Supporting the Resistance Is a Sacred Duty

by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem

There is talk of Gaza, whose people suffer a bitter siege, living without electricity for days now. Israel’s siege of Gaza is understandable, and the siege some Arabs and some Palestinians impose on the Strip is understandable too, given that the presence of the resistance constitutes a challenge to them they feel must be eliminated. But it is not understandable that an ordinary citizen, an Arab nationalist, or any patriotic person should gloat over the people of Gaza and the resistance factions.

Gaza is the only free part of Mandatory Palestine, under Palestinian sovereignty despite the severe siege it faces, and had Gaza not been free, it would never have fallen under siege — it would have remained pampered, as the West Bank is, money would have flowed to it from every direction, and many doors would have opened before our Palestinian people there. Gaza is the bridgehead of Palestine, built on Palestinian soil with blood, sweat, and enormous sacrifice, and from it Palestinians can advance in confronting Israel to widen the liberated areas. Or, at the very least, it is the Palestinian territory on which we can build our military, technical, and security capabilities to become more capable and effective in confronting Israel. Many call for resistance against the enemy, yet offer no support to the resistance — on the contrary, they continue supporting policies against it.

Some say they support the siege on Gaza in order to eliminate Hamas. But we must distinguish between factional rancor and national commitment. Hamas has made mistakes, and these ought to be worked on and corrected, but the question that deserves priority concerns Hamas’s capability as a resistance movement. Some claim Hamas is no longer a resistance movement, that it now works to resist the resistance. This is untrue, and the course of events proves it untrue. Hamas works day and night, preparing, readying, and building, and its men never rest, preparing the infrastructure that enables them to stand firm and confront aggression. Hamas has sometimes prevented rocket fire on Israel for tactical, situational reasons, not with the aim of preventing resistance. The various resistance factions work to smuggle weapons, train, organize, prepare, and manufacture, without objection from Hamas, and Hamas cannot be compared to the Palestinian Authority, which prevents every activity related to resistance and to preparing to confront the enemy.

Dissatisfaction with Hamas must not extend to resisting the resistance itself. Hamas is not sacred, but the resistance is sacred, and the hands that stand guard and the fingers that touch the trigger are sacred, and it is our duty, across the length and breadth of the Arab homeland, to support the resistance, whether its banner is Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Resistance Committees, Hezbollah, or any other party wishing to confront the Zionist occupation. Some hold positions against Hamas, but this must not extend to the resistance, or to Hamas as a resistance movement; some oppose the Islamic parties, but Islamic resistance remains sacred and must be supported. And if Egypt is truly concerned with the nationalist dimension, then stopping the destruction of the tunnels, lifting the siege, and providing support to the Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza remains a nationalist duty that nationalist ethics demand. No nationalist can be hostile to a resistance confronting occupation, nor do Arab ethics permit it. There is no need for excess in slogans, nor for supporting the Zionist occupation by pressuring the Palestinian resistance.

Just as Arabs generally are required to support Hamas and all the resistance factions, and to support the people of Gaza, Hezbollah, Iran, and Syria must not stop supporting the resistance in all its factions. A strong Hamas means the resistance is in a better position; strong resistance factions mean the Arab situation generally is better, and when everyone rises to help Gaza, Gaza will not be stingy with its sacrifices for everyone. This means political disagreement must never encroach on the principle demanding support for the resistance.

Source: Translated from the original Arabic, “دعم المقاومة واجب مقدس” by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem.