Israël/Palestine : Les États-Unis réapprovisionnent Israël en munitions

Les États-Unis ont confirmé mercredi qu’ils avaient réapprovisionné Israël en munitions, quelques heures après avoir fermement condamné l’attaque d’une école de l’ONU à Gaza.
L’armée israélienne avait demandé un réapprovisionnement le 20 juillet afin de remédier à la baisse de ses stocks, a indiqué le Pentagone. Le ministère américain de la Défense a approuvé la vente trois jours plus tard. "Les États-Unis se sont engagés à garantir la sécurité d’Israël, et il est crucial pour les intérêts nationaux américains d’aider Israël à développer et à maintenir une capacité d’autodéfense forte et réactive", a déclaré John Kirby, un porte-parole du Pentagone, dans un communiqué. "Cette vente d’armement est cohérente avec ces objectifs", a-t-il estimé.
Une partie des munitions provient d’un stock entreposé par l’armée américaine sur le sol israélien à l’usage de Tsahal pour les cas d’urgence, d’une valeur d’environ un milliard de dollars (746 millions d’euros). John Kirby a souligné que ces munitions étaient stockées là "depuis plusieurs années, bien avant la crise actuelle". "La décision de délivrer des munitions à partir de ce stock était purement ministérielle et ne nécessitait pas l’approbation de la Maison-Blanche", a-t-il précisé. Mais le porte-parole n’a pas dit si la Maison-Blanche avait été impliquée dans la décision de vendre l’autre partie des munitions délivrées à Israël.

Israel/Palestine : Imad Asfour, Palestinian Communist key figure murdered in Gaza

The Communist Party of Israel (CPI) and the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) express their deep shock, grief and rage over the coldblooded murder of Palestinian People’s Party (PPP) comrade Imad Asfour by Israeli criminal military assault in Gaza Strip. Our friend comrade Asfour served as the Deputy Chairman of the Control Committee and Head of the Youth Development Organization and was a key figure in the PPP. Just two days prior to Imad’s murder, his father was also killed by an Israeli attack. As we know, in the last three weeks such deaths have been the lot of more than one thousand Palestinians in Gaza Strip ! That should be stopped !

CPI and Hadash convey their condolences to PPP and to Asfour’s family, relatives and friends, and reemphasize their strong and unequivocal condemnation of Israeli war crimes and mass killings in Gaza Strip.

May Asfour’s memory be eternal !
May Afour’s soul rest in peace !
Stop Israeli war crimes !
Down with the occupation !

Lebanon : Sayyed Nasrallah on Al-Quds international day

In His Name

I take refuge in Allah from the stoned devil. In the Name of Allah, The Compassionate, The Most Merciful. Peace be upon the Seal of Prophets, our Master and Prophet, Abi Al Qassem Mohammad, on his chaste and pure Household, on his chosen companions and on all messengers and prophets. Peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings.

First, I would like to welcome you all and thank you for your attendance despite all the supposed security risks during the Holy Month of Ramadan. We as well as many others cancelled collective and popular Iftar dinners to spare burdens and to save the lives of people. However, all the developments in Gaza, the events in Gaza, and the specialty of al-Quds International Day which is commemorated on this very day made it obligatory to meet today and here in this very place where we used to hold the funerals of our martyrs, receive our detainees, hold the ceremonies of victory for our resistance and express our stances.

Also first and before ushering in the occasion, I would like to express our true condolences and feelings of pain and sorrow to the Lebanese families who lost yesterday dear families and members of families from various families and various regions in the painful event of the Algerian plane.

Furthermore, I would like to salute the souls of Gaza martyrs, wounded, fighters, heroes, and steadfast people on this day that coincides with July War 2006. As such, we find it our obligation to salute the souls of our martyrs, the families of the martyrs, the wounded, the resistance men, and our resilient people who are moving along on this path and are fighting in more than one square to preserve the resistance, the strongholds of the resistance, and the axis of the resistance which represents the only hope.

Brothers and sisters ! Al-Quds Day was announced by late Imam Khomeini (May Allah sanctify his secret) and asserted by His Eminence Sayyed Ali Khamenai (May Allah prolong his life span) on the last Friday in the Holy Month of Ramadan to be a motivation and a reminder of the central cause, so that al-Quds and Palestine remain in our hearts, minds, intellect, culture, conscience, memory, work, and priorities.

Imam Khomeini (May Allah sanctify his secret) designated the last Friday of the Holy Month of Ramadan with all the holiness it represents to assert the sanctity of this cause as well as its human, divine, and Islamic aspects. Day after day, the importance of this announcement is being manifested as well as the dire need to mark this day by the nation. When we view today the status of the nation, we feel the importance of this announcement, this occasion, this ceremony, this responsibility, and this culture especially following the Zionist occupation of Palestine and its control over all of historic occupied Palestine from the sea to the river besides expanding to other Arab territories. Since then, the Zionists and the Zionist leaders had a primary concern and target for which they worked for long years and are still working. This target is to liquidate and cancel the Palestinian cause, to consider that there are no Palestinian people, that the land of Palestine is no more the land of Palestine but rather Israel, and that al-Quds is no more of any importance to Muslims and Christians alike, and that it became the eternal capital of the Jewish state.

The goal that follows the occupation is liquidating and eliminating the Palestinian cause. It was absolutely out of question for the Zionists and their leaders to return one meter of the land of Palestine to its owners or to return one Palestinian refugee to his home. Thus we notice that the Israeli consensus on al-Quds and on preventing the return of refugees is absolute.

According to the Israeli scheme, this is at least what Palestine is to them.

They knew that a cause with such a magnitude, a holy land like Palestine, and a proud people like the Palestinian people can’t be eliminated and canceled in a year or two or from the first or second generation. Thus they set a long-range scheme to achieve this goal and make it come true. Anyone of us can analyze what took place following 1948 and 1967 until our very day so as to discover the landmarks and steps of this long-range scheme to liquidate the Palestinian cause. This was always the dream of the Americans, the west, and the Zionists. For example, the Zionists and their masters used to believe that the Arab land is vast and that it would be easy to grasp, settle, naturalize, and fuse a hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, or a million Palestinian refugees – as was the number first – in the Arab societies whether in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, the Gulf countries….

