The Palestinians Need a Military Base

by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem

The Palestinian resistance has achieved great and historic accomplishments in confronting the Zionist enemy, and has laid solid foundations for the military contest on the land of Palestine. The Palestinian resistance has moved military confrontation forward by a great qualitative leap on Palestinian soil, has brought about the collapse of Israel’s security doctrine, and has made Israel the last safe place for Jews in the world. The resistance has achieved a self-reliant Palestinian reinforcement, and has raised the level of self-confidence and the determination to continue in readiness, development, and preparation.

Israel has been disappointed and has failed, and this in itself is a victory for the Palestinian resistance. A resistance that stands firm, fights with valor, and comes between the enemy and its objectives is, without doubt, victorious. The resistance has not destroyed Israel, and has not returned the refugees to their homes, but it has laid solid foundations for reaching the objectives that mean the return of rights to their rightful owners. Even so, the Palestinians still need a great deal more effort.

Between the Balance of Terror and Deterrence

The Palestinian resistance has achieved a balance of terror with Israel, but it has not achieved a balance of destruction, or deterrence, against Israel. It is true that Israel will think a thousand times before attacking Gaza again, but Palestinian deterrence will not be achieved now, and will not be achieved until a balance in destructive capabilities is reached. Israel possesses an enormous destructive capacity, and its capabilities develop over time. The rockets the resistance possesses achieve a kind of balance of terror, but their destructive capacity is weak compared to Israel’s capabilities. So what is to be done?

The Necessity of a Military Base

Neither the Arabs will allow it, nor the West, nor Israel. For this reason, it is required that some state provide the Palestinians a wide stretch of land on which to establish a military base of strategic dimension. This is not a strange request — Algeria previously designated a base for training the fedayeen, and Syria did likewise. But what is required now is not merely a training base, but a base for deterrence.

What is clearly required is that some state temporarily relinquish its sovereignty over a suitable stretch of land for establishing a Palestinian military base, and grant it to the Palestinians temporarily under a legal agreement that specifies the responsibilities, duties, and rights of the resistance. Note that it is not required that these rights be inherent rather than granted, but they must come with guarantees to preserve the achievements of the Palestinian resistance in construction, technical development, and equipment development, and so on.

The required military base is necessary for establishing barracks, workshops, and laboratories that would enable the Palestinians to develop the tools they need to deter Israel. And if we are to think of the best locations for establishing such a base, the Qalamoun mountains are the best choice, followed by the Zagros mountains. But the state that could offer this service to the Palestinian resistance must be capable of defending itself against any Israeli attack, should the Palestinians use the base to deter Israel. This makes the Zagros mountains the more advanced option. Syria does not possess the strategic capabilities to defend itself against Israel unless Hezbollah enters the picture, whereas Iran possesses the military capabilities, particularly regarding air defense, to defend itself. So is Iran prepared to offer this service to the Palestinians, bearing in mind that any base of this kind requires air-defense tools and shelters to protect against any Israeli nuclear attack? The Iranians continue to speak of liberating Palestine — thank you to them — and establishing a base of this kind would represent a practical translation of Iranian enthusiasm toward Palestine and the Palestinians.

I am fully aware of the difficulty for any state in taking a decision of this kind, particularly since it concerns sovereignty and mutual trust, but the matter is important and deserves consideration.

Source: Translated from the original Arabic, “الفلسطينيون بحاجة لقاعدة عسكرية” by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem.