Israeli occupation prisons are a stage for the most brutal forms of repression and abuse practiced by Zionist authorities against Palestinian prisoners.

In these prisons, it's not just about restricting freedom; prisoners are subjected to various forms of physical torture and psychological intimidation. They are exposed to solitary confinement, sleep deprivation, and exhausting long interrogations aimed at breaking their will and destroying their determination.

Even after their release, the effects of this harsh experience remain engraved in their memory, leaving psychological wounds that do not heal easily. This makes prison for them more than just a place of detention, but rather a painful station that changes the course of their lives forever.

Among the most prominent psychological effects that the occupation's prisons leave on the souls of Palestinian prisoners are:

1- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD):

Many Palestinian prisoners suffer from PTSD as a result of the physical and psychological torture they endure in the occupation's prisons.

This disorder manifests in the form of recurring nightmares, painful flashbacks, and a constant state of tension and anxiety.

In June 2024, Gaza prisoner Badr Dahlan appeared in a severe psychological state due to the torture he was subjected to during a month of his detention in the occupation’s prisons. He struggled to complete his sentences, stuttered while speaking, and his eyes were bulging, indicating a state of hallucination and incoherent speech.

2- Depression and Isolation:

Being held in solitary confinement for long periods makes prisoners feel isolated and disconnected from reality, which can lead to difficulties in adjusting to society upon their return. This may develop into depression or social isolation.

Nabil Al-Rajoub, one of the Palestinian prisoners, was released by the occupation in December 2021 after administrative detention for eight months in "Megiddo" prison. He was placed in solitary confinement for 10 days before his release, and his family was unable to contact him or get any information about him during his isolation, as the occupation prevented his lawyer from visiting him. This caused him severe psychological distress, leading to a nervous breakdown, according to his brother, as reported by the Palestinian News Agency (WAFA).

3- Memory Loss:

Memory loss is one of the significant challenges faced by freed prisoners, requiring specialized psychological support to help them overcome these difficulties and regain their lives.

Freed Palestinian prisoner Mansour Al-Shahatit spent 17 years in the occupation’s prisons and was released on April 9, 2021.

Al-Shahatit suffered from partial memory loss, struggling to recognize his family members due to the hardships he endured inside the prisons, in addition to the medical negligence he faced, according to Al-Araby website.

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Assassinations are considered an integral part of the security strategy of the Zionist entity's government, which has increased in frequency since the establishment of the Zionist entity in 1948. History has witnessed numerous massacres and assassinations targeting Palestinian leaders and opponents of the Zionist project both inside and outside of Palestine.

Prominent Assassinations in History

• Lord Moyne (1944): Lord Moyne, the British politician and businessman, was assassinated for not supporting the immigration of British Jews to Palestine.
• Count Bernadotte (1948): He was assassinated by Jewish gangs at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem due to his stance on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
• Coordination with the Gestapo: Groups affiliated with the Jewish Agency collaborated with the German Gestapo to assassinate a number of Jews to instill fear among them and push them to emigrate to Palestine. Similar operations occurred in Iraq and Egypt to drive Jews to emigrate, including the “Lavon Affair” scandal in Egypt in 1954.

Targeting Scientists

Nabawiyya Musa (1952): Assassinated in America.

Yahya El-Mashad (1980): Assassinated in Paris.

Said El-Sayed Bedair (1989): Assassinated in Alexandria.

Palestinian Assassinations

Israel has conducted assassinations against prominent Palestinian figures in various world capitals, including Cyprus, Paris, Rome, London, Athens, Vienna, Brussels, and Sofia. Assassinations were also carried out in Arab capitals like Beirut in 1973 and Tunis in 1988, as well as in Gaza and the West Bank.

Here are the most notable of these assassinations:

• July 8, 1972: Assassination of Ghassan Kanafani (member of the political bureau of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and its official spokesperson) by a bomb placed in his car in the Hazmiyeh area of Lebanon, resulting in the martyrdom of Kanafani and his niece Lamis.
• October 17, 1972: Assassination of Wael Zwaiter (a Palestinian politician, writer, and diplomat) while serving as a representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Rome, Italy. Mossad director Zvi Zamir participated in his assassination by firing 12 bullets at him from silenced pistols.
• December 8, 1972: Assassination of Dr. Mahmoud Hamshari (PLO representative in France and one of the early fighters in the Fatah movement) by a bomb placed next to his home telephone.
• April 9, 1973: Assassination of Ziad Wshahi in Cyprus by a car bomb.
• April 14, 1973: Assassination of three senior Fatah leaders in Beirut: Kamal Nasser, Kamal Adwan, and Mohammed Yousef Najjar, in an operation known as “Spring of Youth.”
• April 1973: Assassination of Moussa Abu Ziad in Athens by a bomb placed in his hotel room.
• June 10, 1973: Assassination of Abdul Hadi Naffa and Abdul Hamid Shibi in Rome by a car bomb.
• November 25, 1973: Assassination of Hussein Ali Abu Khair (PLO representative in Cyprus) in Nicosia by a bomb placed under his hotel bed by Mossad agents.
• February 2, 1977: Assassination of Mahmoud Walad Saleh (a PLO cadre) in Paris.
• August 2, 1978: Assassination of Dr. Ezzedine Kalak (PLO representative in France) in Paris.
• December 15, 1978: Assassination of Ibrahim Abdel Aziz (a Palestinian resistance activist in the occupied territories) in Cyprus.
• January 22, 1979: Assassination of Ali Hassan Salameh (a senior security official in the PLO, nicknamed “the Red Prince”) in Beirut.
• July 25, 1979: Assassination of Zuhair Mohsen (leader of the As-Sa'iqa Organization) in the French resort city of Cannes.
• February 18, 1980: Assassination of Youssef Mubarak (a Palestinian intellectual and fighter) in Paris.
• June 16, 1980: Assassination of Mohammed Taha (a security officer in Fatah) in Rome.
• June 1, 1981: Assassination of Naeem Khader (PLO representative in Belgium) in Brussels.
• November 10, 1981: Assassination of Tarek Salim (a Fatah cadre) by a bomb in Beirut.
• April 10, 1982: Assassination of Elias Atiya (a Fatah cadre), with his wife also being martyred.
• June 16, 1982: Assassination of Nazih Darwish outside the PLO office in Rome.
• June 17, 1982: Assassination of Kamal Hassan Abu Dalo, deputy director of the PLO office in Rome, and Aziz Matar, a Palestinian student at the University of Rome, who was shot in front of his home in Rome on the same day.
• July 23, 1982: Assassination of Fadl Saeed Al-Dani, deputy director of the PLO office in Paris.
• August 30, 1983: Assassination of Mamoun Shukri Merish in Athens, an assistant to Khalil Al-Wazir (Abu Jihad) responsible for external operations.
• December 22, 1983: Assassination of Jamil Abdul Qader Abu Rub (director of a commercial shipping company in Greece) in Athens.
• December 14, 1984: Assassination of Ismail Issa Darwish (a Fatah cadre working in the western sector responsible for the occupied territories) in Rome.
• June 9, 1986: Assassination of Khaled Nazzal (a member of the central committee of the Democratic Front) at the gate of a hotel in Rome by gunmen on a motorcycle.
• October 21, 1986: Assassination of Munther Judeh Abu Ghazaleh (commander of the Palestinian Navy and member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council and the PLO military council) in Athens.
• February 14, 1988: Assassination of Hamdi Sultan, Marwan Kayali, and Mohammed Hassan (three founders of the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement) in Cyprus.
• April 16, 1988: Assassination of Khalil Al-Wazir, nicknamed “Abu Jihad” (the second-in-command of Fatah and one of its founders along with Yasser Arafat and others) by an Israeli military operation at his residence in Tunis, the highest-ranking figure assassinated by Israel at that time.
• January 14, 1991: Assassination of Salah Khalaf, nicknamed “Abu Iyad” (head of the PLO security apparatuses and one of the prominent Fatah leaders) in Tunis, along with two of his aides, Fakhri Al-Omari (Abu Mohammed) and Hael Abdul Hamid (Abu Al-Hol).
• June 8, 1992: Assassination of Atef Bseiso (one of Abu Iyad's successors in leading the Palestinian security apparatus) in Paris.
• November 24, 1993: Killing of Imad Aqel (one of the founders of the military wing of Hamas) during a battle with Israeli soldiers who attacked him in the Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza. During three years of military operations, he killed 11 Zionist officers and soldiers and injured over 30 others.
• June 23, 1994: Assassination of Nasser Salouha (a Hamas leader) in Gaza.
• November 2, 1994: Assassination of Hani Abed (a leader of the Islamic Jihad Movement) by a bomb planted in his car in Khan Yunis, central Gaza Strip.
• December 22, 1994: Assassination of Ibrahim Yaghi (a military official in the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades) outside his home in Jericho.
• April 2, 1995: Assassination of Kamal Kheil (one of the top leaders of the Al-Qassam Brigades) by bombing the apartment he was in, in Gaza.
• October 26, 1995: Assassination of Fathi Shikaki (founder and secretary-general of the Islamic Jihad Movement) in Malta by an Israeli commando group.
• January 5, 1996: Assassination of Yahya Ayyash (commander of the martyrdom operations in the Al-Qassam Brigades) in Beit Lahia, Gaza, by a bomb planted in the mobile phone he was using.
• September 25, 1997: Attempted assassination of Khaled Meshaal (head of Hamas' political bureau) in Amman, Jordan, by Mossad agents who tried to inject him with poison. The failed attempt led to strained relations between Jordan and Israel, resulting in the release of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who was imprisoned in Israel at the time.
• March 29, 1998: Assassination of Mohieddin Sharif (a leader of the Al-Qassam Brigades) by a car bomb.
• September 10, 1998: Assassination of Adel Awadallah (commander of the Al-Qassam Brigades in the West Bank) and his brother Emad Awadallah.
• November 23, 2000: Assassination of Ibrahim Bani Odeh (a leader of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades in the West Bank) by a car bomb.
• December 31, 2000: Assassination of Thabet Thabet (Secretary of Fatah Movement in Tulkarm).
• July 25, 2001: Assassination of Salah Darwaza (a prominent Hamas leader in the West Bank).
