al-jazeera-publishes-article-praising-stabbings-vehicular-jihad-attacks-against-israeli-civilians

January 1, 2015 8:49 am By Robert Spencer Leave a Comment

Imagine the outcry if a publication carried an article praising attacks on “Palestinian” civilians. But the world will take little note of this, and the UN will just issue another condemnation of Israel.

“Aljazeera.net Article In Praise Of Stabbings, Vehicular Attacks And Other Forms Of Resistance: Israel Can Manufacture Advanced Missile Systems, But Cannot Protect Its Citizens From Knife Attacks,” MEMRI, December 29, 2014:

Dr. ‘Adnan Abu ‘Amer, a Palestinian journalist and Gazan university lecturer, recently devoted his regular column on Aljazirah.net to the November 18, 2014 attack on the Jerusalem synagogue and to other recent attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Abu ‘Amer praised the “creativity” of the Palestinian attackers who, he said, have begun using simple weapons like knives and stones that are readily available everywhere. Such weapons, he added, are particularly effective because they can be used by a lone attacker, and the Israeli security apparatuses are unable to stop this attacker before he strikes. According to Abu ‘Amer, the rise in stabbing attacks attests to a growing spirit of self-sacrifice in Palestinian society.
Below are translated excerpts from his article:[1]
Recent Operations Show That Anyone Can Carry Out Resistance Using Primitive Weapons
“The recent Fidai operations carried out by young Palestinians in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem against the Israeli army and settlers reveal that the Palestinian people have armed themselves with the will to wage resistance against the occupier, and no longer accept the wretched and bleak situation [that currently exists]. These operations show that we have reached the point of no return, [where it is impossible to go back] to the former status quo that included repeated incursions to the Haram [i.e. the Al-Aqsa compound] and repeated attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
“…The fact that the people of the West Bank and Jerusalem have joined the battlefield of resistance in recent weeks improves and renews the popular primitive weapons, making them more effective than before. In recent operations, the fighters utilized many diverse types of weaponry of increasing sophistication – from stones and slings, through knives and other sharp weapons, to firearms. This qualitative improvement of the resistance tools used in the struggle against the occupier allows every member of the [Palestinian] people to wage resistance with these primitive weapons. And so one person erects a barrier and a second burns a tire, a third makes a fire bomb, a fourth digs a trench, a fifth scatters nails on the road, a sixth stabs a settler and a seventh runs over a soldier. Palestine has become a popular workshop where everyone plays a role.
Primitive Weapons Are Effective And Highlight The Contrast With The Advanced Israeli Weapons
“A review of the recent resistance [operations] carried out in the Palestinian territories, and of the diverse weapons used, reveals which were the most important weapons – both primitive weapons and firearms, as detailed below:
1. The stone: used to erect barriers, block traffic arteries and build hideouts and barricades, [including for] ambushes. Even if a stone, in terms of its physical impact, does not evoke a mental image of a heroic battle, it has powerful symbolic significance, because it highlights the contrast between [the Palestinian’s simple weapons] and the advanced weaponry of an enemy that possesses an atomic bomb.
2. The slingshot:… Palestinians use the slingshot in sniping operations against the occupation forces and the settlers and their various means of transport. Its importance lies in the fact that a shooter can use it while remaining unseen, which complicates things for the occupation forces. Although [this weapon] rarely causes lethal damage, it is capable of causing severe injury if used at close range and if the stone is hefty and the shooter strong.
3. Arson and burning tires: Last summer the Israelis experienced a ‘hot season’ whose flames reached the very heart of Israel. Dozens of fires broke out in the forests and woods and set thousands of hectares ablaze. [These fires] constituted an additional surprise for the Israeli security apparatuses, which recently began awakening, now and again, to a new surprise by the resistance.
4. Barricades and obstacles: this tool was used by the resistance to block the entrances and streets in the cities, villages and refugee camps to occupation army vehicles, and this helped the youths divide the attacks on the Israeli forces [between them], and even more so to retreat at the right moment and guarantee that the occupation’s military vehicles and armored cars could not pursue them…”
The Importance Of Stabbings: The Knife Is A Household Item; Even Israeli Arabs Can Take Part In Such Resistance
“Knives were the weapons most frequently used in the recent [operations] by the popular resistance in the West Bank and Jerusalem. The latest stabbing, at the [Jerusalem] synagogue, led to five Israelis killed and eight wounded. Stabbing operations are important because this sharp weapon is a found in every household and its use has very significant impact – not only in terms of its lethal potential but due to the psychological effect on the Israelis, who see and grasp that a soldier can be killed with a knife [even] while weilding [sic] a sophisticated automatic rifle….