Mohammed Abed Rabbo Matar

The current tense situations in the occupied Al-Quds and Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa do not differ much from what it happened in Al-Quds Sword Battle in May 2021, during which the Palestinian resistance rocked the depth of the Zionist entity, in an attempt to prevent the settlers from carrying out the then march of flags, as well to impose Zionist sovereignty on Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa.

But today, and without conducting any military acts on the ground, the Palestinian resistance has created a deterrence force in front of the Zionist security institution, whose leaders have come to refrain from merely thinking of a second battle. They do not want wars or battles in which "Tel Aviv" shows up hit by missiles, or its generals flee to hide in tunnels and shelters.

Hamas continues to achieve cumulative achievements, the most important of which is to strengthen its position in Al-Quds and improve its active political presence through moves with mediators. The Arab and international contacts and mediations have accelerated to negotiation with Hamas' leadership, in order to ensure that things do not slide into escalation.

Mediators such as Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations are trying to prevent escalation, by exchanging messages between Hamas and the occupation. Hamas conveyed a message through the Egyptian mediator that if the Zionist aggression against the Palestinian people continues, the situation will return to what it was in May 2021, and that Al-Quds Sword Battle file is not closed yet, and another war may be at the door. In contrast, the occupation government replied that it would not tolerate rocket firing against it, and it would be forced to stop economic facilities for the Gaza Strip, while Cairo suggested that it might stop reconstruction work in the Gaza Strip.

The resistance in Gaza, in its message to the mediators, confirmed that it does not look forward wars, nor does it seek to thwart the efforts of the mediators; it just needs to keep its hand on the trigger. Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa is a red line, and the occupation is the one working to strain the situations and is trying to impose new equations, which are unacceptable to the resistance. And if the mediators achieve these demands, Gaza may not enter another war.

What actually happened was a new affirmation of the rules of the engagement, where settlers were prevented from slaughtering offerings, the march of the flags were again deterred, the occupation declared a comprehensive closure until the end of its holidays, dozens of Palestinians arrested from Al-Aqsa Squares were released and the invasion of Jenin camp was stopped. All of this was achieved without any rocket being fired, and without costing the resistance but threats, so the resistance actually succeeded in reimbursing the Zionist consciousness again.

All parties generally do not want war to be triggered, but the situation has its word that might impose itself at the political levels, which regional and international attempts are being made to control. The state of engagement will continue and will not stop, and the possibility of a war is still existing and strong, unless there is a significant international political intervention that forces the occupation to stop its barbarity.

The tension of the ongoing events in Al-Aqsa and the escalation of settlers' attacks abstract the Zionist diplomacy in the region, and limit the wave of normalization with the occupation. They also expose the occupation's practices in front of the world and expand the circle of humanitarian and international solidarity and Arab and Islamic support for the Palestinian people, as well as, increase the global pressure on the occupation and its role in heating up the region. At the same time, they grant the resistance public support, legitimacy of response and the use of force, and weaken the security functional role of the Palestinian Authority.

Therefore, there is a state of anger, which is not hidden by the President of the Palestinian authority, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), over the mediators' direct talk with Hamas movement and the resistance factions in Gaza to restore calm in the region, meaning that he is no longer a formal destination for mediators when talking about the escalation in Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa and the Palestinians street in the occupied Palestinian Bank. Thus, in the absence of the leadership of the Palestinian Authority from the action or reaction, this can constitute a new and important phase in the Palestinian representation unity, which has been consistently practiced and worked on by the resistance.

The Palestinian resistance has become strategically aware that Gaza's rockets cannot be a substitute for the resistance action in the Palestinian Bank, which is supposed to be the main arena of confrontation with the occupation, and that rockets fire from Gaza without guaranteeing the flare-up of the West Bank Square will be used by the occupation to justify striking resistance capabilities, as well as the accumulation of the reconstruction dilemma and tightening of the siege.

The response to the occupation attacks from Gaza has been run in a wise and balanced manner, so that the occupation remains tense and disturbing from the Gaza front, without being drawn into a comprehensive military confrontation, yet afraid of rolling over to it at any moment. This means that resistance, with its awareness and rationality, has become proficient in the use of several tools and the accumulated achievements in the face of occupation. It has become good in investing conditions and volunteered for the benefit of its people. In all its places, it is certain that the only body representing the Palestinians and protecting their cause is the resistance.