The political transition in Syria has reignited debates about shaping educational curricula in the post-revolution society, especially after decades of distortion filled with propaganda and false information that generations have absorbed. This makes the challenge ahead for Syrians even more daunting, as real change goes deeper than merely revisiting the political system and its economic dimensions.

Education and upbringing are inseparable pillars that form the future of any nation. When we speak of education, we’re not just referring to school textbooks but to curricula that serve as the foundation of society and shape the cultural and religious identity of future generations.

In Syria, after decades of deliberate distortion, the need for curriculum reform has become more urgent than ever—especially after the revolution, which exposed the extent of misinformation that plagued the minds of Syrian children for many years.

History curricula glorified the "heroics" of the previous regime more than they celebrated Islamic history. Educational materials served as tools for fostering allegiance to a sectarian regime rather than nurturing intellectual or spiritual development. This is in addition to shared issues in Arab countries’ educational systems, which rely on rote learning instead of promoting critical thinking.

While removing propaganda from textbooks might be an easier task in new publications, broader educational reform must also address religious education. It needs to move beyond its superficial, traditional framework that feeds students texts without delving into the values of Islam and their practical applications. This distortion wasn’t accidental but part of a systematic strategy to create a generation detached from its Islamic roots under nationalist or secular slogans.

Following the Syrian revolution, educational reform appears far from straightforward given the turbulent political and security conditions. Reforming the educational system is like building a house in the middle of a storm. The situation is further complicated by harsh realities. In 2020, UNESCO reported that more than 40% of schools in Syria were either destroyed or severely damaged, making educational reform even more challenging.

However, the challenge is not merely material. The financial aspect is the least significant compared to the more crucial challenge—shaping the educational ideology that should reflect the revolution’s values without turning curricula into political battlegrounds.

Identity and Values

New curricula must strike a balance between preserving Islamic identity and respecting the cultural diversity of a multi-sectarian society like Syria. The key to achieving this lies in returning to Islamic fundamentals without imposing any sectarian or doctrinal biases on the curricula.

Islam is neither about sectarian allegiances nor merely a set of rituals. It is a comprehensive system that addresses all aspects of human existence. Therefore, presenting Islamic values should be the foundation for building new educational curricula—without neglecting science or literature but rather offering them from an Islamic perspective that strengthens morals and preserves identity.

It’s not enough to improve students' understanding of modern sciences without linking them to Islamic values that guide their use for the benefit of their community and humanity at large. This cannot be achieved without the active participation of religious and community institutions.

In this context, there is a valuable experience to build upon in the new Syria: the model applied in Idlib during the preparatory phase of the revolution. Representatives of local communities actively participated in reviewing school textbooks, with scholars and preachers ensuring that the content aligned with Islamic values. This community involvement helped create curricula that were more relevant to society’s needs and provided a model referenced in many studies as having laid the groundwork for the revolution.

Syria is not unique in this respect. Looking at other countries that have undergone similar political transformations, we find that educational reform has always been central to the transition process. For instance, after the end of apartheid in South Africa, educational curricula were restructured to reflect values of equality and justice. This experience highlighted an important lesson: educational reform is not merely an academic endeavor but a key component of a broader effort to rebuild society.

Thus, educational reform in Syria is not just an educational or cultural challenge; it is a national project requiring collective efforts from all segments of society. If we want to see hope for a better future reflected in the eyes of Syrian children, the first step must be curricula that promote Islamic values, preserve identity, and open the doors to science and knowledge.

We’ve witnessed how education can transform lives. Gaza offers an inspiring example where the pursuit of knowledge continued amid bombardment and aggression. Knowledge and faith are the weapons with which we will build the future of our children. This spirit should be the core of our new educational curricula.

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Yes, she is half a woman, perhaps the remnants of a woman, facing the brutal Zionist aggression in steadfast Gaza amidst international complicity. She is the woman who lived through the tragedy of the infamous Sednaya Prison in Syria for years. She is the mother now displaced in Yemen, a refugee in Sudan, whose family has been torn apart, losing her husband, a son, or a brother.

Women are often the ones who pay the heaviest price in wars, and they usually pay this price multiple times. They pay it as women subjected to rape and sexual violence, as wives widowed by the killing of their husbands, as mothers whose children become martyrs, and as activists facing oppression and imprisonment, enduring a massive and bloody tragedy with lasting effects for years and decades.

From injustice and oppression to poverty, ignorance, unemployment, and spinsterhood, women in many countries endure harsh suffering due to wars in which they have no stake, yet they remain targets for the machinery of war, the regime’s thugs, and the prisons of dictators. Meanwhile, the world boasts about “women's rights” in the 21^st century.

Eyes are closed, tongues are silenced, and consciences die when the target and victim are Arab or Muslim women. Then, they become deaf, mute, and blind, neither condemning the suffering of these women nor imposing sanctions on those responsible for their ordeal. The suffering of these women, driven to the edge by wars and ongoing conflicts funded by regional and international forces, unfolds under the watchful eye of the international community and global organizations.

When Umm Ahmed stepped on a landmine left behind by years of war in Yemen, it tore apart her frail body. She wasn’t a fighter in a battle, nor was she affiliated with any political party; she was merely a victim caught between lives lost and limbs severed, as reported by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The 2023 report states that women are sometimes used as tools of war, subjected to physical violence, their social roles shrink and their options diminish as conflicts drag on. This exacerbates their suffering and makes them vulnerable to economic, social, and psychological setbacks.

According to alarming statistics, nearly 90 million girls — one in five girls worldwide — live in conflict zones, facing devastating consequences for their physical and mental health.

Gaza in Agony

The women of Gaza are a living example of this painful reality in a world that annually celebrates women while they are reduced to “half women” in a place that has become a mark of shame on humanity’s conscience. Women and children make up about 70% of the casualties of the “Israeli” war on the Strip between November 2023 and April 2024, according to data from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

More than a million women in Gaza lack access to food, clean drinking water, or sanitary facilities, including bathrooms and sanitary pads. Four out of five mothers skip meals to feed their children. Some 155,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women face medical and psychological hardships, and 328,000 girls have been deprived of education. Over a million women have been displaced, according to the report titled “Gaza: War on Women’s Health,” published by UN Women last September.

Sima Bahous, the Executive Director of UN Women, stated that two mothers are killed in Gaza every hour. The spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, reported that around 3,000 women have lost their husbands or become the sole breadwinners for their families in the Zionist war, which claimed over 155,000 martyrs and wounded.

The tragedy of Gaza’s women has long exposed the hypocrisy of the West and the international community regarding women’s rights, with no protection umbrella to shield them from death by shelling, starvation, cold, or captivity. They are defenseless, unarmed, and not military targets to provoke Netanyahu’s jets, Ben-Gvir’s cannons, or Smotrich’s bombs. The world has never moved to establish a no-fly zone to protect civilian women and children or impose severe sanctions on the aggressors, as it did in response to Russia's war on Ukraine.

Of course, the blood of Ukrainian women differs from that of Palestinian women. The international community’s response to women differs based on their nationality, religion, and language. Palestinian women pay the price as females, Arabs, and Muslims, while the world annually celebrates International Women’s Day as the processions of female martyrs continue in Gaza.

True recognition of women should be an opportunity to show solidarity with women in conflict and war zones, especially Palestinian women. It should involve legislating laws to protect them, safeguard their dignity and honor, allocate funds to meet their needs, and rehabilitate them psychologically, medically, educationally, socially, and economically. They should be honored in international forums to ensure they are not reduced to “half women.”

Urgently, reconstruction efforts should extend beyond rebuilding infrastructure to rebuilding these women, providing recovery environments, healing their wounds, compensating them for lost education, facilitating marriage for widows, supporting mothers who have lost children, rescuing those who have lost homes, and ensuring their security while holding aggressors accountable to prevent a recurrence of such tragedies anywhere in the world.

