Exclusive: Armed Intifada taking place in West Bank - Al-Nakhalah

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The upcoming year will be one full of challenges for the Palestinian people, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) Secretary-General Ziyad Al-Nakhalah told Al Mayadeen on Thursday during an interview on Twitter Space.

"2022 saw the establishment of the Jenin Brigade and the Lions' Den, and it also saw [the Palestinians in] a state of continuous confrontation with the Israeli enemy," Al-Nakhalah told Al Mayadeen. "A true armed intifada is taking place in the West Bank," he added. 

"The enemy is not halting its settlement process in the West Bank," the PIJ chief noted, stressing that the Israeli occupation was relentlessly attacking the Resistance in the occupied West Bank.

"The Resistance has a clear challenge before it this year," Al-Nakhalah said, stressing that the Resistance in the Gaza Strip was "coordinating with the newly established brigades in the West Bank, as there is no option but a united front against the enemy."

"The battle is open against the enemy throughout the West Bank, and the developments taking place in the Bank were an extension of Operation Unity of Battlefields," he underlined.

Meanwhile, he touched on the aforementioned operation, saying the main message the operation delivered was that the Israeli occupation could not pick an individual fight with a single resistance faction or Palestinians. 

"The Palestinians are one people in the face of one enemy," Al-Nakhalah underscored. "Coexisting with the enemy is not a possibility, even if certain parties agree with this notion."

PIJ ready for unity despite political disputes

Al-Nakhalah said his movement, the PIJ, was not currently discussing any political campaigns, stressing that the various factions had to form a united front, or else they would be picked off individually.

"The [PIJ] is ready for a united battlefield unconditionally and for cooperation with the various powers, even if we have political disputes with them," he added. "The upcoming year will herald an era of unity between the battlefields and the fighters on the front lines."

He also noted how the Palestinian Authority has started to limit its prosecution of Palestinian freedom fighters.

Aggression on Gaza expected

Touching on the Israeli occupation's aggression against Palestine as a whole, and the Gaza Strip, in particular, Al-Nakhalah expected that 2023 will see "Tel Aviv" waging a new round of aggression on Gaza.

"Gaza is not isolated from the developments in the West Bank, and it is preparing itself for battle. It is not completely off the table for Gaza to maintain a presence on the battlefield," he stressed.

The resistance in Gaza, Al-Nakhalah underlined, will participate in any battle in a timely manner if the situation calls for an intervention. "Gaza will have the West Bank's back through thick and thin."

Prisoners a PIJ priority

The PIJ Secretary-General underlined that the Palestinian prisoners' issue was of high priority for the Palestinian people and the resistance factions, chiefly Al-Quds Brigades."

The Palestinian resistance "will stop at nothing to liberate the prisoners," Al-Nakhalah said. "The resistance highly prioritizes capturing Israeli soldiers."

Sayyed Nasrallah true leader of resistance

"Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is the real leader of the resistance, and he is a pivotal part of the Palestinian Resistance," Al-Nakhalah said upon being asked by a participant about the Palestinian Resistance's relations with Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

Days before the third anniversary of the martyrdom of the IRGC's Quds Force commander, martyr Qassem Soleimani, Al-Nakhalah mourned the late leader, saying: "Martyr Soleimani is truly the martyr of Al-Quds, and he truly deserves this title."

"Hajj Soleimani is always present, and he gave his soul for the liberation of Al-Quds."

Only Iran, Hezbollah, Syria supporting Palestine

"The Palestinian people might be fighting in the West Bank, but Iran and Hezbollah are key backers of these Palestinian freedom fighters," Al-Nakhalah highlighted.

"The enemies want to delude the world by asserting that the war in Palestine is against Iran and that the Islamic Republic is using Palestinians as cannon fodder in its war against Israel," the resistance leader stressed, noting that this was the enemy's false narrative.

He also stressed that his group was ready to receive the funding or backing of any Arab or Islamic country, calling on the rest of the Arab World to fulfill its duties toward Palestine.

"We are fighting the United States in Israel, for it is its main backer. Meanwhile, we do not see any backers of Palestine aside from Iran, Hezbollah, and Syria.

Twitter shuts down Al Mayadeen Space during Al-Nakhalah interview

It is noteworthy that Al Mayadeen's Twitter Space was shut down as the Network was conducting an interview with Al-Nakhalah.

Twitter Space was shut down in light of an onslaught of reports from the Israeli occupation, in retaliation to the strong-worded, unwavering, and truthful statements made by Al-Nakhalah. 

The Twitter Space was joined by Al Mayadeen CEO Ghassan Ben Jeddou, who praised the PIJ leader, asserting that he played a pivotal role during the past decade when Syria was engulfed in war.

"Al-Nakhalah is an adamantly exceptional leader when it comes to all his actions," Ben Jeddou concluded.