level that he was known among many people? Secret intelligence organisations usually work hard to ensure that the names of those who are working for them remain confidential and that no one knows their faces, or records their voices, or knows his or her features etc.

While it is true that Hamas is trying its utmost to improve its levels of security, one must remember that Palestinian intelligence is given the lower had and is the weakest in most situations. What is required of Hamas and Islamic Jihad and any other faction of the Palestinian resistance is to seek advice from advisors. It is preferred that they are from Hezbollah so that the security situation can be improved.

Perhaps there are many things in Arab culture that place people in positions of danger. The Arabs love to brag and often times their bragging is about exposing the availability of information that is available in people’s issues. If anyone within Zuwari’s friends learned of what he had done he could, simply without being a spy, began to brag about his innovations and therefore expose him.

One friend brags about this resistance fighter to another friend until it reaches a circle that can eventually relay the information back to the Zionists with quite ease. The corners of Arab life are exposed and lacking in security at all levels and there is not a single corner in the Arab world where the Zionists do not have their informants and spies. Leaders and their circles deny this; however, our many experiences confirm it. It is also possible, or rather certain, that Arab leaders are themselves spies to Israel and America.

There are many other questions to ask, like how Israel knows that Al-Zawari left Gaza and how was he being watched for a long period of time without the knowledge of Tunisian intelligence? If this man was of this much scientific importance, why did Tunisian intelligence not provide a group of guards to ensure his security? In many cases, it can be said that Arab entities are not concerned with protecting the Arab innovators and scholars because it fears the Israel and the US’ reactions. This fear leads them to believe that it is better to leave these people to the Mossad.

Why do Arab regimes fear what will come out of protecting innovators and inventors? The answer is simple; many of these regimes rely on Western sponsorship. Half of the Arab countries cannot even provide salaries for their citizens at the end of the month and the other half cannot last one day without he protection of Israeli and American security. He who accepts help from the enemy must allow the enemy to do as the enemy pleases. Israel and America are happily frolicking in the Arab arena. He who opens his doors to invaders must prepare himself for calamities and horrors.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.