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The success of the Syrian revolution and the establishment of freedom is a long-awaited ray of hope and a historic opportunity for the peoples of our region.

The restoration of human value and dignity is the first duty of the revolution when it seeks to repair the immense cultural destruction.

The burdens placed on the shoulders of the revolution are great, as it must maintain the sovereignty of the homeland in the face of division.

Syria today needs the solidarity of its people, the lifting of the embargo, and the fulfillment of the responsibilities of international institutions.

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The success of the Syrian revolution in overthrowing the sectarian regime of the Al-Assad dynasty and establishing freedom for the Syrian people represents a long-awaited glimmer of hope and a historical opportunity for the peoples of our region to achieve success amid the rubble of failure and a history of oppression and tyranny. Therefore, striving to ensure the success of the Syrian revolution is a duty of the time for all those devoted to their religion and nation.

Human Value: Restoring Ambition and Hope

The greatest crime of the fallen regime in Syria was the attempt to destroy the human being, robbing him of any ambition for change, and trapping him in an overwhelming despair with no hope, in a miserable present with no future, which contradicts God's will for His creation. Accordingly, restoring the value and status of the human being is the first duty of the revolution when it seeks to repair the immense cultural destruction that the Assad regime and its supporters from colonial powers and oppression have caused.

Reviving Religious Awareness and Mosques

First and foremost, it is necessary to regain awareness of the truths of the doctrine and its comprehensiveness, after the sectarian regime launched its assaults against it, whether by rendering vast sectors of the population ignorant of their doctrine, undermining their connection in their hearts, or distorting the splendor of this religion and its vast horizons, along with its noble cultural and humanitarian frameworks. It is time for the beloved mosques of Syria to resonate with the call of truth, to be filled with those who bow and prostrate, to gather for circles of remembrance and recitation, and to be filled with knowledge and its scholars and students. From the mosques, the anticipated awakening shall emerge, frequented by the pure hands that build the nation and remove the harm that has afflicted its cherished face.

Educational Revival: Regaining Scholarly Excellence

For centuries, the Levant has produced towering figures of scholarly excellence, whose divine knowledge has enriched the libraries of the Islamic world. Generations of rightful heirs and those who strive in the path of truth have been nurtured by their teachings. It is high time for this blessed land to regain its pioneering role after decades of darkness, during which sectarianism dominated schools and universities in terms of educational curricula, management, and educational systems and controls.

Political Propaganda and Repression in Education

The Ba'ath Party was the only one capable of political propaganda within universities, and more than half of the teachers, school principals, and university professors were Alawites. Among them, about 95% of the state's scholarship recipients for studying abroad came from this group. Other university professors faced severe repression, being forced to aid the oppressors in their oppression and to spy on their colleagues in an atmosphere of suffocating surveillance. Security reports began to track anyone who had the faintest scent of religiosity and righteousness, leading them to the prisons of the tyrants.  

Fair Punishment: Addressing the Atrocities

What the world has witnessed in terms of the tragedies unveiled by Assad's prisons will remain pages of shame, and nothing lessens the impact of this than holding the criminals accountable and seeking retribution against them—a retribution that establishes justice, rather than one driven by vengeance and retaliation, and that does not deviate towards destroying what remains of the possibilities for coexistence and citizenship. This horrific reality, which is almost beyond belief, represents a profound condemnation of the world that has observed and known, yet remained silent about the tragedy of a nation, and even provided support to the tyrants, under the misguided assumption that this would delay the awakening of Islam in the Levant and the region—an awakening they fear. And Allah Almighty has said: (And We wished to be Gracious to those who were being depressed in the land, to make them leaders (in Faith) and make them heirs,(5) To establish a firm place for them in the land, and to show Pharaoh, Haman, and their hosts, at their hands, the very things against which they were taking precautions.) (Al-Qasas)

