𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐒 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐬

𝘼𝙗𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩:

The global media has been dominated by news of armed Islamic groups, known as “jihadists,” in recent years, especially in light of the ongoing conflict in occupied Palestine. However, the Palestinian resistance is leading its efforts to confront the Israeli occupation, while some jihadist groups are characterized by contradiction. For example, the “Islamic State” (ISIS) focuses on attacking Palestinian resistance factions through intensive media campaigns without providing practical support. Other groups are either completely absent from the military and political scene in Palestine or are satisfied with a preaching discourse far from the arenas of confrontation.

Palestine in Islamic and jihadist thought is central to Islamic ideology, as it represents a unique religious and historical status. Palestinian thinkers, such as Dr. Saleh Seria, have left clear imprints on global jihadist thought, including the Salafi jihadist movements in the Arab world and Egypt. Muhammad Salem al-Rahhal, a Palestinian figure who contributed to the establishment of the “Jihad” movement, played an important role in establishing Jihad groups in Egypt.

Dr. Marwan Shehadeh

𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙡𝙚 :

In recent years, the global media scene has been dominated by news of armed Islamic groups, which some call “jihadists”, especially in light of the bloody events that have shaken many regions of the world. However, a noticeable absence of these groups from the arena of the raging conflict in occupied Palestine is noticeable, where the crimes of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinians continue, including killing, displacement, and continuous bombing, in conjunction with the expansion of its ambitions in the Arab lands.

The Absence of Jihadists in the Palestinian Struggle

While the Palestinian resistance is leading its efforts to confront the occupation, the position of some jihadist groups is characterized by contradiction. For example, the “Islamic State” (ISIS) organization focuses on attacking its opponents from the Palestinian resistance factions, through intensive media campaigns, without providing any practical support in confronting the occupation. As for other groups, they are either completely absent from the military and political scene in Palestine, or are satisfied with a preaching discourse far from the arenas of confrontation.

Palestine in Islamic and Jihadist Thought

The Palestinian cause represents a central axis in Islamic ideology, as Palestine is linked to a unique religious and historical status, as it is the first of the two Qiblahs and the third of the two Holy Mosques, and the cradle of the heavenly messages. For Muslims, the land of Palestine is an Islamic endowment that must not be relinquished. Therefore, Palestine has remained throughout history a target for colonizers and occupiers, and a major driver of liberation and resistance movements.

Palestine in Islamic and Jihadist Thought

The Palestinian cause has been reflected in global jihadist thought, as a number of Palestinians have left clear imprints on it, due to the thinking that was generated by the Israeli occupation of Jerusalem, and the attempt to find solutions to get rid of political systems in the first place, and to liberate Palestine from the occupier.

Among the Islamic thinkers – jihadists – of Palestinian origin who left clear fingerprints in the Arab-Israeli conflict, Dr. Saleh Seria, who traveled to Iraq and met with Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Badri and other symbols of the Islamic movement in Iraq in order to establish an Islamic jihadist movement with the aim of liberating Palestine. However, this movement was not successful due to the pursuit of the Islamists in Iraq by the security services. Dr. Saleh Seria was able to escape to Egypt, where he worked since his arrival in Cairo to establish an Islamic jihadist organization with the aim of overthrowing the ruling regime, which he considered an important step on the path to liberating Palestine. However, this organization, which was known as “Military Technology”, was eliminated in 1974 and its founder, Saleh Seria, was executed. It can be said that Dr. Saleh Seria’s theses, and in particular the message of “faith”, were the ideological and doctrinal basis for most of the Salafi jihadist movements in the Arab world in general and Egypt in particular, as the two main movements in Egypt, “Jihad” and “the Islamic Group”, were influenced by him.

Palestinian Contributions to Jihadist Movements

Among the Palestinian figures who contributed to the establishment of the ideology of the “Jihad” movement was Muhammad Salem al-Rahhal, who played an important role in establishing the Jihad groups in Egypt. He was arrested before the assassination of President Sadat in 1981 and was deported to Jordan. Al-Rahhal worked to resume his activities in Jordan and established an armed Jihad organization known as the “Islamic Jihad Organization”, which was soon arrested and dismantled by the Jordanian security services in 1984. During this period, the Islamic Jihad group was established in Palestine due to its contact with the Jihad movements in Egypt and under the influence of Saleh Seriya and Muhammad Salem al-Rahhal. Dr. Fathi al-Shaqaqi and Abdul Aziz Awda are considered among the founders of Jihad in Palestine who studied in Egypt. It is known that Shaqaqi and Awda were influenced by the model of the Iranian revolution led by Khomeini in 1979. During the same period, Sheikh Asaad Bayoud al-Tamimi announced the establishment of the Jihad Group – Beit al-Maqdis – and during the same period, various groups in Palestine began establishing groups that adopted the Islamic doctrine and the Jihad solution in order to liberate Palestine. Within the Green Line, Sheikh Abdullah Nimr founded Darwish, the “prisoner of jihad” who was arrested, and in prison he retracted his ideas and announced a peaceful solution in dealing with the Jews. During this period, a military wing of the Muslim Brotherhood was established in Gaza called “Mujahideen” headed by Sheikh Salah al-Din Shehadeh, who is considered the nucleus of the “Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades”, the military wing of the Hamas movement. During the same period, a jihadist organization known as “Saraya al-Jihad” also emerged, emerging from the Fatah movement. Among its most prominent symbols were Muhammad Sultan al-Tamimi “Hamdi” and Muhammad Ibhais “Abu Hassan Qasim” who were assassinated by the Israeli Mossad in the city of “Limassol” in Cyprus in 1988. These groups carried out a number of operations inside the Palestinian territories. It is noteworthy that these Palestinian Islamic jihadist organizations were dominated by a national rather than a global character, which would change with the establishment of al-Qaeda and after the September 11 attacks, when the nucleus of the globalization of jihad began to reach the Palestinian interior.

At the operational intellectual level, Dr. Abdullah Azzam contributed to establishing the Mujahideen Services Office in Peshawar and preparing fighters coming from Arab and Islamic countries to participate in the fight against the Soviet occupation in 1980. His attempt to establish what is called the “Al-Aqsa Army or Brigades” was hastened by his assassination in 1989, as he was seeking to establish the nucleus of an army or brigades to contribute to operations to resist the Israeli occupation.

Historical Roles and the Legacy of the Islamic Resistance

The Palestinian arena witnessed the leadership of a number of scholars and preachers of armed resistance since the beginning of the twentieth century, such as Sheikh Izz al-Din al-Qassam, who launched an armed movement against British colonialism and the Zionist presence. Later, the Palestinian cause influenced the formation of global jihadist thought, as Palestinian thinkers such as Dr. Saleh Seria and Muhammad Salem al-Rahhal contributed to establishing jihadist organizations with goals ranging from overthrowing the ruling regimes in the region to liberating Palestine.

Among the prominent names in this context is Dr. Abdullah Azzam, who founded the “Mujahideen Services Office” in Peshawar to support the resistance against the Soviet occupation in Afghanistan, and later sought to establish an army to liberate Palestine before his assassination in 1989.

From Nationalism to Globalization

Palestinian jihadist organizations such as the “Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades,” the military wing of Hamas, were characterized by a nationalist character in their focus on liberating the occupied land. However, the dynamics of jihad changed with the emergence of al-Qaeda and the September 11 attacks, as the discourse of “globalization of jihad” began to influence the Palestinian interior.

In terms of jihadist thought, the writings of Sheikhs Abu Qatada al-Filistini and Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi played a role in keeping the Palestinian cause present in the literature of global jihadist groups, despite the preoccupation of most of these groups with local issues and conflicts in areas such as Afghanistan and the Indian subcontinent.

In my opinion, the Palestinian cause is the most important central issue in contemporary Islamic ideology, and any progress in efforts that contribute to the liberation of Jerusalem undoubtedly contributes to the advancement of the presence and effectiveness of Islamic thought in the regional and international arena.

A Critical Question: Where Are the Jihadists?

In the midst of the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, an urgent question arises: Where are the jihadists in this war? Why do these groups, which raise slogans of defending the Islamic nation, stand as spectators or critics without any real role in supporting the Palestinian resistance? In the next article, we will address the answer to this question from different angles, to gain a deeper understanding of the ideological and political dimensions of this absence.