• July 31, 2001: Assassination of Jamal Mansour (member of the political leadership of Hamas in the West Bank and one of the deportees from Marj al-Zohour in 1992) by Israeli airstrikes while he was at a press center. Also killed was Jamal Suleiman, a member of the political leadership of Hamas in the West Bank and one of the founders of the Palestine Scholars Association and its secretary.
• August 27, 2001: Assassination of Abu Ali Mustafa (Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) in his office in Ramallah by two missiles fired by an Israeli Apache helicopter.
• October 22, 2001: Assassination of Ayman Halawa (a leader in the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades in Nablus) by Israeli aircraft.
• November 23, 2001: Assassination of Mahmoud Abu Hanoud (a prominent leader in the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades in the West Bank) by Israeli aircraft. He had previously survived an attempted assassination on August 23, 2000, in the village of Asira near Nablus, where he killed three Israeli soldiers.
• January 14, 2002: Assassination of Raed Karmi (commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Tulkarm) in Ramallah.
• January 22, 2002: Assassination of Yusuf al-Sourkji (commander of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades in the West Bank) along with several of his associates in a raid by a special Israeli unit on an apartment in Nablus.
• April 2, 2002: Assassination of Mohamed Atwa Abdel Aal (a commander in the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement) by missiles fired by Israeli helicopters at his car in the Brazil neighborhood of Rafah.
• April 5, 2002: Assassination of Iyad Hardan (a commander in the Al-Quds Brigades) by a public telephone explosion in Jenin.
• April 23, 2002: Assassination of Marwan Zalloum (commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Hebron) by missiles fired by Israeli aircraft.
• April 26, 2002: Killing of Raed Nazzal (commander of the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades in Qalqilya) during a battle with Israeli soldiers in Qalqilya.
• June 30, 2002: Killing of Mohannad al-Taher (a leader in the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades in the West Bank) along with his assistant Emad Darwaza during a battle with Israeli forces in Nablus.
• July 4, 2002: Assassination of Jihad al-Amarain (founder of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Gaza) by a bomb planted under the driver's seat of his car in the center of Gaza City.
• July 23, 2002: Assassination of Salah Shehadeh (the overall commander of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades in Gaza) by an Israeli F-16 aircraft that dropped a ton bomb on an apartment building in Gaza where he was sleeping, resulting in the deaths of 15 Palestinians, including his wife, daughter, and aide Zahir Nassar, and injuring 174 others.
• August 14, 2002: Killing of Nasr Jarrar (a leader in the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades in the West Bank) during a battle with Israeli soldiers in Tubas.
• February 16, 2003: Assassination of Nidal Farhat (the chief engineer behind the “Qassam rockets” in Hamas) by a bomb planted by an Israeli agent in Gaza.
• March 8, 2003: Assassination of Ibrahim al-Maqadmeh (a prominent leader and thinker in Hamas) by two Israeli Apache helicopters firing five missiles at his car on Palestine Street in Sheikh Radwan neighborhood (Gaza City), killing him and three of his escorts.
• April 10, 2003: Assassination of Mahmoud al-Zatma (a commander in the Al-Quds Brigades) by Israeli missiles targeting his car on Palestine Street in Sheikh Radwan neighborhood (Gaza City).
• June 21, 2003: Assassination of Abdullah al-Qawasmi (commander of the al-Qassam Brigades in Hebron) by gunfire from an Israeli special forces unit while he was leaving a mosque in central Hebron.
• August 21, 2003: Assassination of Ismail Abu Shnab (member of the political leadership of Hamas in Gaza) by three Israeli aircraft firing five missiles at his car in Gaza.
• September 10, 2003: Assassination of Khaled Mahmoud al-Zahar (son of a prominent Hamas leader) by an aerial bombardment on his home in Gaza City, injuring his father Dr. Mahmoud al-Zahar, who was the intended target of the attack but survived.
• March 22, 2004: Assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin (founder of Hamas and a leading figure in the Islamic revival in Palestine) by missiles fired by Israeli aircraft while he was in his wheelchair returning from Fajr prayer at a mosque in Gaza City.
• April 17, 2004: Assassination of Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi (one of the founders of Hamas and its leader after Sheikh Yassin's death) by an Israeli airstrike targeting his car in Gaza City. He had survived a previous airstrike about 14 months earlier.
• May 30, 2004: Assassination of Wael Nassar (a leader of the Qassam Brigades in Gaza) by an Israeli airstrike targeting his motorcycle on Salah al-Din Street in the center of Gaza City.
• September 26, 2004: Assassination of Izz al-Din Khalil (a Hamas leader) by a car bomb planted in front of his home in the Al-Zahira neighborhood of Damascus, Syria. The Hamas movement accuses the Israeli Mossad of carrying out the operation.
• October 21, 2004: Assassination of Adnan al-Ghul (chief engineer of the al-Qassam Brigades) by Israeli missiles targeting his car on Yafa Street in the center of Gaza City, after more than 14 years of mutual pursuit between him and the occupation.
• January 19, 2010: Assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh (a leader in Hamas) by Israeli Mossad agents in a Dubai hotel in the United Arab Emirates.
• February 26, 2016: Assassination of Omar Nayef (a leader in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) in the Palestinian embassy in Bulgaria, with accusations directed at the Mossad for carrying out the assassination.
• December 15, 2016: Assassination of Mohamed Zouari, a Tunisian engineer who supervised the development of drone technology for the al-Qassam Brigades and played a key role in producing the Ababil-1 drone used by the al-Qassam movement for the first time in Operation Protective Edge, among other projects. He was assassinated by the Israeli Mossad in Sfax, Tunisia, in mid-December when two assassins intercepted his path with a small truck and intensely opened fire, with three bullets hitting his chest and head, causing his death.
• March 24, 2017: Assassination of Mazen Faqha, who was a leader in the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades in the West Bank. He had been imprisoned in Tel Aviv before being released in the “Wafa al-Ahrar” prisoner exchange deal but was assassinated by Israeli agents in Gaza City in the first quarter of 2017.