Presenting Islam: A Call for Guidance and Righteousness

It is time for us to present to the world Islam; a call for guidance and righteousness, a religion of mercy and justice, which does not accept oppression from anyone and does not tolerate injustice toward anyone. Omar ibn Al-Khattab, may God be pleased with him, used to say: "I admire a man who, when he is subjected to oppression, says 'no' with all his might. And Allah, the Exalted, said: (So lose not heart, nor fall into despair: For ye must gain mastery if ye are true in Faith.) (Al-Imran:139)

Challenges and Priorities of the Revolution

The burdens placed on the revolution today are great, as it must maintain the sovereignty of the homeland in the face of the danger of division and Bernard Lewis's plan. The Assad family's regime has made every effort to humiliate the people and has fostered hatred and vendettas among them, which requires significant effort to heal the wounded revolutionary society. And the revolution is to complete the liberation of the homeland, according to clear priorities. The country has become insignificant under the rule of Assad, who has widened the space for the enemies of the nation to set up military bases, making it a pasture for sectarian factions and racist militias, while bowing his head before the Zionist enemy, having not fired a single bullet to liberate the Golan, nor to support the cause for the past 50 years. He has not moved a muscle to repel the enemy's aggression that has ravaged his country, violated its skies and land, while unleashed his armies and bombardiers to crush his people’s protests, bombing their cities and villages, both in the urban areas and the desert.

 Restoration of Civilization

As for the crushed material civilization in Syria, repairing the damage it has suffered requires the solidarity of its people and wise leaders. The fallen regime, in its frenzy and hatreds, did not value the ancient civilization of its country, which is considered an open museum for successive civilizations throughout the ages. In its wars against its opponents, it did not account for the responsibility of this great cultural heritage, as its bombardment affected cities and destroyed monuments. Emma Cunliffe, the author of the book "On the Impact of War on Archaeological Sites in Syria," confirms that all archaeological sites in the country, without exception, have been damaged, and that what she managed to document about the destruction filled 200 pages!

Impact on Homs and Aleppo

 In the city of Homs alone, the castle of "Krak des Chevaliers," which dates back to the era of the Crusades, has been subjected to shelling by artillery and air strikes. The former UN envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, stated in a published report that mosques, churches, and important ancient markets in Homs have turned into ruins. The destruction has affected the "Khalid ibn al-Walid" mosque, which contains the tomb of the great leader. The "Um al-Zunar" cathedral, which dates back to the dawn of Christianity in 59 AD, has also suffered significant destruction. In 2012, an attack by the Syrian regime destroyed the "Talbiseh" castle north of Homs.

Impact on Aleppo and Palmyra

And if this is some of what happened in Homs, a similar situation occurred in Aleppo, where the "Umayyad Mosque" suffered severe damage and is now filled with rubble. Its minaret, dating back to the 11th century, was destroyed, as was the historic "Aleppo Citadel," which has been built upon by ancient civilizations from the Greeks and Byzantines to the Mamluks and Ayyubids. As for the "Old Aleppo Souk," which represents one of the oldest markets in the world, it has now been completely destroyed, not to mention the destruction of the ruins of the city of Palmyra, which date back over two thousand years.

Looting and Trade of Antiquities

In all of this, the excavation of antiquities and trade in them was ongoing at full pace, carried out by adventurers and high-ranking officials in a country where the system and values had collapsed. Some reports indicate that the trade in antiquities has exceeded two billion dollars, and UNESCO confirms that some archaeological sites have been completely looted, describing these excavation operations as extremely dangerous and destructive.

Conclusion: Solidarity and International Responsibility

 Syria today needs the solidarity of its people, the lifting of the siege against it, and the international institutions to fulfill their duties towards a great nation that has been neglected for too long and has even contributed to creating its tragedy.

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Fueled by faith and patience, the train of change moves forward on its path from oppression to empowerment, undeterred by obstacles and challenges. It travels along a long, rugged road—yet despite its difficulties, it is comforting. Although fraught with dangers, its ultimate destination is secure. This train passes through pivotal stations and nearly inevitable stages, each station illuminated by its doctrinal, legal, and intellectual beacons, and each stage governed by its distinct jurisprudence, which organizes the work therein.

