Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah join to incite terror against Israel – analysis

MAY 8, 2021 15:18

Tensions in Jerusalem boiled over on Friday night. The increased clashes come amid political uncertainty in Israel and they have been simmering for a month. However, Iran is now leading other extremist groups in the region to push for terror attacks against Israel, using the Jerusalem tensions as an excuse.

It is important to understand the timeline here. The tensions in Jerusalem go back to late April when Ramadan began, Israeli police restricted access to Damascus Gate and a series of Tik Tok videos showed Arabs attacking religious Jews.

On April 22 dozens were wounded in Jerusalem after a far-right Jewish rally and Muslims protested at Damascus Gate. Hamas in Gaza said Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa mosque was being threatened and warned that the “gates of hell” could open, a reference to war with Israel.

Fast forward to Friday before the clashes on the Temple Mount. In preparation for “Quds Day,” a day that Iran and its allies in the region push as a way to centralize focus on Jerusalem and increase incitement against Israel, a series of statements were made.

Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei wrote that “the Palestinians’ endeavors & the pure blood of Resistance martyrs have managed to multiply Palestinian Jihad’s internal power by 100s of times. Once, Palestinian youth defended themselves by throwing stones, but today they respond to the enemy’s attacks with precision missiles.”

This coincided with Hamas warning that Israel was going to “sabotage al-Aqsa.” The Iranian leader also said that “on the issue of Palestine, all Muslim states & nations are responsible, but the Palestinians themselves are the axis of Jihad.” The insinuation was clear from Gaza to Tehran: A coordinated message inflaming tensions around Jerusalem, weaving together conspiracies and calling for violence.

At the same time Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah gave a long speech slamming Israel. He said that the recent stampede at Mount Meron where 45 people were killed in Israel demonstrated Israel’s “lack of preparation to confront war.” His point was that Israel is not ready for mass casualties. “Now, the Israelis are also fearful of security conflagration with the Palestinians,” he said. David Daoud, an expert on Hezbollah, transcribed most of his speech online. “Regarding the IDF — I won’t say the IDF is weak, but it’s not as strong as [Israeli Chief. Of Staff Aviv] Kochavi would have us believe,” Nasrallah said.

The statements by Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran are not isolated. They occurred as a coordinated message and the message was not just about Quds Day. They were preparing the ground for further violence. Hamas flags were being brought to demonstrations in Jerusalem at the same time as the statements.

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This is also a Hamas ploy for power in Jerusalem, a city it has had inroads in but in which it has difficulty raising its head. It is a Hamas ploy for power in the West Bank after the Palestinian Authority postponed elections. It is also a way for Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas to appear relevant. They also want to divide Israel from its peace partners in the Gulf, knowing that the violence in Jerusalem will pressure Bahrain, the UAE and others to make statements.

Similarly, they want to inflame tensions in Jordan. They know that Saudi Arabia has sought to tone down tensions with Iran and has been discussing rapproachment with Iran in Iraq, and with Turkey and Syria. For Iran this is a perfect opportunity to push tensions with Israel using the Jerusalem issue. Iran knows that on other fronts, whether nuclear weapons or entrenchment in Syria, it faces hurdles. However it has long sought to play an increasing role in Palestinian affairs.