• April 21, 2018: Assassination of Fadi al-Batch, a Palestinian scientist from Jabalia in Gaza. He held a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, was a lecturer at the University of Kuala Lumpur, and held a patent for increasing the efficiency of electrical power networks, among other inventions. He was killed by two “unknown” assailants on a motorcycle who shot him ten times as he was heading to Fajr prayer. It was later revealed that the attackers were connected to the Israeli Mossad.
• November 12, 2019: Assassination of Baha Abu al-Ata, a prominent military and field leader of the Al-Quds Brigades, the military arm of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Gaza. He and his wife were killed in a focused missile strike that hit their home in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood of Gaza City, carried out by Israeli aircraft.
• November 27, 2020: Assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, an Iranian nuclear scientist often considered the top nuclear scientist in Iran and referred to as the “father of the Iranian nuclear program.” He was killed using a self-destructing gun placed in a truck by 20 agents, with varying accounts of the killing method. Tehran blamed the Israeli Mossad for the operation and vowed to retaliate.
• May 12, 2021: Assassination of Jamal al-Zabda, a mechanical engineer with a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, specializing in civil aviation. He was in charge of developing rocket technology for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades before being killed by the Israeli army on May 12 during the Gaza war known as Operation Sword of Jerusalem.
• May 11, 2022: Assassination of Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian journalist working for Al Jazeera. She was killed by Israeli soldiers on the morning of May 11 while covering an incursion into Jenin. Her death sparked significant global outrage, and the investigation by the public prosecutor confirmed that Israeli soldiers stationed near her were responsible for her death.
• August 5, 2022: Assassination of Taysir al-Jabari, a prominent leader in the Islamic Jihad Movement, specifically the military commander for the northern region of the Al-Quds Brigades. He was killed by Israeli forces on the evening of August 7, 2022, in an attack that Tel Aviv referred to as Operation Dawn of Truth.
• August 7, 2022: Assassination of Khaled Mansour, another prominent leader in the Islamic Jihad Movement, serving as the military commander for the southern region of the Al-Quds Brigades. He was killed on the night of August 7 in an Israeli air raid targeting several homes in Rafah, with local civil defense confirming his death after hours of digging through the rubble.
• August 9, 2022: Assassination of Ibrahim al-Nabulsi, a prominent leader in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and one of the key field commanders responsible for various attacks on Israeli forces in Nablus. He became one of the most wanted individuals by Tel Aviv. After two failed assassination attempts, Ibrahim was killed along with two companions by the Israeli army in a house they had sought refuge in, which was then struck by a shoulder-fired missile.
• March 23, 2023: Assassination of Amir Abu Khadijah, a prominent field commander in the West Bank cities, serving as the commander of the Tulkarm Battalion and founder of its Rapid Response Unit. He was on Israel's most-wanted list for orchestrating a series of attacks on Israeli settlements and military forces. After a prolonged chase, Israeli special forces, supported by undercover units, Shin Bet, and border police, assassinated him in a targeted operation that surrounded his fortified home in the Shufa suburb southern Tulkarm on the morning of March 23, 2023, coinciding with the first day of Ramadan.
• May 9, 2023: Assassination of Jihad al-Ghannam, a prominent leader in the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, and the Secretary of the Al-Quds Brigades. He was killed in a joint operation by the Israeli army and Shin Bet, by an airstrike targeting his home in Rafah, resulting in his death along with his wife.
• May 9, 2023: Assassination of Khalil al-Bahthini, who was killed in the same operation that targeted Jihad al-Ghannam and a third leader, Tarek Muhammad Izz al-Din. Khalil was a prominent leader in the Islamic Jihad Movement, a member of its military council, and the northern region commander of the Al-Quds Brigades. He played a significant role in establishing the military media of the movement. Notably, Khalil succeeded Taysir al-Jabari, who was killed by Israel in 2022.
• May 9, 2023: Assassination of Tarek Izz al-Din, an Islamic Jihad leader during the military operation named Operation Shield of Defense. Tarek had been sentenced to life imprisonment by Tel Aviv since 2002 for his role in directing the Khadera operation (2001). He served about 13 years of his sentence before being released in the “Wafa al-Ahrar” prisoner exchange deal. Tarek was the head of the West Bank media office for the Islamic Jihad Movement, its spokesperson in the West Bank, and one of the prominent media faces of the Palestinian resistance, overseeing numerous military operations against Israel.
• May 11, 2023: Assassination of Ali al-Ghali, a member of the military council of the Al-Quds Brigades and the head of its rocket unit. He was killed on May 11, 2023, following an Israeli airstrike targeting his location in Khan Younis as part of Operation Shield of Defense. Tel Aviv had accused al-Ghali of participating in and directing rocket attacks on Israel.
• November 6, 2023: Assassination of Jihad Shihada, the commander of the “Tulkarm Battalion - Rapid Response” and one of its founders. He was one of Israel’s most-wanted individuals and was killed by Israeli special forces on the 31st day of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
• January 2, 2024: Assassination of Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut on the evening of Tuesday, January 2, 2024 (20 Jumada al-Thani 1445 AH), at the age of 57. He was killed 88 days after the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, following an Israeli airstrike targeting a Hamas office in the Masharifah neighborhood of southern Beirut.
• March 18, 2024: Assassination of Faiq al-Mabhouh, head of the Operations Directorate of Hamas's Internal Security. He was killed during a gunfight with Israeli forces inside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza on Monday morning, March 18, 2024 (8 Ramadan 1445 AH).
• July 31, 2024: Assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas Political Bureau, in an airstrike targeting his residence in Tehran, Iran. According to reports, Haniyeh was killed at 2 AM, hours after the assassination of Hezbollah leader Fouad Shukr in an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs, for which the Israeli army claimed responsibility.

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Sources:

• Wikipedia
• Aljazeera Net
• Assabeel
• Al-Masry Al-Youm
• Anadolu Agency
• The New Arab

Read the Article in Arabic

Professor of Rhetoric and Discourse Analysis at Cairo and Qatar Universities, Dr. Emad Abdul-Latif, stated that the discourse of Palestinian resistance has successfully confronted the manipulative Zionist discourse supported by the entire colonial West. He considered Abu Ubaida, the official spokesman of the “Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades,” to be the “rhetorical equivalent” of the “Ghoul” rifle, the “Yassin” missiles, and the “Shawaz” bombs.

Dr. Emad Abdul-Latif believes that Abu Ubaida may be the most famous Arab orator at the moment, as evidenced by his speeches' widespread dissemination and impact. His speeches have become decisive in shaping perceptions of events and positions on them, considering Abu Ubaida's voice a beacon of light due to its firmness, pride, and dignity.

In this interview with Dr. Emad Abdul-Latif, we explore numerous issues related to the discourse of the resistance, its ability to counter the Zionist occupation's discourse, and its capacity to present a humanistic narrative that attracts broad support for the just Palestinian cause and its valiant resistance.

Given your interest in analyzing the discourse of the resistance, how important are the messages conveyed by the resistance, especially during wartime?

Resisting occupation is a struggle fought on multiple fronts. Its battles take place in trenches and tunnels, as well as on television screens, Facebook pages, and negotiation rooms. The primary goal of any settler colonial occupation is to defeat the minds and spirits of the indigenous people, leading them to surrender to the invader by assimilation, death, or displacement. To achieve this goal, the occupier targets the bodies of the land's owners with rifles, bombs, and missiles, and their souls and spirits with words and images.

The resistance discourse has faced the manipulative Zionist discourse backed by the colonial West.

Thus, discourse is an actual battlefield. Its role in the conflict begins before the first shot is fired, aiming to sow weakness, and continues during the conflict to support the war machine and weaken the enemy's morale. In the specific case of the Arab-Zionist conflict, Arabs have suffered from defeats in discourse, perhaps more than military defeats, over the decades. The Zionist-colonial alliance has managed to completely distort the realities of the conflict and promote false myths believed by billions of people for over 80 years.

The resistance has achieved significant victories in the battle of discourse that are no less important—in the short and long term—than the legendary military resilience on the battlefields. For the first time in the history of this conflict, the discourse of resistance has been able to confront the manipulative Zionist discourse supported by the entire colonial West. The impacts of this victory are evident in exposing the major false myths, such as labeling the resistance as terrorism, revealing the true brutal face of the occupation, debunking the myth of the invincible army, and showing the true nature of the “Israeli” soldier as a coward, incompetent, racist, and savage.

Millions of individuals around the world have united to produce a resistance discourse against the Israeli occupation.

This discourse has achieved significant victories due to important changes in its producers and the mediums through which it is disseminated. For the first time in the history of the cause, hundreds of millions across the globe are collaborating to create a resistant discourse against the Israeli occupation, united by a shared belief in the Palestinians' right to freedom and an awareness of the occupation's brutality. Additionally, the resistance discourse has experienced unprecedented richness in its content, styles, aesthetics, and forms of expression.

From a general perspective, what are the key features of a successful discourse?

Typically, a successful discourse is defined as one capable of achieving the goals and objectives it aims to accomplish. In the context of wars, the success of a discourse is measured by its ability to create a state of mental, spiritual, and moral resilience among soldiers, inflicting a moral defeat on the enemy's spirit, mind, and psyche. Additionally, it must legitimize the act of war and construct a particular understanding of it that serves the interests of the fighting party.

How closely does the resistance discourse align with these features?

By the standards of material success, the resistance discourse has managed to confront the Zionist discourse on several fronts. On the domestic front, the occupation attempted to sow discord and division between the Palestinian people and their resistance. Thanks to the intensive solidarity discourse directed by the resistance to the people of Gaza, who suffered displacement, destruction, starvation, and intimidation, the internal front remained steadfast despite the prolonged duration of the battle and its multiple fronts.

Abu Ubaida is the “rhetorical equivalent” to the “Ghoul” rifle and “Yassin” missiles.

The resistance discourse also confronted the Zionist discourse on the Arab front. The Zionist discourse in Arabic aimed to discredit the resistance, divide the ranks, and isolate the cause from the Arab people. After more than nine months, this discourse has achieved none of these goals. However, the most resounding victory of the resistance discourse was on the international stage. The impact of Zionist manipulation of global collective consciousness has diminished, revealing the ugly reality of the bloody occupation. An important feature of the resistance discourse's success is maintaining “ethical discourse,” characterized by credibility, transparency, and adherence to fundamental human values such as freedom, justice, and equality.

