Monir Shafiq, distinguished Palestinian writer, thinker, and fighter
Question: How do you see the situation of Palestinian resistance? Are the recent movements a limited and transitory transformation or a radical and deep one?
M. Shafiq: In general, and considering the recent developments within the Palestinian resistance, particularly in the West Bank and Al-Aqsa Mosque, it can be said that unprecedented progress has been made in the resistance — a development that many Palestine experts did not foresee. For example, in the holy month of Ramadan this year, I must say that the Zionist regime’s decision not to send its citizens to attack al-Aqsa Mosque was considered a serious defeat for Zionism. Having prepared its main plan of dividing al-Aqsa Mosque first, and then changing its name in order to destroy its identity, and also building the Statue of Suleiman as they claimed they would, Zionism has sunk to this new low today.
Question: Had the West Bank shown such resistance in previous years, or is this a new phenomenon? What is your analysis?
M. Shafiq: Here, I must mention the call of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution a few years ago; that is, his emphasis on the need to arm the West Bank. At that time, with his forward-looking outlook, he highlighted the importance of transferring the power of resistance to the West Bank and Quds.
Naturally, there was no such thing at that time, and the West Bank was not armed, but what has happened now, I believe, showed the correctness of the Leader of the Revolution’s outlook and foresight regarding the need to support the resistance in Quds, the need to arm it, and also the need for an uprising in the West Bank.
We have had a strong resistance in the Gaza Strip since then. It is obvious that there has always been a special interest in consolidating and strengthening the resistance in Gaza. However, the new thing today is what has happened in the West Bank and the fact that weapons have appeared there — whether in the Jenin camp battalion or in the hands of the Lions’ Den group in Nablus. The presence of weapons in the West Bank today has become a widespread phenomenon, and we always hear the news of the formation of new battalions in different camps, villages, and cities of the West Bank.
Question: In your opinion, what factors led to the current situation in the West Bank, where we witness such resistance?
M. Shafiq: Naturally, we have to scientifically and thoroughly examine the developments. First, we should have a careful reading of the balance of power. Beyond paying attention to the will and actions of Palestine and the Zionist regime, I look at the issue of changes and transformations in the balance of power.
The question is: how has the balance of power changed? Naturally, we the Palestinian people are part of the balance of power and have our important position. We can examine and interpret the phenomenon of the appearance of weapons in Jenin, the formation of the Lions’ Den, or the phenomenon of mothers of martyrs who welcomed their martyred children with the spirit of faith, sacrifice, and courage. Such a spirit only existed in a few mothers, but now it has become a common phenomenon in such a way that it is rare to find a mother who does not have such a spirit and does not encourage her children to continue the path of jihad.
Question: How has the balance of power changed in this era and how do you describe it?
M. Shafiq: Currently, an important revolution has occurred in the balance of power in the international arena, including the fact that the US is losing its grandeur and power in the international order, and important regional and international poles are emerging. The situation is now changing.
The current war in Ukraine, the battle between the US and China, and the role played by Iran — as well as Turkey — at different levels are all signs of this change. All of these events indicate that the world has started to move toward a new world order to create a new international equation.
Now that we say the US is becoming weak, it means that the Zionist regime is also in the same situation because its power is basically derived from the power of the US and the West. The Zionist regime was defeated in the south of Lebanon, and, in 2000, it inevitably began an unconditional withdrawal from there. This regime was also defeated in the 2006 war. At that time, the grandeur of the Zionist regime as an invincible regime was shattered.
After that, the Zionists lost almost five wars against the Gaza resistance, the most important of which are the wars of 2008, 2012, 2014, and the “Sword of Quds” in 2021. In the Sword of Quds war, the situation was completely different from the previous wars.
Question: How have the defeats of the Zionist regime affected the immigrants and residents of the occupied territories?