This risk was and is still valid, and it is still hovering over the Palestinian refugees.

Creating other central causes for every country, for every people, for every region, and for every state in our Arab and Islamic world is another example. This aims at absenting the central status of Palestine and al-Quds and imposing other concerns and priorities. The enemy managed to achieve this goal to a great extent. We must not suppose that our enemy is always unsuccessful. No ! He would be unsuccessful if we sought to make him so.

However, if we left him alone, or if we were neutral, or if some among us assisted him – as what is taking place in the Arab and Islamic world – the enemy would be able to make achievements and consequently, the enemy managed to create central causes other than the Palestinian cause to our peoples, countries, and regions.

Today, Gaza is being slaughtered while other priorities prevail in other Arab countries such as the issues of gas jars, gasoline, food supplies, and wages. These are rightful demands but "Israel" wants these to become the crucial cause so that the Palestinian cause would be forgotten.

For example, they created enemies all the way. Once, the enemy would be the Soviet Union. Later, it would be international communism. Then, the priority would be fighting in Afghanistan. Following the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the priority became fighting Iran. So all the way, the enemy was creating enemies and wars to exhaust the nation on the human, materialistic, and psychological levels via these wars.

Another example is isolating the Palestinian people. Isolating the Palestinian people from the other peoples in the region and in the neighborhood is the most dangerous thing they achieved in the past years or the past decade. What does isolation means ?

It means isolating the Palestinian people on the emotional, psychological, and field levels as well through hurling the Palestinians in struggles or confrontations or conflicts or enmities with the neighboring peoples and states and imposing these struggles and conflicts on them. In this framework, indeed I am not holding anyone responsible. However, we always need to make revisions especially as far as this issue is concerned.

In fact, people in the region, in the Arab world, as well as in the Islamic world have reached a state in which Palestine or anything Palestinian no longer means anything to them. This is being witnessed in some Arab media unfortunately. I will tackle this point again when talking about Gaza.

Even in Lebanon, this is widely being exploited. Do you still remember in previous occasions when I used to tell you that they deliberately choose a Palestinian suicide bomber to plant grudge, enmity, and disparity between the Palestinians and us ? Weeks ago, when the issue of Rassoul Azam Hospital was evoked, it was out of hand to contain what was being circulated in the media to the effect that a tunnel was discovered from Burj Al Barajineh Camp to Rassoul Azam Hospital.

These are not trivial details. This is part of a black room that has been in action for decades and years to break any relations or links between the Lebanese, Syrians, Iraqis, Egyptians, and…on one hand and the Palestinians on the other. So that the former would tell the Palestinians that they themselves must address their problems and find out what to do.

Another example is imposing mobile political, economic, social, and security events as well as wars, sieges, and massacres on the Palestinians locally and in exodus to lead the Palestinian people to despair and frustration as well as the loss of choices, and consequently to yield to the fait accompli and to accept the least offered after all.

Indeed these are examples ; or else as I said, man can make a list and recall all what took place during decades and say that they did so here ; they did so and so there ; they stopped here ; they made an achievement there on the level of this goal which is toppling the Palestinian cause as a central cause and working at eliminating and canceling it and isolating the Palestinian people…

However, despite all what took place and despite all the conspiracies, tragedies, and challenges, the Palestinian cause continues to impose itself on the region and the world, and what is taking place in Gaza today is clear evidence on this conclusion.

This war and this cause still impose itself on the region and on the world despite all of these conspiracies and challenges for many reasons on top of which is the Palestinian people. Another example is the steadfastness of some Arab states especially Syria which did not succumb to the settlement and the conditions of the settlement following Madrid Conference and rather adopted and supported for the resistance. Another example is the victory of the blessed Islamic Revolution in Iran under Imam Khomeini (May Allah sanctify his secret). This revolution adopted Palestine, al-Quds, the Palestinian people, and the Palestinian resistance. Another example is the resistance movements in Lebanon and their victories in Lebanon and their toppling of several US and Israeli schemes for Lebanon and the region. However, the main reason remains the Palestinian people because they remained unyielding despite all the pains, sufferings, wounds, massacres, and the elements of despair, frustration and closed horizons. The Palestinian people did not yield to despair, suppression, and surrender. They did not forget the keys of the houses that usually the grandfather inherits to the father and the father to the son. This is part of a psychological plan. So whether man puts a plan or not this is how things go by instinct or by nature.

Whether inside Palestine, in exodus, or in camps, and despite all the harsh living conditions, the temptations of immigration and its open gates to Canada, Australia, and Europe that aim at disintegrating and disjointing this Palestinian human assembly, the Palestinian people still adhere to their land, cause, sanctities, homes, and fields and refuse to give up and be oppressed.

The Palestinian people are still doing so. Their choice was to remain steadfast, to adhere to their rights, to fight to restore their rights, and to assume the consequences of this path and choice.

Since the very beginning – 1948 and 1967 – the various Palestinian resistance factions apart from their ideological, intellectual, and political orientations, as well as the Palestinian people are still assuming this cause and struggling for it.

Indeed, I am talking about a long-range plot or scheme on which the United States, the west, and the Israelis are working and are being assisted by many Arab regimes along decades. This must be recorded. So it is not now. The thrones of many Arab regimes were conditional to protecting Israel, the existence of Israel, and defending Israel. This program is still valid and active, and what many of our states and peoples are witnessing and the conditions we reached bear witness on this active program. Moreover, what we are experiencing today as a nation and as an Ummah is the most dangerous situation ever since the occupation of Palestine due to the systematic destruction that took place in our region. It started with faithful, truthful, and kind popular revolutions with causes and demands. However, some sides rode the wave and steered it in the direction that appeals to them. What we are witnessing today in our region is a systematic destruction of states, armies, peoples, and societies too. We were talking about the destruction of states and the destruction of armies. However, today we are witnessing the destruction of peoples and communities and their disintegration on the psychological, social, and emotional levels. Enmities which can’t be addressed in decades and centuries are being fabricated. This is not something easy at all.

