"Israel", A Tunnel into Oblivion
9 Min Read
The occupation government was exposed to the world following its several failed attempts to depict itself as the powerful state it claims it is. From its resounding defeat in the Seif al-Quds Battle to its security system's shameful humiliation, where is "Israel" heading to?
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The Israeli occupation witnesses a series of failures, from the Seif al-Quds Battle to the recent prison escape
Seven decades and three years later, Israeli forces still occupy Palestine with an unprecedented level of violence. After this long period, the Palestinians proved that their resilience and resistance could weaken “Israel's” deterrence and consequently cause existential threats.
The Palestinians never failed to exhibit tenacity against the occupation, evident in the recent series of events that paved the way for the inevitable end of the former Israeli occupation government. Needless to say that the Israeli occupation government itself is proving, on its own, that it is a failed system.
Sheikh Jarrah; the first domino
Sheikh Jarrah is a neighborhood located in the north of the Old City of Al-Quds. Since 1972, its residents have been facing an Israeli plan of forced expulsion and displacement to create settlements on top of the demolished Palestinian homes.
The occupation courts took decisions to favor of the settlement plan, pushing the "Israelis" to intensify their disruptive measures to implement it.
It is worth mentioning that following the “Nakba” in 1948, the Sheikh Jarrah Neighborhood welcomed 28 Palestinian families in 1956, thus becoming their new home, yet no home feels permanent for the Palestinians. The families were always threatened with displacement due to the constant Israeli threats to evict them.
What happened in Sheikh Jarrah?
Occupation forces have been demolishing or threatening to demolish Palestinian homes in the neighborhood since 2008. In November of that year, the al-Kurd family was forcibly expelled, followed by both the Hanoun and al-Ghawi families a year later.
Israeli settlers invaded their homes and were quick to raise the Israeli flag on the roof.
In an interview for Al Mayadeen, Nabil al-Kurd, a resident in the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, stated that after the setback (the 1967 war) in which the Israeli occupation authorities seized the western part of the al-Quds area, residents were surprised to see that the first home was stolen and turned in to an administrative office.
Palestinian unity against aggression
In the wake of evacuation threats and confrontations between the Israeli forces and Palestinians, the Palestinians united.
At the beginning of this year, a decision was issued by the Central Occupation Court against several families ordering them to leave their homes. The process of forced evictions would leave around 550 Palestinians homeless. Protests broke out in the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah against the arbitrary expulsion decisions.
The residents wrote a statement that falsifies the Israeli occupation’s claim over its ownership of the land. The statement called on the Kingdom of Jordan to initiate legal efforts along with those of the Palestinian Authority and international parties. Their demands were focused more on Jordan since the latter had made promises backed by documents. These documents could legitimize current residents’ ownership of the land.
How is that?
At the time, the West Bank was under Jordanian rule from 1951 till 1967. The Jordanian government provided the land while UNRWA covered the costs to build homes for 28 Palestinian families.
Back to the present day, the Israeli plan did not find any success though, after facing stiff and solid resistance from the inhabitants of Sheikh jarrah further uniting them against the occupation.
Seif al-Quds, turning tables
The situation aggravated between the Israeli forces and the Palestinians, especially with people supporting various Resistance factions participating in the confrontations that led to a battle: the Seif al-Quds Battle (The Sword of Jerusalem).
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, Israeli aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip led to the martyrdom of 230 Palestinians. The grim figure includes 64 children, 38 women, and 17 elderly people, while 1,620 people were injured.
In a series of rocket salvos, various Palestinian brigades targeted different parts of the occupied land. Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, fired multiple rockets towards “Tel Aviv” in response to the occupation constantly bombing civilian facilities in the Gaza Strip. Israeli bombing causes civilians, casualty figures to rise.
Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, announced that they "expanded the range of fire and targeted Tel Aviv and beyond with large salvos of rockets."
A rocket landed in 'Petah Tikva' east of'Tel Aviv'.#JerusalemIsCloser #AlQuds #Palestine #PalestineWillBeFree #SaveSheikhJarrah pic.twitter.com/9nHsJTH26z
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) May 13, 2021
On May 15, the Palestinian Resistance showered Israeli settlements with 200 missiles in response to the continuous aggression on Palestinian civilians.
At the same time, the National Resistance Brigades announced the launch of rockets at Askalan in response to the continuing massacres against the Palestinian people.
صباحكم فلسطيني ..
— abomahmoud (@abomahm09614070) May 15, 2021
ميناء اسدود قريبا سيتعطل مثل ميناء عسقلان .. pic.twitter.com/U7z68vTjsa
The Iron Dome
The Iron Dome is a mobile air defense missile system developed by RAFAEL, a company for advanced defense systems. The system is designed to intercept short-range missiles and artillery shells.
