In interviews to Hamas and Hezbollah media outlets, Saleh al-Arouri, Ismail Haniyeh's deputy and one of the main figures in Hamas today, warned of an all-out war in the region that might be prompted by Israel's current policy in the West Bank, in the al-Aqsa Mosque, and its “provocation” of Hezbollah and Iran. According to al-Arouri, the fact that Israel is talking about war, that Hezbollah is talking about war, and that Hamas is talking about war, makes it clear that there is no escape from it. He also said that the resistance organizations must take advantage of the internal division in Israel and advance this campaign before Israeli control of the West Bank is expanded and “Smotrich’s policy of migration and deportation from the West Bank is realized.”
"Israel will be defeated in this war,” said al-Arouri, because, he argued, Israel will not be able to withstand a situation where water and electricity are cut off and air traffic is prevented. He also threatened that “this is not the same reality as the Six Day War,” in which Israel managed to "disable an entire air force at the outset.” He pointed out that “the Israeli leadership of today is driven by ideology, is not made up of veterans of the security establishment, and does not feel obligated to decisions and commitments, like its predecessors.” Al-Arouri also stated that with its policy, Israel’s current government “heightens the motivation among young Palestinians to expand the resistance to the entire West Bank and increase its popular dimension. The protest will spread, and when thousands of young people take part in it, the long-awaited change in the balance of power will occur. The resistance has more weapons than the settlers. So far we have acted against the army and the settlements, but the heart of the occupation is the settlements.”
It is possible that the timing of these interviews is rooted in al-Arouri’s fear of being eliminated by Israel after the cabinet made the decision to attack terrorists. However, his words also reflect a pan-Palestinian fear of the loss of the West Bank and the final burial of any arrangement process. The all-out war he mentioned, in which Hezbollah is involved and to a certain extent also Iran, is nothing more than wishful thinking when it is voiced by a Hamas official. As it appears from his remarks, Hamas is working to expand and increase the armed resistance throughout the West Bank in order to intensify the challenge the IDF faces, and Fatah and the Palestinian Authority are working in their political way to put pressure on Israel and thereby prevent the annexation of territories in Area C and leave some chance for a political arrangement. Therefore, al-Arouri conveys in nearly explicit language that the main effort of the resistance will be directed toward the settlement and the settlers.
In interviews to Hamas and Hezbollah media outlets, Saleh al-Arouri, Ismail Haniyeh's deputy and one of the main figures in Hamas today, warned of an all-out war in the region that might be prompted by Israel's current policy in the West Bank, in the al-Aqsa Mosque, and its “provocation” of Hezbollah and Iran. According to al-Arouri, the fact that Israel is talking about war, that Hezbollah is talking about war, and that Hamas is talking about war, makes it clear that there is no escape from it. He also said that the resistance organizations must take advantage of the internal division in Israel and advance this campaign before Israeli control of the West Bank is expanded and “Smotrich’s policy of migration and deportation from the West Bank is realized.”
"Israel will be defeated in this war,” said al-Arouri, because, he argued, Israel will not be able to withstand a situation where water and electricity are cut off and air traffic is prevented. He also threatened that “this is not the same reality as the Six Day War,” in which Israel managed to "disable an entire air force at the outset.” He pointed out that “the Israeli leadership of today is driven by ideology, is not made up of veterans of the security establishment, and does not feel obligated to decisions and commitments, like its predecessors.” Al-Arouri also stated that with its policy, Israel’s current government “heightens the motivation among young Palestinians to expand the resistance to the entire West Bank and increase its popular dimension. The protest will spread, and when thousands of young people take part in it, the long-awaited change in the balance of power will occur. The resistance has more weapons than the settlers. So far we have acted against the army and the settlements, but the heart of the occupation is the settlements.”
It is possible that the timing of these interviews is rooted in al-Arouri’s fear of being eliminated by Israel after the cabinet made the decision to attack terrorists. However, his words also reflect a pan-Palestinian fear of the loss of the West Bank and the final burial of any arrangement process. The all-out war he mentioned, in which Hezbollah is involved and to a certain extent also Iran, is nothing more than wishful thinking when it is voiced by a Hamas official. As it appears from his remarks, Hamas is working to expand and increase the armed resistance throughout the West Bank in order to intensify the challenge the IDF faces, and Fatah and the Palestinian Authority are working in their political way to put pressure on Israel and thereby prevent the annexation of territories in Area C and leave some chance for a political arrangement. Therefore, al-Arouri conveys in nearly explicit language that the main effort of the resistance will be directed toward the settlement and the settlers.