What is taking place in more than one Arab country today and the risks threatening the other Arab countries too are not easy at all. For example, Syria was – and will Inshallah remain - a strong wall in face of the Zionist scheme.

Syria was the strong wall and will remain the strong wall in face of the Zionist project. It was the strong bosom embracing the resistance and the Palestinian cause. We all know the magnitude of the war imposed on Syria. Iraq has also entered a dim tunnel in the name of Islam and Islamic Caliphate unfortunately. Tens of thousands of Christian families were displaced from Iraq. Christian churches are being destroyed. Moreover, the Sunnis who disagree with ISIL have no choices. It is either pledging allegiance to ISIL or being slaughtered. The Shia who disagree or do not disagree with ISIL have no choice except being slaughtered because they are accused of apostasy. The same is the case of the religious and racial minorities. See what they are being subject to in Mosel and the regions where ISIL prevails whether in Iraq or in Syria.
Today – on al-Quds Day – we, as Muslims and as an Islamic movement, must declare our condemnation to what Christians are being subject to in Iraq as well as to what Muslims are being subject to in Iraq. We also condemn what the shrines of prophets – such as Prophet Yunus and Prophet Danial – are being subject to. Even in categorization these are categorized as Sunni entailments and not as Shia entailments in Iraq. I want to express to you personal fears as far as this issue is concerned. I fear this scene of demolition of mosques, churches, worshipping places, and shrines including the shrines of prophets might be furnishing an international psychological atmosphere to what is more dangerous – the demolition of Al Aqsa Mosque.
If the claimed Islamic Caliphate has the right to demolish mosques and churches and the shrines of prophets, why don’t the Jews have the right to demolish Al Aqsa Mosque ?! I fear this might turn to be something familiar and normal. I am not drawing conclusions or making judgments. However, things will become common, normal, and familiar as if nothing is taking place. Demolishing mosques, churches, and shrines of prophets and entombing activities are becoming something common.

Today our nation is in its worst state. However, the first victim is Palestine. The primary target was and is still the Palestinian cause. All of us must know where we put our feet in this time of ordeal, conspiracy, liquidation, and the fusion of what is right with what is wrong. We must be very careful to see where we put our feet, what we say, what we do, where we fight, where we make peace, and where we make war. This is the great challenge which our nation is facing, especially the peoples of the region neighboring Palestine and in Palestine.

In this framework comes the Israeli terroristic war on Gaza that has been waged for days by now. In this framework was the war on Lebanon in 2006 and on Gaza in 2008. What has the target of the war always been ? Succumbing, humiliating, breaking, surrendering, disarming, snatching all the elements of power you have, leading you to frustration, and convincing you that there is no choice except yielding to the Israeli conditions.

However, in 2006 and 2008 the results were different. Today in Lebanon and marking July War, we can understand and comprehend, and feel absolutely all what is taking place in Gaza and on our people in Gaza in July 2014. That’s because it is the same thing that happened with us in July 2006, starting with the pretext of kidnapping the three settlers which is similar to the pretext of the two captives. Let’s start with the pretext for the war. Is this the reason behind the war ? Israel wants to seize the opportunity. Israel thought that the Gaza Strip has been besieged for years.

Taking the regional situation, the international situation, the psychological and moral situation into consideration, Israel thought that now it is a historic golden opportunity to make Gaza succumb, to break Gaza, and to put an end to it before Israel. This was the very same project of the war of July 2006 which was to bring along a Neo Middle East. You still remember Ms. Condoleezza Rice. Now the Israelis wanted to exploit the issue of kidnapping the three settlers which so far it is not known who kidnapped and killed them. At least in 2006, it was known who kidnapped the two soldiers.

However, here the oppression is that a kidnapping operation took place and the Palestinians or the resistance movements were accused of it. Thus the Israelis took this as a pretext to wage a war at this timing. So the pretext of kidnapping the settlers, the air war, the thousands of aerial raids, the continuous artillery shelling, the battleship shelling, the perpetration of massacres, the killing of women, children, and civilians, and the demolition of houses, schools, and mosques are all similar to what took place in Lebanon during July war 2006 as we all remember. However, in Lebanon, they also demolished churches. They also displaced people from their houses. Recall also the field operation that started few days ago, the international community silence (or the silence of part of the international community), the connivance of part of the international community. The USA has been covering this war since the first moment. It is also providing it with money, weapons, media, and the political stance. The west too is offering its support as well as the Security Council and the United Nations. This is besides the connivance and silence of some Arab regimes. That is in addition to holding the resistance responsible for the blood, the martyrs, and what is befalling the Gaza Strip and acquitting the enemy from these crimes and massacres.

However on the contrary, see this marvelous popular steadfastness and this adherence and betting by the people of Gaza on the resistance, this enormous tolerance of pain, suffering, wounds, killing, and displacement. See this qualitative and outstanding performance of the Palestinian factions. See this political steadfastness in face of all of these international and regional pressures. However, after all, I tell our people in Gaza, our Palestinian people, you, and all the listeners : Who or what resolve this stance ? It is a tripartite equation as compared to the golden tripartite equation : the field, the popular steadfastness, and the political steadfastness. This is what would resolve the issue.

The Israelis are benefiting from previous experiences and morals. In July War 2006, the Israelis from the first day put very high goals. Then they started to make concessions. However, in the last week of the war, who was begging to reach the end of the war ? It was the Israelis. Why ? See the memoirs of George Bush and the memoirs of Condoleezza Rice. In the last two weeks, Ehud Olmert was contacting them saying that if they continued with the war, Israel would be eliminated.

Humbly speaking, even we in the resistance in Lebanon do not comprehend this conclusion – how it would be that if the war continued Israel would be eliminated ?

This is at a time, Israel was being told by some Arab regimes to carry on in the war and crush the resistance. This is being reiterated these days. Carry on in the war and crush them or at least impose on them humiliating conditions. Do not stop.