M. Shafiq: The defeats of the Zionist regime have led to the creation of a deep gap within the Zionist society between the two main parties that previously had the same point of view on the Palestinian issue. Significant disagreements have arisen among the Zionists, and they are destroying themselves. It is also clear that they aren’t warmhearted toward each other. Today, the enemy is weak and powerless. We have a proverb in Palestine that says: “fading in the eyes.” What does this mean? It means that it becomes very easy to attack you, and your enemy is no longer afraid of you and attacks you. I see that the enemy’s grandeur has faded in the eyes of the Palestinian people, the Palestinian youth, and the Palestinian mothers. I mean the Zionists no longer have that former grandeur, and what we see today from the Palestinian youth are offensive, not defensive, operations — operations that are called “individual operations.”
All these youth operations are offensive, and the most important thing is that they show the will and determination of the people to repeat such operations. The youth who undertakes this operation does not perform an individual action derived from a personal decision, but such an operation expresses a popular will because when the operative is martyred, people warmly welcome him (his body) and create unprecedented scenes. After such an operation, public opinion pays special attention to the parents of the operative. This shows that we have entered a new phase of offensive operations against the Zionists.
Question: If we want to analyze this new spirit and desire of the people for resistance, where do you think the Axis of Resistance against the Zionist regime stands today?
M. Shafiq: Naturally, here we must mention the balance of power and also the weakness of the US. On the other hand, we must say that a multipolar world is being formed at the moment. In the region, the Axis of Resistance stood up. Iran also resisted the siege, numerous attacks, and other measures. Therefore, the balance of power has changed in favor of the resistance at the regional level, and the previous arrangement has been changed.
Today, Hezbollah has a great missile power, to the extent that the enemy itself says this group has about 150,000 rockets — and maybe more. This is the estimate of the enemy, and let us be content with their estimates.
Where did this amount of rocket power come from? What does it mean? Where do these rockets go? The Palestinian nation knows this story. Today, a strong power has been created in the form of the Axis of Resistance — a power that the US and the Zionist regime can no longer fight off so easily. I believe that currently the options of war against Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Islamic Jihad in Palestine have been removed from the table.
Question: How have these conditions changed compared to the past?
M. Shafiq: I remember the year 1982, when the resistance was in possession of the Katyusha rocket, and this rocket was not able to travel a distance of more than 40 kilometers. At that time, Katyusha was practically not considered a threat to the enemy. In 1982, the Zionist regime waged a dangerous war against Lebanon that lasted some 85 days. During the war, the Zionists put heavy bombardments on the agenda and eventually exiled the Palestinian resistance to Tunisia. This was the achievement of Tel Aviv in 1982.
However, today, when the Zionists see the strength of the resistance in Lebanon, they see that they are no longer able to launch a war against them. This is a clear sign of the Zionists’ weakness and fear.
Certainly, if the Zionists were confident of their power to start a war and achieve victory in it, they would take such an action, and nothing could stop them. Today, the Zionists are even afraid of entering an air war — let alone a ground war — because they know that they will suffer unbearable losses.
Based on what has been said, we have entered a new phase today that is right on the opposite side of the international strategy that has been based on supporting the Zionist regime since its establishment until now. Based on this strategy, by now, the Zionist regime should have had complete power and superiority over all the countries in the region, as well as the ability to attack these countries.
Compare the current condition of the regime with its previous conditions. For example, when Iraq tried to establish a nuclear facility or something similar, the Zionists attacked and destroyed it. What did the Zionists do in Egypt in 1967? In addition to invading Egypt, they occupied the Sinai Desert. They also occupied the West Bank, Quds, and the Golan Heights.
Question: Did the regional and international changes as well as the achievements of the Axis of Resistance create the motivation and spirit within Palestinian groups to change the equation inside Palestine as well?
M. Shafiq: Yes, today you see young people who carry out operations against the Zionists. They attack the enemy with vehicles, cold weapons, and firearms. The threat that the Zionists are facing at this stage is that carrying weapons is out of their control. The enemy cannot collect these weapons, and this is a big problem for them.
Today, what the enemy is doing in Jenin and Nablus is sneaking in secretly and then assassinating one, two, or three Palestinians there. The Israelis act as if they are going into “enemy territory” and not “territory under their own occupation.” For example, in 2002, what did the Zionist enemy do when it saw signs of a strong resistance? It attacked the Jenin camp. This war lasted 14 days and led to changing of two generals. At that time, the Zionist enemy faced brave and heroic resistance, even though it committed a lot of killing and took many people captive. Now the situation has changed, and the enemy can no longer do what it did in the past. Because it is afraid.
