Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 9
By Rufiz Hafizoglu – Trend:
Unlike Arab countries, which have manipulated the Palestinian-Israeli problem for many years, US President Donald Trump outlined a clear stance on the issue.
There is an opinion that having recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the US has lost its neutrality on the Palestinian-Israeli problem, but it is worth asking whether the Muslim countries recognized the neutrality of the US. Of course they didn’t.
Statements that Jerusalem’s recognition as the capital of Israel is allegedly directed against Iran, as well as against the entire Islamic world, are erroneous, since not only Jews and Muslim Arabs, but also Christian Arabs live in Jerusalem. About 52 percent of the Arabs living in Israel are Greek Orthodox.
As is known, after the US recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, protest rallies are taking place in a number of Muslim countries. In connection with all these events, representatives of Muslim countries will meet Dec. 13 in Istanbul, where an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will take place.
Hamas calls for Intifada, Mahmoud Abbas for armed resistance
As is known, after Jerusalem was recognized as the capital of Israel, Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, the Palestinian militant Islamist organization, called on the Palestinians for a new Intifada.
“We have given instruction to all Hamas members and to all its wings to be fully ready for any new instructions or orders that may be given to confront this strategic danger that threatens Jerusalem and threatens Palestine,” said Haniyeh.
At the same time, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the people to fight for liberation of Jerusalem.
But neither the Intifada nor armed resistance will do Palestine good, since, whatever the policy of Israel may be, any country has the right to ensure security of its citizens. Any armed resistance will be suppressed, and won’t be accepted by the world community.
But at the same time, with full confidence, one can say that the Intifada and armed resistance are serious threats to Israel, since there are no strong leaders like Yasser Arafat left, with whom one could have negotiated.
It would be also wrong to say that Jerusalem’s recognition as the capital of Israel would have no consequences.
One should remember Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying that there are intelligence reports that the terrorists who left Syria with the support of some countries are penetrating Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula.
Since September 2013, the Egyptian security forces have been carrying out anti-terrorist operations in the Sinai Peninsula – which borders the Gaza Strip – against the Wilayat Sinai (Sinai Province) terrorist organization, which is known to be affiliated to the “Islamic State” (IS) terrorist group.
A part of the IS terrorists, who left Syria, after uniting with the Wilayat Sinai terrorists may penetrate the Gaza Strip controlled by the Hamas.
It would be wrong to say that there are no radical Islamists in the Gaza Strip. Back in 2009, clashes took place there between the Hamas and the Jund Ansar Allah radical Islamist group, which proclaimed its “Islamic Emirate” on the territory of the Gaza Strip.
The Hamas partially killed supporters of the Jund Ansar Allah, who still exists in the Gaza Strip.
If the Wilayat Sinai and the IS penetrate the Gaza Strip, a military conflict will start there, and the IS terrorists, who are ideologically different from the Hamas, may get control over the Gaza Strip. This will give Israel a reason to launch military operations in the Gaza Strip to ensure the country’s security, after which Israel will be able to provide its own control there. And the world community will fully support Israel in this issue.
---
Rufiz Hafizoglu is the head of Trend Agency's Arabic news service, follow him on Twitter: @rhafizoglu