However, the Israelis themselves came to be convinced that they are not able to carry on with the war. They sought help from the Americans. When the Americans have a serious will, the entire region gets along, and it did, and things were settled. Isn’t this what took place in July War ? This is what changed the equation : the battlefield of the heroic resistance fighters, the popular steadfastness of women, children, men, and civilians in all the regions, especially the regions which were targeted with shelling and killing, and the political steadfastness.

Today, I also say that in this war, the hope is available before the Palestinians. If it was to the USA, the west, and to many of the Arabs, they would have acted according to this principle : This is a chance : get rid of them. Some people tell you to get rid of Hamas. They do not want to get rid of Hamas only. Be careful. They want to get rid of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and all the Palestinian factions. The target in Gaza is the resistance, the arms of the resistance, the will of the resistance, the culture of the resistance, and the hope in the resistance.

At one day, the resistance may have one title. On the other day, the title of the resistance may change. What took place in Lebanon is similar to what took place in Palestine. The titles are numerous but the goal is not only Hamas. The goal is the entire resistance in Palestine, every tunnel in Gaza, every rocket in Gaza, every Kalashnikov in Gaza, every gun in Gaza, and even every drop of resisting blood that moves in the veins of the people of Gaza. This is the goal now. In the horizon, a time would come when the Israelis would reach a place in which they can jot continue. This is what took place in Gaza 2006. When they were not able to get along they turned to the Americans : We want a way out. This is what took place in 2006. Indeed, the resolution in the Security Council is condemning the resistance. However what is important is what would happen after the condemnation. This is what is important.

Today I say that Gaza now, while it is holding the funerals of its martyrs and fighting, has gained victory according to the logic of the resistance. It is now the 18th day of the war while the Zionists along with all the world have failed to achieve one goal from the goals of the aggression on Gaza. That means that the resistance gained victory in Gaza. Here I am telling you from our knowledge and as partners that the resistance in Gaza is able to make victory and will make victory Inshallah. Now we will make an evaluation and end with issuing our stance.

Take into consideration that the battle is taking place between two sides in the battlefield and that the Israeli side is one of the strongest armies in the world. However, the most important point is that following July War 2006 in Lebanon and Gaza War in 2008, this army formed committees. You still remember Winograd – don’t you ? They made committees, drew lessons, and made discussions. Since 2006 until our very day, they are holding drills, maneuvers, getting armed, getting prepared, and gathering information. That means what they prepared in eight years was an establishment for a new strong army. This is on one hand. On the other hand, there is a strip with a narrow space. It is a coastal line with a plain land. What is more dangerous is that it is besieged for years by now. The siege imposed on it is of the tightest kind. Taking into consideration these two sides, what do we see before us ? We see the Israeli failure on one hand and the achievements of the resistance on the other :

On the Israeli side we see :

1- Israeli confusion in defining the goal in the operation or in the war. So far, did anyone understand what the goal of the war is ?
They have implicit goals which I mentioned a little while ago. However, what is the announced goal ? Is it the same as the implicit goal ? No ! They did not start the war with a high ceiling. Why ? Be careful. That’s because they are afraid. From the very beginning they are afraid from failure. That means that they are benefiting from the War in Lebanon. In Lebanon, they started with the goal of eliminating the resistance, handing in its arms, expelling the resistance from the south or at least from the south of Litany River, and handing in the two captives unconditionally. Now do you realize that the Israelis did not talk about the Israeli soldier captive so far ? They are still silent on him. So they did not start with a high ceiling. Why did not they start with a high ceiling ? It is supposed that they are taking lessons from all the previous experiences. It is supposed that they have rebuilt their army.
Indeed, I don’t mean to make an interpretation by what I am saying. I am tackling it because it has to do with Gaza and it is related to Lebanon too as well as to the entire region. I will tackle this later. So the Israelis did not dare to announce goals. They did not even say that the land operation aimed at demolishing the tunnels at the borders. That means that they are putting humble goals so that they would achieve them and thus say : We realized the aim from the war. So there is Israeli confusion in specifying the goal.