How does the Iron Dome work?
The need for an air defense system to protect Israel from short-range missiles emerged after the Israeli aggression on Lebanon in July 2006, when Hezbollah launched more than 4,000 of mostly short-range 122 MLM Grad rockets, which fell in northern occupied Palestine.
The urgency increased with the Palestinian Resistance factions continuously retaliating against the Israeli occupation’s aggression using different range missiles.
However, the commander of the 81st Technological Unit, Israeli General Yossi Langotsky, considered that the Iron Dome had proven ineffective, showing its incapacity to counter the rockets launched by the Palestinian Resistance.
Israel’s crushed pride
Despite the Iron Dome’s 90% claimed success rate, the Palestinian Resistance was able to bypass the highly advanced technology by adopting certain tactics that deceived the system, by overwhelming it with a large number of advanced missiles.
“We utilized the tactic of firing the Sijeel missiles at Askalan, which have a high destructive power and succeeded in overcoming the Iron Dome,” said al-Qassam Brigades.
After a three-hour meeting, the Israeli occupation cabinet decided on a ceasefire in Gaza on May 21 at 2 am.
Israeli media quoted a "high-ranking" Israeli official as saying that the ceasefire will be based on calm for calm, which was confirmed by a Hamas official to Reuters, announcing that "a reciprocal truce with Israel will start at 2 AM Friday."
Battle on the border
During clashes on the Gaza Strip border between Israeli forces and Palestinians, an Israeli sniper was shot, and nine days later, he was pronounced dead.
Barel Shmuel was shot on August 21 by a Palestinian man showing extreme audacity, firing at the sniper point-blank from a small window in the wall surrounding Gaza. The opening was used by the latter to gun down protesters.
اطلاق نار على قناص اسرائيلي من مسافة الصفر على حدود غزة pic.twitter.com/cI6roc4meM
— مش هيك (@meshhek) August 21, 2021
A failed system
The sniper’s mother stated in an interview after her son’s death that "today I realized that all the preparations and training of the army went to waste. I do not trust the army or the government”.
Nitsa, Barel's mother, said, “Yes, there was a shortcoming, the brigade commander stood at a distance of four meters from Barel and regrets that he did not order him to move away from the fence.”
Despite the clear danger on the border and the critical situation right before the sniper was shot, the Israeli brigade commander failed to give the tactical instructions to avoid any injuries.
The family was presented with an internal investigation, but Nitsa made it clear that she did not accept it, stating that there was no leadership to take responsibility for the negligence in the first place.
The tunnel to freedom
Israeli news confirmed that six Palestinian prisoners, most of whom are members of the Islamic Jihad Movement, managed to break out of Gilboa Prison near the occupied city of Bisan, on September 6th at dawn.
Reports state that the prisoners dug a tunnel under their cells to break free from the prison and were reported missing around 4 am.
A broken system
A source from the Islamic Jihad Movement told Al Mayadeen that Mahmoud Abdullah al-Arida is the "prince" of the prisoners in Gilboa Prison and the one who led the operation.
The source added that the prisoners' escape constitutes a severe blow to the Israeli army and the entire regime in "Israel".
He described the prison break as a "heroic" move, which will send shockwaves across the Israeli security system.
It is worth mentioning that after several escape attempts, prison guards decided to keep all Islamic Jihad Movement members on top floors, not ground floors. However, they still managed to liberate themselves.
Hamas: The enemy has not and will never win
Hamas Movement Spokesperson, Fawzi Barhoum, said that the prisoners’ escape was a “brave and heroic move” that was successful despite the prisons’ complex and maximum security.
"This great victory proves that the will and determination" of resistance fighters is "indomitable and invincible", noted Barhoum.
"This great victory proves that the will and determination" of resistance fighters is "indomitable and invincible", noted Barhoum.
Barhoum added, “This great victory proves that the enemy has not and will never win, despite its capabilities or power," and "the struggle for freedom against the occupation is ongoing, stretching both inside and outside the prisons to uphold that right."
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP), on its part, stressed that the occupation is weakening and that the heroism of the prisoners is a message that the will for freedom yields outstanding victories.
It is worth noting that a senior security official reported that the prison escape from Gilboa reflects a “series of dangerous failures,” noting that estimations reveal that the digging of the tunnel took years, not months.
Where is "Israel" heading to?
A series of humiliating setbacks and defeats have demonstrated to the Palestinians, the Arabs, and the entire world that the Israeli occupation government is at the other end of what it claims to be, in terms of strength and capabilities.
It is no doubt that these series of events have reflected an Israeli fragility in facing the Resistance. The latter proved that power comes from one's resilience and will. This will and determination carve each day an inch more in the Israeli occupation conscience.
The Palestinians never fail to raise their flag higher every time the occupation attempts to pull it down.