Question: What do you think is the root cause of the regime’s weakness and fear?
M. Shafiq: I do not mean that the enemy lacks an army. On the contrary, the enemy has an army, weapons, and drones, but it is afraid that if it attacks, it might lead to a big explosion, and after that the residents of Gaza and even the residents of 1948 lands will move, and all the strata of the Palestinian nation unite and integrate with each other more than ever.
Also, the enemy is afraid that the Lebanese resistance will also move — within the framework of the unity of the axes and fields — just like what happened in the holy month of Ramadan, when rockets were fired from Lebanon and Syria. Following these events, the enemy spoke about the unity of the axes and fields. This means that we have entered a new stage.
Question: What are the characteristics of this new stage? What is the situation of the Palestinian people’s resistance and the resistance front? And what is the situation of the enemy?
M. Shafiq: I believe that the Palestinian nation is in the best possible situation today compared to the situation it has been in over the last 100 years. Also, the Zionist regime is facing its worst situation in the last 100 years. The Zionist regime has never been in such a bad situation, whether in the domestic field, in the field of foreign relations, and at the level of its army.
We have never had such power as we have today. How and when did we get a powerful resistance base in the Gaza Strip? This region has gone through five wars with the Zionist regime, and now its hand is on the trigger. After the martyrdom of Sheikh Khader Adnan, the legendary hero of Palestine, Gaza fired a hundred rockets at the Zionist regime. What does this mean? It is clear.
In many of his statements and speeches, Ayatollah Khamenei has spoken about the Palestinian nation and some of the requirements for the progress of the resistance, including the unity of the fields. Can we extend what has been achieved in the framework of the unity of the fields equation in the West Bank? In order to materialize the slogan of the unity of the fields, we need a change in the balance of power. It takes time to create the feeling that something special and concrete is happening and that talking about it is not just wishful thinking.
Question: In your opinion, what should be done to materialize the slogan of the unity of the fields?
M. Shafiq: “The unity of the fields” is a big decision. This decision was made by the Palestinians in different fields of Palestine, and it means that if something happens to al-Aqsa Mosque, Gaza will enter the field. This is not a game or a joke. Also, in relation to Lebanon, the region, and even Iran, it should be noted that taking such a decision for the unity of the fields shows great courage and a deep visionary attitude toward the affairs. It is a strategic decision that has its own consequences. One of the consequences is the occurrence of war, and in war, there are victories and defeats.
If you make such a decision, it means that you are in an attacking position, and you are almost certain to win. Based on this, I believe that the decisions of the Leader of the Revolution are calculated decisions that were not taken out of excitement. That is, these positions were not expressed only to boost the morale of the fighters. These decisions show that we have entered the stage of seriousness, and we have entered the stage of confrontation.
Maybe once we needed to boost our morale and excitement to resist and stand up due to the many differences between us and the enemy which was superior to us and ruled over us. However, today, if you carefully study the speeches of the Leader of the Revolution, you will realize that these are completely calculated and serious statements. Why is the enemy hesitant in the face of the resistance? Because it has understood very well that everything is going forward seriously here.
Question: You spoke about the resistance in the region and its achievements. Do the Palestinians today believe in this idea of unity of the fields and take steps to implement it?
M. Shafiq: I want to assure you that the Palestinian nation is an experienced nation today. The question is, what has changed today? What is happening today that is different from the past? Today, not only the awareness, insight, and vision of the Palestinian people have grown, but the Palestinians have also come to the conclusion that the world has changed and they can do what they want. They have come to believe that they can even attack.
When you have power, you may attack the other party. If the other party sees you as weak, he will attack you. Therefore, when the Palestinian nation starts its resistance and does the things you see today, it means that the nation feels that it is able to bring its power to the fore. It took time and experience to develop such a feeling within the Palestinians. Naturally, this is not a spontaneous feeling. We have been fighting for decades.