2- Enormous information failure :
It is supposed that the Israeli information capabilities be absolute from the land, air, and sea concerning the abilities of the resistance and its arms, rockets, storehouses, the places of storing and manufacturing rockets, rocket platforms, and the location of tunnels. However, it was revealed that there is an enormous Israeli information failure.
3- Israeli air force failure to put a decisive end to the battle :
This is very important to Gaza as well as to Lebanon. Why am I saying that it is important to Lebanon ? If you are following the Israeli media, at the time the enemy is fighting in Gaza, they are talking about Lebanon War II and Lebanon War III. The war is in Gaza now, but the enemy is looking at your eyes. How are you reading the war in Gaza, and what are the lessons you are drawing from the war on Gaza ? Well, months ago the Israeli air force leader who seemed to have taken his post recently and was still inexperienced said that following all the rebuilding efforts, the Israeli air force is able to put a decisive end to any war on Lebanon – in case it takes place – within 24 hours, and to put a decisive end to any war on Gaza – in case it takes place – within 12 hours. I am saying so because I doubt that the Lebanese were following the Israeli statements made during the past months. They were busy somewhere else. Well now we are on which day in the war on Gaza ? It is day 18. The Israeli air force is talking about Gaza which is under siege. Well, the Israelis failed to harm the leadership and control system in Gaza. With our respect to the martyrs, the enemy is fabricating leader martyrs. At times, the enemy talks about assassinating leaders who are still alive. The Israelis have reached this situation. They have failed to halt the rockets and to prevent its launching though Israeli warplanes are in the horizons as well as radars, unmanned aerial vehicles and all what is related to the information and survey apparatuses are at the service of the Israelis. We as well as you know what does launching rockets in a fighting atmosphere of this kind is. The enemy also failed in the land operation. It is enough to quote what some Israeli commentators said. One commentator said : "Our army failed." So it is not I – the Lebanese man who loves the resistance and is its ally – who is saying so. It is the enemy on the tongue of one of the important commentators in the Israeli entity. He said : "Our army failed. Hamas and Jihad remained steadfast and killed the backbone of the infantry brigade." What does he mean in that ? Golani Brigade and Egoz Unit.
The Israelis failed in the land operation. The magnitude of the losses in leaders, generals, soldiers, tanks, and vehicles is enormous. They feel much awe from staging a broad land operation. This is what we see in the face of Netanyahu, the chief of staff, Yaalon, and all of their faces. It is they who are besieged though they are the stronger power. They are afraid, terrified, and scared from this step. Thus from the very beginning and because of the lack of confidence in themselves and in their soldiers, the Israelis resorted to killing civilians and children, to targeting the incubating environment of the resistance, and to break the will of the people as was the case in Lebanon during July War. Their dream was to see demonstrations in the south or Bekaa or Beirut or Dahiyeh or in any other place in Lebanon staged especially by those displaced from their houses calling on the resistance to reach a ceasefire or to yield. However, thanks to you – O the most honorable, dignified, and proud people – that did not take in July War. Today they are repeating this experience anew in Gaza Strip to impose on the leadership of the resistance - the political leadership and the field leadership – to accept for whatever price a ceasefire or to succumb. That means that when the Israeli Army went to Gaza, they did not go as a fighting army but rather as an army fighting children. This is how we knew it in Lebanon and that was its case all through the past years and decades.
As a final conclusion for the Israeli evaluation we recall what Ehud Barak and the Israeli War Minister Peretz in the first cabinet after Olmert left his post said.
After years or working and drawing lessons and morals, what did Ehud Barak say and was also reiterated by Israeli chiefs of staff ? It is a short phrase. Now this phrase fell before the gates of Gaza. Indeed, he was threatening Lebanon at that time. He said that the next war which Israel would get engaged in would be rapid and decisive and would end up in a crystal clear victory.
Today Gaza is telling them ; "You are still where you were. You do not fight except in fortified towns or from behind walls. You are still chicken-hearted cowards who hide before planes and tanks and kill children. However, if you are to face our fighters and heroes face to face, you flop and your army flops too."
So this is the fact : no rapid victory, no decisive victory, and no crystal clear victory.

On the other hand, let’s see the status of the resistance and its people :

1 – From the very first day, the goal is clear : lifting the siege and indeed guarding the resistance.
2- Steadfastness in the field.
3 – Excellent achievements in the field.
4 – Taking initiatives in the field and fighting behind the enemy lines.
5 – Proceeding in rocket shelling under the enormous pressure of air force shelling.
6 – Shelling rockets that are reaching unprecedented places. Indeed, comparing between July War in Lebanon and July War in Gaza necessitates taking the different conditions and characteristics into consideration though there are common points. In July War, the farthest point we reached was Al Khadeira. However, our brethrens in Gaza from the first day reached Tel Aviv. This is the first time in which rockets are launched from inside Palestine to targets inside Palestine to cover the entire area of Palestine.
This is a marvelous achievement. Why did I say that we know, understand, and feel with what is taking in Gaza ? Now some people may say that the Palestinians launched 100 rockets. It is a phrase that would simply be written in the media. What does "100 rockets" mean ? That means carrying them, manufacturing them, hiding them, preparing them, and protecting them. This requires enormous efforts and trusting in God, in themselves, and in the resistance besides popular steadfastness and wide incubation. So far, they did not witness in Gaza any demonstration, sit-in, stance, or popular pressure against the resistance. On the contrary, the people are telling the resistance : We are with you. Let’s all be killed but let the siege be lifted. We notice the political steadfastness and refusing all the enormous international and regional pressures. What does it mean that the Palestinian resistance leadership refuses to reach a cease-fire since the very first days while it is offering martyrs from among women, children, and civilians while the Israelis are making haste to reach a cease-fire ? This has great political, moral, and military implications. See also the popular uprising in the West Bank that started offering martyrs. Thus through the tripartite equation of the field, popular steadfastness, and political steadfastness things would lead to imposing new equations on the enemy and this requires some time.

Brothers and sisters ! It is not easy for Netanyahu and Israel to give in to a Palestinian victory and to give the Palestinian resistance this achievement. I am sure that some Arab leaders are now contacting Netanyahu and calling on them to carry on and not to give the Palestinians an achievement or a victory. However after all, Israel does not work for some Arab leaders. Israel searches for its security, economic, and political interests. So the resistance is the side that would impose on the Israelis the solution as was the case in July 2006, and the Israelis would shout and call on the Americans to find a way out for the crisis. This is what is seen in the horizon.