How successful has the resistance been in the psychological warfare aspect of managing the battle?

War speeches are part of psychological warfare, aiming to defeat the opponent's spirit, awareness, mind, and will. Numerous actors participate in this fierce psychological war. Despite massacres, genocide, starvation, thirst, and manipulation, the will of the resistance, its morale, and its belief in the justice of its cause have remained unaffected. This is evident in tangible actions, such as the continuation of fighting, and in rhetorical actions, such as the official speeches delivered by the resistance spokespersons. Abu Ubaida's speeches, in particular, exemplify the resistance's rhetoric.

What are the key vocabulary elements focused on in Abu Ubaida’s speeches and their significance?

Abu Ubaida's speeches are a small yet significant part of the broader resistance discourse. Its importance lies in representing the military front of the resistance. Abu Ubaida is the “rhetorical equivalent” of the “Ghoul” rifle, “Yassin” missiles, and “Shawaz” bombs; he also engages in battles from point zero. His mission is to counter the deceptive narratives promoted by the enemy about the progress of battles, weaken the morale of the occupation by highlighting its confusion and failures, cowardice of its soldiers, and lack of competence, showcase the achievements of the resistance, boost the morale of its supporters, and send political and military messages to other parties.

Abu Ubaida’s voice is a beacon of determination, pride, and dignity.

 To achieve these goals, he uses a range of vocabulary: military terms to describe the war's developments, international law and human rights terminology to address international institutions and global audiences, and religious vocabulary to express the resistance's identity and motivate its supporters.

The public response to Abu Ubaida’s speeches: What does it indicate?

Abu Ubaida might be the most famous Arab orator at present. This is evident from the wide circulation, dissemination, and impact of his speeches on the audience. We need media studies to quantitatively demonstrate this tangible impact. Due to this influence, Abu Ubaida’s speeches have become crucial in shaping perceptions of events and the stance towards them, especially during critical moments of confrontation. His speeches immortalize the achievements of the resistance and undermine the enemy’s confidence in itself.

Furthermore, Abu Ubaida's defiant and proud voice derives its uniqueness from the prevalence of submissive and humiliating voices in the Arab world. Amid this rhetorical submissiveness concerning Palestine, Abu Ubaida's voice stands as a beacon of light, thanks to his determination, pride, and dignity.

This genocide is a black mark in human history and must remain alive in memory.

How can the resistance present a humanitarian discourse to gain new supporters beyond its core Arab and Muslim base?

It's vital to preserve the achievements of the resistance discourse and add more to it; thus, I propose the following:

1. Maintaining the Ethical Dimension: It's crucial to avoid any racist, derogatory, or hate-inciting statements and focus solely on the facts.
2. Adhering to Credibility: By ensuring accuracy and precise depiction of reality, especially when facing an adversary that thrives on lies.
3. Emphasizing Common Humanity: Drawing inspiration from famous human rights discourses that oppose settler colonialism, condemn massacres by colonizers, and support the right of the weak and innocent to defend their homelands.
4. Highlighting the Legitimacy of the Resistance: Continuously affirming that the resistance aligns with international law and global resolutions.

By doing these, the resistance maintains its gains and presents a humanitarian message.

5. Exposing the Contradictions in Enemy Discourses: Highlighting the vast gap between what the enemy says and what it does, the dangers it poses to global human values, and the horrifying consequences of supporting it while it commits genocide, displacement, and starvation.
6. Innovative Methods Against Digital Oppression: Finding creative ways to overcome digital repression, exposing social media companies allied with genocide, and urging human rights and international organizations to denounce and hold them accountable.
7. Focusing on Small Narratives: Retelling thousands of tragic stories created by the occupation.
8. Building a Collective Memory Strategy: Creating a comprehensive strategy to build a collective memory of the genocide and striving to immortalize it in human history. This includes forming volunteer teams worldwide to build an archive of Palestinian massacres, documenting all the crimes they have suffered, raising awareness in every possible space, and exposing the war criminals who perpetrated them. This genocide is a black mark in human history and must remain alive in memory to prevent its recurrence.

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Hamas was the reason for the destruction of Gaza. If it weren't for Hamas, the Israeli army wouldn't have destroyed Gaza, nor would thousands of its residents have been killed or injured. Hamas provoked the peaceful Israeli army, leading to the Nakba. When push came to shove, Hamas forces disappeared, leaving the people as fodder for the Israeli air force, tanks, and deadly weapons. The greatest crime of Hamas is that it pushed Israel into a war for which Hamas was not prepared. Hamas leaders abroad live in luxury, making decisions from afar, far from the battlefront. Khaled Meshaal's daughter's wedding cost one and a half million dollars. Iran deceived Hamas, making them believe it was with them, only to abandon them, and so on.

These are samples of headlines published by falsely named national newspapers. I will not respond to all these slanders because they represent the mentality of a group of mercenary journalists who belong to what I have previously called the “swamp school.”