Those who took up arms and raised the flag of resistance in Jenin, if they were not sure that the enemy was not able to defeat them, they might not have done so. Nothing could make these young people do such a thing. Nevertheless, they come to the belief that they could defeat the enemy. I am trying to describe the facts of the field here.
The [Palestinian] people are always ready to make sacrifices. They are always brave, but sometimes courage lies in waiting and not in standing up. This is something formed by life, struggle, and resistance. People follow developments and understand them. Throughout my life, there were always situations where people were asked to hold demonstrations. We used to tell them: Come to the streets and protest. They did not listen to us. The police would then come and arrest us, who were only a few. In the end, after being beaten up, we would end up in jail. Other times, we saw people pouring into the streets and filling up everywhere.
When the Islamic Revolution emerged victorious in Iran, the same situation prevailed (everyone came to the streets). For a revolution to happen, something like this must happen. In June 1963 [in Iran], people had not done what they did in February 1979, because there are factors that are basically from God’s traditions. When I talk about the balance of power, there are some people who believe that the balance of power is in conflict with “faith.” No, it is not like that. The balance of power is from the divine traditions.
Question: You mentioned self-confidence and the facts of the field. Today, if we want to return to the speech of the Leader of the Revolution about the decline of the Zionist regime, we will see that this speech was about the next 25 years of the Zionist regime. Now the life of the Zionist regime is estimated to be less than this. How much hope do the Palestinian people feel when hearing such a thing?
M. Shafiq: When some people heard this, they asked: Is such a thing true? Why 25 years? When we hear such a speech from a responsible, respectable person, a reliable and important person, we cannot say that he simply expressed his wish, because such a person has calculations and estimates, some of which we know and others we do not know.
Today, the possibility of the decline of the Zionist regime has become a hot topic of discussion and is no longer limited to thoughts and imaginations. When you bring up something like this, it means that you see the collapse of the Arrogant and want to challenge them. Note that we have two ways of challenging. In the past, to challenge meant to be patient and resistant, and today it means to achieve victories. This means that challenging the enemy can be seen tangibly.
Today, we have entered a new phase of balance of power. I myself never imagined that I would be able to see the balance of power as it is now. The balance of power that we see today has become certain and definite. In order to materialize what the Leader of the Revolution had predicted, it was necessary for the West Bank to become a shield for Quds. When the Leader of the Revolution put forward the theory of “arming the West Bank,” it was not easy to realize it at all. Who had the courage and audacity to talk about this? Indeed, doing such a thing was not easy. A lot of efforts were made, and important changes and developments took place that led to the current conditions in the West Bank. The materialization of such things requires faith. Of course, there are two types of faith. Faith to fight and sacrifice and faith that you can win and defeat the enemy. This [second type] exists.
If you allow me, I’ll step out of my realm of faith a little and quote a saying from Mao Tse-tung that fascinates me. “We must have the courage to win,” he says. This means that achieving victory requires courage and audacity. The speech made by the Leader of the Revolution showed the courage and audacity to win.
Someone who says that I want to stand by the Palestinian nation within the framework of the unity of the fields [should know that] this is not an easy thing to do. The enemy’s facilities and capacities should also be taken into account. The enemy will not fight you by itself. We should know that achieving victory requires courage, audacity, and accepting to face the enemy. Winning is not easy, but it is possible.
Based on what I said, I believe that this talk of the destruction of the Zionist regime was not caused by excitement and was not aimed at raising the morale of the resistance fighters. This speech was made with the aim of preparing for the next stage based on a deep-thinking and far-sighted attitude.
Realizing the importance of this prediction and this view of the Leader of the Revolution is not an easy thing to do — just like the importance of the action of Imam Khomeini (ra) in designating the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan as the Quds Day. I may have been in Tehran at that time. I said to myself: “Very well ... what is going to happen now? What made them bring up the Quds issue?” In the Palestinian scene, we believed that Quds, like other issues and cases, is an issue that exists. However, with this action, Imam made Quds a central issue, united the Islamic Ummah over it, and turned it into the first point and axis of encountering the enemy on the battlefield.
(The views expressed in this interview are interviewee’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of Khamenei.ir.)
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