"All weapons must be aimed at the Jews, at the enemies of Allah...whom the Koran describes as monkeys and pigs, worshippers of the calf and idol worshippers. Allah shall make the Moslem rule over the Jew, we will blow them up in Hadera, we will blow them up in Tel Aviv and in Netanya in the righteousness of Allah against this rif-raff.....We will enter Jerusalem as conquerors, and Jaffa as conquereors, and Haifa as conquerors and Ashekelon as conquerors...we bless all those who educate their children to jihad and to Martyrdom, blessed be he who shot a bullet into the head of a Jew." --Sermon
broadcast on Palestinian Authority television, |
Whenever the Palestinian and other Arabs talk about "resisting occupation", sympathetic Westerners assume, the subject is Israel's unwanted presence in Gaza and West Bank.
However, Israel only occupied these lands in 1967, when the war waged on it by the Arab neighbors was already in its 19th year.
If this occupation was all there is to it, what was the reason for belligerence since 1948?
The answer is simple. For Israel's enemies "occupation" means "Israel's existence". In fact, as far as they are concerned, there is no Israel. There is a "Zionist Entity" (also known as "Zionist Enemy"), which temporarily occupies "Northern Palestine". According to them, the town of Haifa and the village of Tel Aviv (Tal Abib-Yafa, rather) are "occupied" too.
Whether or not you agree with this opinion, let's not allow any mistakes about what "resisting occupation" really means for the Arabs.