These journalists have forgotten the following undeniable facts:

1. No Palestinian faction has sacrificed as many martyrs as Hamas. Among its martyr leaders are Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Abdul Aziz al-Rantisi, Mahmoud al-Zahar’s two sons, Said Siyam, Nizar Rayan, along with thirteen of his relatives and grandchildren, and others.
2. Israel is inherently an aggressive state and does not need provocation or signals from anyone to carry out its brutal acts. It has conducted widespread assassinations without being provoked. It is a cancerous state founded on aggression that has lived and continues to live on aggression. It would take too long to list all the treacherous and assassination acts committed by its agents.
3. Its historical crimes began even before the Palestinian land knew Hamas:

– Their killing of 250 unarmed Egyptian soldiers after the June 1967 war, which was documented in a documentary film that no one can deny.

– The massacre of “Al-Sheikh” Village, committed by the “Haganah” gang on the evening of December 31, 1947, resulted in 60 martyrs from the village. Most of their bodies were found inside their homes, and the village was incorporated into Israel under the new Hebrew name “Tel Ganan.”

– The massacre of “Sa'sa'” Village, committed by Zionists who blew up 20 houses over the heads of their inhabitants.

– The massacre of “Abu Kabir” Village, committed by the “Haganah” gang on March 31, 1948, in which everyone who tried to escape from the village was killed.

– The “Deir Yassin” massacre, committed by the “Irgun” and “Haganah” gangs on April 9, 1948. Located on the outskirts of Jerusalem, it resulted in the slaughter of 250 Arabs and the injury of a similar number, mostly children, women, and the elderly. Those who were not killed were taken in trucks to Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem, where they were paraded in front of the Zionist public, who threw stones at them. This massacre was led by Menachem Begin, who later became Prime Minister of Israel starting in June 1977.

– The massacre of “Abu Shusha” Village on May 14, 1948, carried out by soldiers of a regular army brigade, resulting in the martyrdom of 50 civilians by gunfire and head bashing with axes.

– The massacre of “Lydda” on July 11, 1948, committed by an Israeli commando unit led by Moshe Dayan. When some civilians tried to take refuge in the mosque, they were pursued by Jews, who killed 176 people. The final death toll was 426 martyrs.

– The remaining survivors of “Lydda” were gathered by the Zionists in the city stadium and ordered to leave the town immediately on foot, leading to many deaths from hunger, thirst, terror, and exhaustion.

– The massacre of “Eilabun” Village on October 29, 1948, where the Israeli army stormed the village, gathered civilians in the town square, and fired at them from all directions.

– The massacre of “Qalqilya” on October 10, 1948, where airplanes and artillery were used to bombard the village, resulting in 70 martyrs.

– The massacre of “Sharafat” Village on February 7, 1951, attacked by a division of the Israeli army, which planted a large number of mines in the village, killing many of the villagers, especially women and children.

– The massacre of “Nilla” Village on February 9, 1951, where a Jew infiltrated the village and killed a man, a child, and a girl in one house. The Jews returned for a second attack, killing and injuring many of its residents.

– The massacre of “Qibya” Village, where 67 civilians were martyred, and the village mosque, water tank, and 56 houses were destroyed.

– The massacre of “Kafr Qasim,” resulting in 57 martyrs and 27 injuries, including a child and 17 women among the martyrs.

– The massacres of refugee camps committed by the Israeli army against Palestinian refugees in the main camp in Khan Younis city on November 3, 1956, resulting in 250 Palestinian martyrs.

– The massacre was repeated on November 12, 1956, resulting in 275 Palestinian martyrs.

– On the same day, after the previous massacre, Israelis marched to the Rafah refugee camp and killed more than a hundred refugees.

– The “Sabra and Shatila” massacre, on September 18-19, 1982, resulted in the deaths of over 3,500 Palestinian civilians, most of whom were women, children, and the elderly. This massacre was planned and supervised by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

It is fair for the reader to ask: Is Hamas responsible for these Zionist crimes?

It is worth noting that all these massacres were committed by Israel before the existence of Hamas, which is known to have been established on December 15, 1987.

Another observation is that the number of martyrs from these massacres far exceeds the number of martyrs in Gaza.

It is astonishing that officials and journalists from the “swamp school” assert that Hamas has suffered an irrecoverable defeat and deny that Hamas achieved a certain victory, which even many Israelis acknowledged. They stood heroically for nearly four weeks without surrendering and continued fighting, forcing the Zionists with their devilish weapons to withdraw, failing to achieve their goal of eradicating Hamas forever.

It is also worth noting that some Arab rulers hoped and perhaps worked to help Israel achieve its objectives, calling for the support of Mahmoud Abbas as the legitimate ruler of the Palestinian government despite his term having ended, thus nullifying his legitimacy. Moreover, he and his men are aligned with the Zionists, Americans, and their allies.

Finally, I say: God bless you, O mujahideen. Palestine will remain proud and strong because of you.

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Source: The official website of Dr. Jabir Kumayha.

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On April 18, 1996, the Zionist entity committed a horrific massacre in the Lebanese town of Qana. To ensure that we do not forget the atrocities of this entity, “Al-Mujtama” is republishing this article written by Dr. Salah al-Din Arqah'dan, originally published in issue 1714 on August 12, 2006.

Despite the massacres and the blood of the Lebanese, the Zionists will reap nothing but terror and political failure, which now threaten Olmert's government.

Qana, a serene southern Lebanese town, holds artifacts that date back to prehistoric times, in addition to the miracle recorded in the Bible performed by Isa (Jesus) (peace be upon him) at a wedding there. Visitors can clearly see engravings in the rock believed to depict the disciples of Isa (peace be upon him) who witnessed this miracle.