From the gradual call to Islam, where a solid foundation of believers receives the teachings of Islam with patience and is nurtured by them slowly, to the active call that shakes the foundations of falsehood, destroys idols in the hearts of the misguided, and engages in theological and intellectual struggles with the power of clear evidence—then to confrontation with falsehood using the necessary means, and finally to building a civilization grounded in divine principles. What are the features of this path, and where does Syria stand in this journey?

The Pursuit of Empowerment: The Path of the Pioneers

From the beginning of creation, the struggle between truth and falsehood has been relentless, never ceasing or fading. Falsehood pursues truth and is pursued by it, with both striving continuously for empowerment and dominance over the other. The divine laws governing empowerment follow set principles and norms that do not favor any individual, regardless of their status, nor any group, no matter its rank.

It is essential for the revolution leaders to possess a great deal of jurisprudential knowledge, deep understanding, awareness of reality, and comprehension of the current stage.

Thus, we find the Qur'an recounting the stories of nations of disbelief and falsehood whom Allah empowered. These stories are detailed and summarized in different texts of the Quran others, as in Allah says,
“Have they not seen how many generations We destroyed before them which We had established upon the earth as We have not established you? And We sent [rain from] the sky upon them in showers and made rivers flow beneath them; then We destroyed them for their sins and brought forth after them a generation of others.” (Al-An’am: 6)

The Qur’an also narrates stories of people of truth whom Allah empowered, such as Yusuf, Sulayman, and Dhul-Qarnayn. From the Qur’anic narratives, it is evident that they strove earnestly for empowerment.

The Qur’an also emphasizes the path to empowerment by outlining its major prerequisites. From the stories of empowered prophets, we find three essential conditions to obtain it:

1. Worshiping Allah Alone: This includes recognizing His absolute authority in all matters. This principle is explicitly stated in Surat An-Nur: “Allah has promised those who have believed among you and done righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession [to authority] upon the earth just as He granted it to those before them and that He will surely establish for them [therein] their religion which He has preferred for them and that He will surely substitute for them, after their fear, security, [for] they worship Me, not associating anything with Me. But whoever disbelieves after that - then those are the defiantly disobedient.” (An-Nur: 55)
2. Rising Above All Forms of Temptation: This is exemplified in the story of Prophet Yusuf, who faced numerous trials, including the temptation of women, imprisonment, betrayal by his brothers, and the challenges of leadership and power. Despite these, he triumphed through his faith and certainty in Allah, attaining empowerment: “And thus We established Joseph in the land to settle therein wherever he willed. We touch with Our mercy whom We will, and We do not allow to be lost the reward of those who do good.” (Yusuf: 56)

One of the priorities is to eradicate corruption, remove remnants of the regime from political life, and achieve justice by holding perpetrators accountable.

3. Engaging on the Frontlines of Confrontation on all Levels: This involves abandoning passivity and engaging in proactive efforts across all fronts. This is understood from Surat Al-Qasas, where, after Allah announced His will to empower the oppressed: “And We wanted to confer favor upon those who were oppressed in the land and make them leaders and make them inheritors.” (Al-Qasas: 5),
   He placed Musa, as an infant, in the palace of Pharaoh to later become a source of anguish and sorrow for him: “So that he would become to them an enemy and a [cause of] grief.” (Al-Qasas: 8)

The Syrian Revolution: Paths to Empowerment

When the winds of the first wave of the “Arab Spring” blew, the Islamic world was astonished that the blessed land of Syria—despite years of oppression and tyranny—had produced a noble generation of youth aspiring for change and empowerment. The oppressive Assad regime could not prevent the birth of this blessed generation nor turn back its revolution. These youth pursued their revolution, fulfilling the three conditions: worshiping Allah alone, rising above temptation, and striving for confrontation. After a long struggle and enduring tremendous horrors, Syria achieved a clear victory.

However, this victory and triumph are merely preludes to a long and gradual series of transformative changes. It can be asserted that all that has passed—despite its immense sacrifices and challenges—is but the smaller jihad, and what lies ahead for the Syrian people is the greater jihad. Victory over Bashar and the fall of the Assad regime marks only the beginning of the path to true empowerment.

