AFPMilitant Palestinians today
A massive attack by militant Palestinians in the south of the country has taken Israel by complete surprise. Criticism of the intelligence services is growing in the country. How could they not have seen the attack coming?
“This is really a huge mistake by Israel,” said Kim Ghattas, an analyst and writer who received an Emmy Award for her work. She has been following developments in the Middle East for twenty years and wrote a book about the rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
“That Hamas is able to launch such an attack, very coordinated, very organized. A very daring attack. That takes months of planning,” said Ghattas, who suspects the involvement of Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon. “This cannot happen without outside support.”
Hostage situations
Israel is in shock. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks of a “protracted war”. The Israeli army is hitting back hard, but is also faced with a new challenge: according to the Israeli army, Hamas has taken Israelis hostage. Their number is unknown. Images also emerged today of slain Israeli soldiers being carried through the streets of Gaza as trophies.
Today’s attack comes one day after the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War in October 1973, when Egypt and Syria unexpectedly attacked Israel on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. No one had seen those attacks coming either.
Ghattas does not call the cause of Hamas’s attacks a surprise. Since the beginning of this year, there has been increasing violence in the West Bank, on the border with Lebanon and in the border area between Israel and Gaza. “The daily violence, the humiliation of Palestinians, evictions from their homes, the detention of children. All this weighs on Palestinians, with no solution in sight,” Ghattas said.
According to the analyst, there must have been discussions with Iran and Hezbollah about a large-scale attack on Israel. “The number of rockets they launched, the kind of training required for these types of operations. That is very reminiscent of operations that Hezbollah has carried out in the past in the then Israeli-occupied southern Lebanon.”
Hamas has some allies in the Middle East, the most important of which are Iran and the militant Hezbollah movement. The latter operates from Israel’s neighboring country Lebanon. There is little doubt among analysts of the region that Hamas is receiving help from those allies in today’s events. Recently, they have watched with dismay as their enemy – Israel – strengthens its position in the region. In part by seeking rapprochement with the other major power in the region: Saudi Arabia.
Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, said today of Israel: “This cancer will be eradicated, God willing, by the Palestinians and other resistance forces in the region.” Hezbollah also today confirmed its support for Hamas’ attacks. These should be seen as a response to the “ongoing occupation and as a message to those who want to normalize relations with Israel.”
Hezbollah is referring to the Arab countries that have normalized diplomatic relations with Israel in recent years. Saudi Arabia has recently also been ‘on the threshold’ of a historic agreement with Israel.
Overconfidence
Ghattas sees the support for Hamas from Iran and Lebanon but doubts whether the attack will bring any good to the Palestinians. “The price they will pay for this will only put them further behind.”
According to Ghattas, the fact that today’s attack was completely missed is also because Israeli politics has been too preoccupied with itself. “The helm was taken over by the far-right Netanyahu government with far-reaching plans for legal reforms. This was followed by thirty weeks of protests. There have been warnings that this government no longer saw the dangers surrounding Israel due to overconfidence and extremism.”
2023-10-07 17:58:45
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