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:
- Maintaining the Ethical Dimension: It's crucial to avoid any racist, derogatory, or hate-inciting statements and focus solely on the facts.
- Adhering to Credibility: By ensuring accuracy and precise depiction of reality, especially when facing an adversary that thrives on lies.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Focusing on Small Narratives: Retelling thousands of tragic stories created by the occupation.
- 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.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Read the Article in Arabic