The final part tackles our responsibility towards this great event :
1 – Let’s put aside all the disputes, discrepancies, and disagreements over the other causes and squares. We may still disagree on the political stance or on other squares. We may differ in our stance. We may differ in our evaluation. However, we must put all of this aside to approach altogether the issue of Gaza as a cause of a people, a resistance, and a rightful, just cause with nothing obscure, uncertain, or equivocal about it concerning what is right and what is wrong. That’s because some may say we must go back to other places. No there is nothing obscure or disputable about that. Neither the mind nor the religion nor values say that this war taking place now in Gaza is disputable. Thus let’s approach it as a cause of a people, a resistance, and a rightful and just cause. Even if we still disagree on other issues, Gaza with its blood, body limbs, oppression, steadfastness, and heroism must remain above every other consideration.
Unfortunately, from the very first day, we are hearing stances on some Arab media outlets which accuse the resistance and hold it responsible for the blood and the continuity of the war evoking people against it. Some Arabs were also rash enough to express through some media outlets their sympathy with the Israelis and the Israeli Army. They were calling on the Israelis to give the finishing stroke to Hamas. This is something shameful and sorrowful. No matter what discrepancies were, it is sorrowful and even shameful to watch an Arab person on an Arab media outlet expressing his sympathy with the Israeli soldiers who are killing children in Gaza because of political disputes. At least let those who do not want to show sympathy with the Palestinians remain silent. Let those who do not want to show sympathy with the Palestinians and support them remain silent and spare themselves and their nation this shame.
2 – Let the largest number of Arab and Islamic governments adopt the goal of lifting the siege from Gaza which the Palestinian resistance leadership is calling for, protecting this goal, defending it, and defending the political leadership of the resistance from pressures practiced on it to reach a ceasefire without achieving this goal. That’s because the siege is daily death for the Palestinians in Gaza. It is not killing for 18 days ; it is killing around the years with no horizon or future.
3 – What I will say now has been repeatedly reiterated. Let everyone offer the political, moral, media, financial, and materialistic support and arms support if possible according to his capabilities and also apart from the existing discrepancies.
We must remind here that some bids are taking place. We must recall here that Iran and Syria along with the resistance in Lebanon and especially Hizbullah, according to its capacities, have for long years made everything possible to support all the factions of the Palestinian resistance whether on the political, media, moral, financial, materialistic, arms, training, logistic, or the various experiences level. Today, there are some sides which are not doing anything positive to Gaza and Palestine apart from wasting their time in bids. Who is standing next to the Palestinian people and Gaza and who is not ? I do not want to get engaged in quarrels with anyone. However, it is enough to any neutral person to calmly make a list for the states and movements under the axis of the resistance and another list for the others whether they are states, organizations, movements… Then let him make a review over the past decades. What did the axis of the resistance offer to Palestine, al-Quds, and the Palestinian people ? blood, sacrifices, getting engaged in wars and struggles for the sake of Palestine, offering support and capabilities despite all the risks, dangers, and consequences in the world, sieges, sanctions, and wars which were mainly imposed because of Palestine.
On the other hand, let the others see what did they do for the sake of Palestine ? Where did they fight for the sake of al-Quds ? What did they offer the Palestinian people ? Moreover, what did they offer for all the other wars ? What did they offer in all the other squares that serve Israel and see to eliminate the Palestinian cause which I talked about first ? I do not want to say more than this in this atmosphere of overbidding.
Confronting this event, we in Hizbullah were and will always stand next to the Palestinian people – all of the Palestinian people – and next to the resistance in Palestine – all of the factions and the resistance movements in Palestine with no exception.

We in Hizbullah never spared any kind of support and assistance which we could offer. We in Hizbullah feel we are true partners in this resistance – we are partners in jihad, brotherhood, hopes, pains, sacrifices, and fate too. That’s because their victory is a victory to us – all of us – and their defeat is a defeat for us – all of us.

We in Hizbullah are following all the minute details of the events of the battle taking place now in Gaza and Palestine. We are following all the field and political developments. Hereof, we tell our brethrens in Gaza : We are with you and next to you. We are confident in your steadfastness and victory. We will do all what we find our obligation to do on all levels.

To the spider web – to the Zionists – I say : You in Gaza today are moving to and fro in the sphere of failure. Do not go further to the sphere of suicide and collapse.

Until another date for the victory of the resistance and the people of the resistance and the resistance movements, I bid you farewell. May Allah guard you, bestow victory on you, and protect you. Peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings.

Israël/Palestine : l’armée israélienne mobilise 16 000 réservistes supplémentaires

"L’armée a émis 16 000 ordres de mobilisation supplémentaires afin de permettre aux troupes sur le terrain de se rafraîchir, ce qui a porté le total des effectifs de réservistes à 86 000", a annoncé jeudi une porte-parole militaire. Le cabinet de sécurité réuni mercredi pendant cinq heures a décidé à l’unanimité de poursuivre les attaques contre les "cibles terroristes" du Hamas et les opérations menées en vue de "neutraliser" les tunnels creusés par le mouvement entre la bande Gaza et le territoire israélien, a indiqué la radio publique.
Une nouvelle réunion du cabinet de sécurité, qui comprend 8 ministres, est prévue jeudi après-midi, a ajouté la radio. Cité par la radio, un général en charge du secteur de Gaza a expliqué que la destruction des tunnels était "une question de jours".
Avec plus de 100 Palestiniens tués, la journée de mercredi a été l’une des plus meurtrières depuis le déclenchement par l’armée israélienne le 8 juillet d’une offensive d’envergure qui a tué plus de 1 300 Palestiniens, très majoritairement civils.

Israël/Palestine : Tueries sur un marché et une école à Gaza, l’ONU demande des comptes

