Why is Iran suddenly interested in Palestinian Islamic Jihad again?

Interest does not appear to be a coincidence because the group claimed it was “mobilizing” in Gaza over the weekend.

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN

OCTOBER 25, 2020 10:46

After conflict with Israel in 2019 it suffered setbacks and it also was concerned about threats to its leadership. Baha Abu Al-Ata had been killed in November by an Israeli airstrike and Syrian reports said that the home of its deputy leader Akram al-Ajouri had also been targeted. Iran follows the group closely because PIJ is believed  to be an Iranian proxy, armed, advised and provided cash and technical assistance over the years by Tehran. It is Iran’s footprint in Gaza, its eyes and ears as well perhaps. It also provides Iran leverage and options, plausible deniability should Iran want to test Israel. That appears clear from how the group has offices in Gaza and Damascus, two key fronts for Iran against Israel.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif is frequently in contact with Islamic Jihad. Last year he called Ziyad al-Nakhalah, the leader of PIJ, to support its attacks on Israel. He spoke to the group or put out statements linked to it in February and July of this year. Today Iran is angry about the Israel-Sudan agreement. It highlights Hamas opposition to the agreement. In the past Iran has sought to move weapons via Sudan. Hamas members once enjoyed more support from Sudan and Muslim Brotherhood contact there. Ismail Haniyeh went to Sudan in 2012, according to reports. Today he is very angry that Khartoum is talking to Israel. Iran is angry as well.

Iran’s Fars News says that the Islamic Jihad “military branch” Saraya al-Quds had announced an alert and mobilization over the weekend. Ostensibly the reason for this was the deterioration in the health of Maher al-Akhras who is on hunger strike. Akhras, a 49-year-old from the West Bank, has been on hunger strike for two months. Fars News says that “the military wing of the Islamic Jihad decided to be fully prepared on Saturday after announcing the deterioration of the situation of Maher al-Akhras. Akhras is one of the forces of Islamic Jihad who has been on a hunger strike for 90 days in protest of his detention in the Zionist regime’s prisons, and his condition is deteriorating.” Media in Israel often notes that Akhras was detained because of “suspected ties with Islamic Jihad.”

Fars News provides some other details, noting that according to Akhras lawyer the hunger striker does not “want to die in the Zionist regime’s Kaplan hospital, saying that he did not want any help from the Zionists except to transfer him to be in hospital in the West bank to be among his compatriots and children.”

Anadolu media in Turkey noted that “the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) said on Friday that the Israeli authorities canceled freezing the detention of Palestinian detainee al-Akhras and transferred him to Ramallah Prison Hospital. According to PSS, al-Akhras was suddenly transferred from Kaplan Hospital to Ramallah Prison Hospital.” Akhras had previously instructed Palestinians to defend their homeland, according to Fars News. “I also advise the Palestinian people to remain defenders of their homeland.”

The “mobilization” of Islamic Jihad’s fighters appears to be the second time in 48 hours the group got front page coverage in Turkey and Iran, showing that it is pushing for relevance against a year in which it was relatively quiet after the November clashes with Israel. It is not clear if this is because Iran and Turkey want to highlight and use the group, or at the group’s own initiative.

It is not as simple as just a cycle of escalation related to the hunger strike. The statement by PIJ in Turkey was about France and another statement recently condemned the Israel-Sudan discussions. This illustrates that the group is seeking to push messages regionally and find an excuse locally to confront Israel.