Syria is undoubtedly not left to its free will nor entrusted with its independence. Therefore, it must firmly hold onto its freedom and independence, safeguarding its right to self-determination without external interference. To achieve this, Syria’s military, political, and religious leaders must possess significant understanding, awareness of the reality, and a comprehensive grasp of the current stage with all its components. Only then can the train of empowerment reach its destination, guided by a dual approach: gradual progress and avoiding unnecessary delays.

Syria and the Islamic Project

The Islamic project aiming for succession and empowerment passes through three main stages: preparation, transformation, and construction. Preparation involves building a solid foundation of capable individuals within the Ummah, including a nucleus of trustworthy leaders. It also includes fostering the societal networks and preparing the necessary scientific, political, economic, and military capacities.

Striving to establish a system that ensures justice, grants freedom for calling to Islam, and lifts oppression.

The entire Muslim Ummah, including Syria, is in this preparatory phase, which requires complete adherence to the principles of this stage without haste or improvisation. Key priorities must be addressed, including eliminating corruption, purging state institutions of wrongdoers, removing all remnants of the Assad regime from political life, and achieving just retribution against those involved in war crimes or crimes against humanity.

Establishing an Islamic system based on implementing Shariah is the ultimate goal that must always be considered. However, is this achievable? Are the revolutionaries capable of this? Will the world, which surrounds them from all sides and infiltrates their state and society, allow them to declare it openly Islamic?

If they believe they can, they must take the initiative without delay. However, if they foresee that doing so would lead to impossible challenges and a hurricane of tribulations, then the general rule is that accountability depends on ability: “Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity.” (Al-Baqarah: 286)

In such a case, efforts must focus on establishing a system that achieves as much justice as possible, provides freedom for the call to Islam, lifts oppression from the people, and lays the groundwork for future stages. This is in accordance with the principle: “What is attainable should not be abandoned due to what is unattainable.”

The leaders, being the most aware of their capabilities, must balance the interests and harms accurately, choosing the lesser of two evils. They should also seek the counsel of righteous scholars, whose past experiences have proven their honesty and dedication to knowledge.

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The Zionist occupation states repeatedly rely on religious and Biblical symbols and names to justify their policies and military aggression. Their use of this name demonstrates a continuous "Israeli" trend to link contemporary wars to ancient Biblical conflicts, unlike what their Arab and Muslim opponents do.

By establishing a connection between the past and the present through Biblical statements, they aim to create a continuous narrative of hostility towards their neighbors, considering them an extension of the ancient enemies of the Children of Israel, according to their claims.

The Spear of Bashan

Similar to the way it has assigned Biblical and Talmudic names to its crimes against Arab and Muslim peoples, the Zionist occupation has named its criminal operations targeting the destruction of Syria's military capabilities "The Spear of Bashan."

This name was not chosen randomly; it reflects a clear link to Biblical symbolism, geography, and military history, and is a continuation of several Biblical names the occupation has used for its war in Gaza. The goal is to militarily connect the operation to Jewish Biblical history to confer religious and political legitimacy to their military aggression, especially since the Golan is considered an extension of the Biblical region of Bashan.

It is well-known that Zionists, particularly under the current extremist religious government, are very concerned with the titles of their operations, which the distorted Bible often inspires to achieve their political goals and connect Jews to their religious identity.

There are estimates and reports that the "Israeli" aggression against Syria and the destruction of its military capabilities aims, among other things, to divide it according to undisclosed agreements with the new Trump administration, to ensure that "Israel" remains the strongest in the region.

Thus, "Israel" prefers not to wait for the political authority's new strength to develop in Syria, and continues to follow the principle of the upper hand, bombing Syrian weapons and provoking the new rulers of Damascus to safeguard its security and strategic interests.