Plus d’une centaine de Palestiniens ont été tués mercredi dans la bande de Gaza ravagée par les frappes israéliennes, dans une journée de cauchemar marquée par des tueries sur un marché et un centre de réfugiés de l’ONU.
Les Etats-Unis et l’ONU ont condamné le pilonnage avant l’aube de l’école de l’Agence de l’ONU pour l’aide aux réfugiés palestiniens (UNRWA) à Jabaliya, où 3000 Gazaouis chassés par les combats espéraient être à l’abri des bombes. Au moins 16 Palestiniens y ont péri.
Rien ne semble pouvoir arrêter ce conflit entre Israël et le Hamas au pouvoir à Gaza, qui a fait au total 1359 morts palestiniens selon les secours locaux depuis le début le 18 juillet de l’offensive israélienne destinée à mettre fin aux tirs de roquettes et à détruire les tunnels utilisés par le groupe palestinien.
Malgré la dévastation et le lourd bilan humain, les tirs de roquettes à partir de Gaza n’ont pas cessé et 120 tirs ont été recensés par l’armée. En outre, trois soldats israéliens ont péri à Gaza dans un tunnel piégé, portant à 56 le nombre de militaires tués, le bilan le plus lourd pour l’armée depuis la guerre du Liban en 2006.
"C’est injustifiable, les responsabilités doivent être déterminées et justice doit être rendue", s’est indigné le secrétaire général de l’ONU, Ban Ki-Moon, en parlant du bombardement de l’école, alors que l’UNRWA a ouvertement accusé Israël.
"Il n’y avait que des enfants, que des jeunes ici. Pourquoi font-ils ça ? Où peut aller la population ?" s’est insurgé Hicham al-Masri, l’un des réfugiés.
"Des enfants ont été tués alors qu’ils dormaient à côté de leurs parents sur le sol d’une salle de classe", a protesté le patron de l’UNRWA, Pierre Krähenbühl, en relevant que l’armée avait reçu toutes les informations sur l’école.
En revanche, les Etats-Unis n’ont pas incriminé explicitement Israël dans ce bombardement. Mises à l’épreuve depuis des mois, les relations entre les alliés israélien et américain se sont encore tendues, la position du secrétaire d’Etat John Kerry étant jugée trop favorable au Hamas aux yeux d’Israël.
Les critiques israéliennes contre M. Kerry, dont la tournée dans la région pour arracher une trêve s’est soldée par un échec, sont "blessantes et absurdes", a déploré une de ses porte-parole.
La France a aussi condamné le bombardement de l’école et Amnesty International a évoqué un "crime de guerre potentiel" en réclamant une enquête.
Mais le drame de l’école de Jabaliya n’a pas été le seul de la journée pour les civils qui ne sont nulle part à l’abri dans un territoire minuscule, enclavé, et soumis à un double blocus israélien et égyptien.
Au soir d’une des journées les plus sanglantes du conflit, sur un marché de Chajaya, à quelques kilomètres de Jabaliya, au moins dix-sept Palestiniens ont été fauchés.
De nouvelles scènes insoutenables. Des passants évacuant en catastrophe, sur des couvertures tendues ou des brancards, des corps inanimés, vers les ambulances ou des véhicules particuliers. Des victimes ensanglantées, parfois mutilées. Des flaques de sang.
Et sept membres d’une même famille ont été tués par des tirs de tanks dans le secteur de Khan Younès (sud). Bilan de la journée, au moins 108 morts selon le porte-parole des services d’urgence palestiniens Achraf al-Qodra.
Parmi les 1359 morts au total, les trois-quarts sont des civils, a estimé l’ONU, et plus de 245 des enfants, a précisé l’Unicef.
Israël rend le Hamas responsable de la mort des civils, l’accusant de s’en servir comme "boucliers humains".
Après 23 jours d’un conflit qui ravage l’étroite enclave palestinienne, la guerre ne donne aucun signe de répit pour les habitants de Gaza, déchirés entre douleur et colère.
"Nous voulons la guerre ! Nous voulons que Qassam (la branche militaire du Hamas) riposte au coeur de Tel-Aviv !" crie un homme sur le marché de Chajaya.
Si le chaos est total à Gaza, la solution diplomatique est suspendue aux desiderata des deux camps. Une délégation israélienne est arrivée mercredi au Caire, intermédiaire habituel dans les négociations entre Palestiniens et Israéliens.
L’envoi d’une délégation conjointe des principaux mouvements palestiniens, pour le moment retardé, a également été annoncé par l’Organisation de libération de la Palestine (OLP).
Mais même en cas d’un hypothétique cessez-le-feu, les divergences de fond resteraient entières.
Le Hamas exige un retrait des troupes israéliennes de Gaza dont elles s’étaient unilatéralement retirées en 2005. Il réclame également une levée du blocus israélien qui asphyxie son économie depuis 2006.
Quant à Israël, il a répété sur tous les tons que son armée ne quitterait pas l’enclave tant que la menace pour sa population posée par les roquettes et les tunnels n’aurait pas été réduite à néant.
Le gouvernement de Benjamin Netanyahu bénéficie à en croire les sondages du soutien des Israéliens, malgré le lourd bilan militaire dans l’offensive déclenchée par des raids aériens avant de s’étendre à une opération terrestre. Deux civils israéliens et un Thaïlandais ont péri dans les tirs de roquettes depuis le 8 juillet.

Israël/Palestine : la Maison Blanche condamne le bombardement d’une école par Israël

La Maison Blanche a condamné mercredi le bombardement d’une école de l’ONU à Gaza, déplorant que "les milliers de Palestiniens" appelés à évacuer leurs logements par l’armée israélienne ne soient pas en sécurité dans les refuges mis en place par les Nations unies.
"Les États-Unis condamnent le bombardement d’une école de l’UNRWA (agence de l’ONU pour les réfugiés palestiniens) à Gaza qui aurait fait des morts et des blessés parmi des Palestiniens innocents - dont des enfants - et des employés de l’ONU", a indiqué Bernadette Meehan, porte-parole du Conseil de sécurité nationale, le cabinet de politique étrangère du président Barack Obama. Au moins 16 Palestiniens qui s’étaient réfugiés dans cette école ont été tués mercredi à l’aube par des bombardements israéliens dans le nord de la bande de Gaza, selon les services de secours.
"Nous condamnons également ceux qui sont responsables d’avoir caché des armes dans des bâtiments de l’ONU à Gaza", a poursuivi la porte-parole du NSC.
"Tous ces événements, comme les événements similaires qui ont déjà eu lieu dans ce conflit, ne respectent pas la neutralité de l’ONU. Cette violence démontre la nécessité d’arriver à un cessez-le-feu dès que possible", a-t-elle conclu.
Le secrétaire général des Nations unies, Ban Ki-moon, a qualifié ce bombardement d’"injustifiable". "Je veux préciser que la localisation exacte de cette école élémentaire avait été communiquée 17 fois aux autorités militaires israéliennes, notamment la nuit dernière, quelques heures seulement avant cette attaque", a souligné le patron de l’ONU.

Israël/Palestine : Agir plus que condamner (Samah Jabr)

À tous ceux qui déplorent l’usage de la violence par les Palestiniens et qui soupirent, « Mais où est le Gandhi palestinien ? », voici la réponse : Israël délégitime l’ensemble des outils de la résistance, et notamment la non-violence. En 2011, par exemple, le parlement israélien a voté une loi punissant tout appel public à un boycott économique, culturel ou universitaire en réponse à l’occupation israélienne et ses colonies.