In 1996, the Zionist enemy launched its US-manufactured missiles under the dense cover of American diplomatic maneuvers and stances, using the veto power to block any attempt to condemn the aggression, which the Zionists called “Operation Grapes of Wrath.” These missiles were deliberately targeted at a gathering of Qana residents near a United Nations observation post, resulting in the deaths of 110 Lebanese, both Muslims and Christians, who were buried together in a cemetery that has since become a warning and a testament to the truth of Zionism.

Cautious peace returned to Lebanon following the Zionist withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. However, the Shebaa Farms remained a pretense for constant Zionist threats and provocations against Lebanon. The Zionist enemy continued to detain Lebanese, some of whom had been held since the 1970s. The United Nations resolutions calling for full withdrawal and the return of prisoners remained merely on paper!

Zionist Racism Under American Cover

The First Qana Massacre ended with the burial of the victims, but the massacre, its repercussions, and its symbolism remained entrenched in the halls of the United Nations through documents and Lebanese protests against the ongoing occupation and the non-release of prisoners. It also remained imprinted in the memory of the Lebanese, as the Zionist withdrawal did not alter its symbolism. Qana remains a living testament to the Zionist doctrine and their methods of dealing with others, embodying the only true Zionist slogan: “A Good Arab is a Dead Arab!”

Since 1936, the Lebanese have continuously and relentlessly suffered from Zionist violence, directly and indirectly. They also endure hardships due to the unwavering American support for Zionist policies. The Americans do not recognize any rights for any party other than the Zionists in the region.

Here lies the problem for Arabs and non-Arabs alike in the Zionist doctrinal perception, which views non-Jewish nations as creatures made by God in human form to serve them, having no rights whatsoever, and the crumbs they receive are seen as a favor for which they should be grateful.

Applying Zionist Doctrine in Iraq

You probably recall that before the Americans directed their occupying forces towards Iraq, they sought lessons in silencing conscience from the Zionists. The question they posed, which was reported by the media at the time, was “How should Israeli field commanders order their troops to destroy houses over their inhabitants' heads without fearing disobedience?”

You may also recall that the Americans were not dumb, and some of the stories from Abu Ghraib prison are irrefutable evidence of this. Inhumane, dead-conscience Zionists remain stationed on occupied Iraqi soil, ready at any moment to transfer their experiences from Jenin and Qana to the American occupation forces.

Rice's Green Light

Who hasn't heard U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice say, on the suffering land of Beirut and just hours before the Qana massacre, that “the Israelis are not obliged to an immediate ceasefire before achieving the security objectives of their military campaign!”

Yes! Rice stood over the bodies of our mothers and children to deliver the harshest rebuke to her Lebanese ruling elite audience for forcing the US to intervene directly to eradicate the forces of fundamentalism and extremism, as she put it. This is because the Lebanese government failed to carry out this task for the Americans. Washington's hope was that Arab governments would undertake the massacre themselves, eliminating factions resisting American policy and Israeli occupation, sparing the Israelis the trouble and the US the task of cleaning up the Israelis' image, tainted by the blood of Lebanese children, women, and the elderly, in the corridors of the United Nations and beyond.

Rice's statement gave the green light for the latest Qana massacre, just as previous statements sparked the first Qana massacre and others alike. Qana has large and extended similar massacres, from Bahr al-Baqar in Egypt to the northern borders of Lebanon, passing through over 400 Palestinian cities and villages that share the same fate as Qana and Deir Yassin.

Zionist Failure

But what has Israel reaped in Lebanon? What have the Zionists achieved so far from their declared goals?

The numbers and facts on the ground say “Nothing.”

The Lebanese government's and people's stance has become more unified and resilient in the face of Israeli violence.

The popularity of the Israeli occupation army has declined both within and outside Israel, as it has failed spectacularly to confront a popular militia whose resilience is considered a victory by all standards and a defeat for Israel.

More importantly, the operations of the Lebanese resistance targeting the Israeli interior have, for the first time in the history of the conflict, instilled terror in the hearts of the Israelis, disrupted production, emptied the port of Haifa of its ships, and forced hundreds of thousands of Israelis to stay in shelters and bunkers out of fear of the resistance's rockets.

The Zionists have no more tricks up their sleeve beyond what we've already seen. However, the resistance against the Zionist-American project still has much in reserve that has yet to be deployed. The current war will eventually end, whether it drags on or not, and the Zionists will have to choose a more realistic leadership to guide them out of the Lebanese quicksand with the least possible losses.

If only Arab officials would reconsider their analysis of the crisis and its solutions and strive to preserve lives that Allah has forbidden to be taken except with justice.

And if only the current American administration, preoccupied with igniting conflicts across the world, would look at the legend of “Armageddon” from a different perspective. Christ (peace be upon him) was Palestinian, and his disciples were Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian, and Jordanian. If only they would realize, even once, that the Zionists track every land where Isa (peace be upon him) ever walked, destroying and sabotaging them. And for the Americans and Zionists engrossed in reading the Torah's symbols, they should pay attention to the fact that the curse of Qana is a tangible and proven reality that struck the former Zionist leadership in 1996.

Any rational person would acknowledge that it has affected the current leadership in terms of its popularity and the confidence of the Israeli people in its army. Let them and their disciples beware of the curse of Qana, wherever they may be!

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