Analysts believe that this naming, coinciding with "Israeli" incursions into Syrian territory, aims to shape the consciousness of the new ruling Islamic factions in Syria and all Syrians through iron and fire, terrorizing and pressuring them not to oppose the occupying state. They emphasize the spread of false press reports about the "Israeli" army's incursions into areas just 20 kilometers from Damascus, noting that while incursions did occur, they were not to that extent, and part of the goal is to condition and intimidate, according to the “Quds Press” agency.

The "Israeli" occupation army claimed that it has destroyed about 80% of the strategic military capabilities that the ousted regime's army held, under the pretext of preventing these capabilities from falling into the hands of Islamic opposition factions working to establish the new system in Syria.

 The Origin of Bashan and Its Objectives  

The name geographically originates from the "Bashan region," which has been mentioned historically in the Bible, referring to the Golan Heights and its northern extensions, which included the occupation of "Mount Sheikh," overseeing Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. This raises questions about the military importance of controlling this elevated location.

The name Bashan refers to the kingdom mentioned in the Bible and the Gospel, which extended from "Gilead" in Jordan to "Mount Hermon" in Syria (all regions they believe must be occupied)."

"Bashan" is a historical land and is part of the land of Canaan, which the Jews claim is their promised land (the land of Canaan extends from Palestine, part of southwestern Syria, and parts of northwestern Jordan). This term appears in the Torah 60 times, and the linguistic meaning of the word is "the flat or leveled land."

According to the description in the Torah, the land of "Bashan" has specific boundaries: its northern boundary reaches Mount Hermon (which is part of Mount Sheikh in the Golan), and its southern boundary is at Mount Gilead, a mountain located in northwestern Jordan (specifically the Jordan Valley). The region includes the Golan Heights, Hauran, and the Lijah area (a natural reserve south of Damascus), and the area ends, according to the Torah, at Damascus; thus, one of their goals is to occupy Damascus.

Og: king of Bashan

According to their beliefs based on the Torah they currently possess, "Og" was the king of Bashan from the Rephaim, who are considered among the ancient Canaanite peoples or the "giants." They are Semitic peoples who inhabited the region in ancient times; the Torah mentions that the land of Bashan was ruled by one of the great kings (from the giants whom the Jews oppose) named "Og." He was a powerful king whom our master Moses, peace be upon him, fought and defeated, and the term "Amalek" in Jewish culture signifies "the peak of physical and spiritual evil."

Og emerged from his kingdom, and the sons of Israel occupied the entire region of Bashan. Moses, peace be upon him, assigned it to one of the tribes, specifically the tribe of Manasseh (one of the descendants of our master Joseph, peace be upon him); thus, the term "Spear of Bashan" was used for this operation to indicate Netanyahu's message to the Jewish people: that this war is religious in nature and an existential war to reclaim "the land of Bashan."

This land holds significant religious value for the Jews, a point Netanyahu has been keen to instill since the beginning of this war in Gaza; he has consistently affirmed that they will triumph in the war against the "Amalekites," in reference to "Hamas" and the resistance, and he speaks of the prophecies in the Torah that "Israel" will triumph over its enemies (the Arabs and Muslims).

This is not the first time the Israeli army has drawn the names of its military operations from the Torah and Jewish religious heritage. According to a report published by the Hebrew newspaper "Maariv" in October 2024, on several occasions, leaders of the Zionist occupation have invoked references to religious wars and imposed them on the wars with the Palestinians.

In November 2023, about a month after the war on Gaza broke out, Netanyahu cited texts from the Torah at least three times in his speeches to justify the attack on Gaza. In one of his speeches, he told the Israeli soldiers, "Remember what Amalek did to you," referring to the Amalekite tribe (a tribe of nomadic Bedouins who settled in the Sinai Peninsula and southern Palestine), mentioned in the Torah, to justify their attacks on Gaza.

Operation Kadesh

Before this, Israel drew the name "Operation Kadesh" to describe the tripartite aggression against Egypt in 1956, which is the name of a biblical city in Sinai where Mary, the sister of the Prophet Moses, was buried during the wandering of the children of Israel in the desert, according to their claims.

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