Un boycott est un outil très légitime de résistance, celui qui a été utilisé dans le passé par nombre de peuples opprimés – les Irlandais, les Indiens, les Juifs – contre leurs tyrans respectifs. À l’exception notable de l’État d’Israël, lequel persistait à fournir en armes le régime d’apartheid d’Afrique du Sud, l’imposition d’un boycott a même été une politique internationale largement soutenue à une époque. Au niveau des personnes, assurément chacune et chacun est en droit de choisir si elle ou il apporte, ou n’apporte pas, son soutien à une entité qui va à l’encontre de ses valeurs personnelles.

Si la loi anti-boycott d’Israël est censée laisser libre cours à son occupation et à ses colons, et faire pression sur le mouvement international de solidarité avec les Palestiniens, la loi stimule également beaucoup de réflexions à propos des réactions palestiniennes au boycott. Après tout, il y a des Palestiniens qui ont une relation complexe et emmêlée avec les Israéliens.

Pour ma part, j’ai étudié avec des Israéliens. Je viens récemment de terminer un programme de formation de trois ans à la Société psychanalytique israélienne. À Jérusalem-Est, où je vis, de nombreux Palestiniens travaillent en différentes institutions israéliennes et quand ils sont malades, ils sont soignés dans des hôpitaux israéliens. Beaucoup de Palestiniens de Cisjordanie ne peuvent trouver du travail que dans les colonies israéliennes. Et n’oublions pas la tragique réalité que le tristement célèbre mur de séparation a été construit par des mains palestiniennes.

Conséquemment à ces interrelations, il paraît curieux pour de nombreux Palestiniens de faire une distinction subtile entre nécessité de survivre et nécessité de normaliser les relations avec l’occupant. Les Palestiniens partagent une situation de détresse et un rêve de justice ; mais en l’absence actuelle d’une politique palestinienne nationale, on ne peut qu’ « agir en indépendant » et improviser dans l’espoir de réaliser ce rêve. Tout en maintenant un lien solide avec un petit groupe d’Israéliens avec lesquels je partage des valeurs communes, je m’oppose fermement à une normalisation des relations avec l’occupation et ses institutions. Un Palestinien doit avoir assez de bon sens pour faire une chose sans saper l’autre.
Bien sûr, il ne peut y avoir de résultat gagnant à tous les coups entre la nation palestinienne occupée et l’occupation israélienne. Plus l’occupation étend ses colonies illégales et plus elle développe sa politique raciste, plus nous étouffons sur la terre occupée. Un boycott de l’occupation israélienne est la forme la plus modérée de la résistance que les Palestiniens et ceux qui les soutiennent peuvent exercer. Un boycott est un signe de force, individuel et collectif ; sa principale valeur est l’effet psychologique et moral d’une confrontation avec l’État d’Israël et de son isolement potentiel.

Je connais certains Israéliens qui encore aujourd’hui refusent d’acheter des voitures allemandes, alors que les voitures leur plaisent, parce qu’ils ne veulent pas contribuer à la santé de l’économie allemande. Alors vous imaginez, nous les Palestiniens dont les blessures par les Israéliens sont toujours ouvertes et sanglantes !
Les Juifs qui approuvent le boycott sont considérés comme porteurs d’une maladie auto-immune par les Juifs qui s’y opposent ; ceux qui les critiquent ne parviennent pas à voir le moindre signe de santé dans ces quelques bons anticorps qui luttent pour protéger la conscience israélienne contaminée. Mais la législation contre les boycotts n’a servi qu’à exhiber davantage la fausse démocratie de la puissance occupante. Cette législation délégitime encore plus Israël aux yeux du monde, causant plus d’indignation que le boycott lui-même. « Maladie auto-immune » n’est juste qu’une nomenclature de plus qui allonge la liste des calomnies telles « juif ayant la haine de soi », et « antisémite » ; des termes qui veulent réduire au silence et intimider.

En neutralisant la résistance militaire, et en interdisant le boycott, l’occupation révèle sa satisfaction avec le statu quo. Pourquoi prendre des mesures pour aller vers la paix ? Pourquoi renoncer à des idéologies et des pratiques racistes usées ? Les Palestiniens sont allés à la table de négociations et ils n’ont rien obtenu ; notre combat pour la liberté est appelé terrorisme et il est rejeté par le monde. La condamnation des horreurs perpétrées par l’État d’Israël est ressenti comme vaine contre un régime qui reste indifférent à la souffrance et à la mort du peuple palestinien.

Le gouvernement des États-Unis et ses partisans sont réticents à prendre toute action décisive contre Israël, mais dans les pays en Europe, en Amérique latine, et en Afrique, de plus en plus de personnes reconnaissent la véritable situation : l’occupation de la Palestine par une force militaire puissante et le nettoyage ethnique du peuple palestinien de sa patrie. Les Palestiniens ont besoin d’aide pour voir au-delà de la douleur, de la souffrance et de la mort qui leur sont infligés. Ils ont besoin que soit reconnu leur vécu et que soient admis les torts qui leur sont causés depuis de nombreuses années, une lueur d’espoir et un sens de la justice. Il ne suffit pas d’exiger la fin des attaques contre les Palestiniens qui sont massacrés dans leurs maisons car cela tombe dans l’oreille de sourds, il est important de mobiliser l’énorme majorité consentante des Israéliens – et cela peut se faire effectivement si Israël découvre le goût de l’isolement, de cet isolement qu’il impose aux Palestiniens. Partout où les gens ordinaires profitent de la démocratie, il est possible de lancer une vaste campagne internationale de boycott contre l’occupation israélienne. Les Israéliens, en tant qu’individus, peuvent encourager leur gouvernement à avancer vers la paix seulement en soutenant un boycott. S’ils n’y parviennent pas, Israël persistera sur sa voie qui le conduit à un effondrement moral qui n’apportera que honte et humiliation à tous ses partisans.

Samah Jabr,
30 juillet 2014

Samah Jabr est Jérusalémite, psychiatre et psychothérapeute, dévouée au bien-être de sa communauté, au-delà des questions de la maladie mentale.

Traduction : JPP pour les Amis de Jayyous