world news
67% of Arabs believe Oct. 7 was ‘legitimate resistance,’ survey finds
A new opinion poll, carried out by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, was published on January 10. The poll, which collected data from 8000 Arab respondents from 16 countries, aimed to determine how Arab populations perceived the Israel-Hamas war.
Amongst one of the many findings of the survey, it was noted that 67% of respondents perceived Hamas’s October 7th attack, categorized by the survey as “the military operation carried out by Hamas,” as “a legitimate resistance operation.” The survey results clarified that 19% answered that the attack was legitimate but “flawed,” 3% said it was legitimate but “involved heinous or criminal acts” and only 5% called the attack “illegitimate.”
Why did Hamas attack, according to respondents?
While many have seen Hamas’s attack on Israel as a proxy war for Iran, only 2% of respondents agreed, while 35% of Arab respondents stated their belief that the number 1 reason behind the attack was “The ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian land.”
The second most given reason was “Defending al-Aqsa Mosque against attacks,” which 24% of respondents affirmed as their believed reason.
The al-Aqsa Mosque has been a source of tension as it is located above the Temple Mount, a holy site for both Jews and Christians. While non-Muslims now have permission to attend their holy site via the Moors Gate, they are forbidden from praying there which has created increased tension. Jewish activists have repeatedly tried to pray at the site, which has been met with escalating conflict.
While 24% argued that defending the mosque was the most important reason behind the attack, a Hamas rocket would have landed on the holy site in December, if Israel’s Iron Dome system hadn’t prevented the attack.
Only 8% of the respondents felt the “[t]he ongoing blockade of Gaza” was the main reason for the attack, with a further 12% claiming it to be the second most important reason.
Israel withdrew citizens from Gaza in 2005, creating a separate territory that was taken over by Hamas in 2006. Gaza borders both Israel and Egypt, with crossings policed heavily by both countries. Palestinians, before October 7, had been permitted to enter Israel with proper documentation for work, medical treatments or for other reasons.
Arab solidarity with Palestinians and Hamas
In mass agreement, 92% of respondents expressed they had a feeling of solidarity with Gaza’s Palestinian population. In addition, 69% said they supported both the Palestinians and Hamas. Only 1% said they had no feelings of solidarity with the Palestinians and 23% said they had feelings of solidarity for Palestinians but opposed Hamas.
Opinions on international parties
When asked about the responses of regional and international powers to the war, 94% said they considered the United States position negatively, with 82% clarifying they thought it was bad. The same trend continued for other Western countries with 79%, 78%, and 75% of respondents viewed the positions of France, the UK, and Germany negatively.
In a different survey response, 81% said that they did not believe the US was serious about establishing a Palestinian state and 77% of respondents named the US and Israel as the biggest threat to the security and stability of the region.
US Secretary of State Andrew Blinken continued to advocate for a Palestinian state only yesterday, claiming that it was the best way to marginalize Iran.
Additionally, while one May survey found that over half of Palestinians wanted a two-state solution, a November survey by the Arab World for Research and Development found that over 70% of Palestinians support only a singular Palestinian state without a Jewish one.
Arab opinion on Iran, Turkey, Russia, and China was more split, with 48%, 47%, 41%, 40% perceiving the countries positively.
Normalizing ties with Israel
When asked what steps Arab governments should take in response to the war, 36% of respondents stated that Arab governments should suspend all relations or normalization processes with Israel, and a further 14% said aid should be sent to Gaza without Israeli approval.
A further 29% of respondents suggested that Arab countries should either “provide military aid to Gaza” or “announce military mobilization” against Israel.
world news
‘When America’s weak, the axis strengthens’: Fmr. Mossad official says Hezbollah fears war
Oded Ilam, a former senior Mossad official, spoke recently with Arel Segal on his show on 103FM radio to discuss the implications of Biden’s failure in the recent presidential debate against Donald Trump and the possible escalation in the North.
Ilam began by saying, “The Americans, although I don’t think they are anti-Israeli, continue to misunderstand the situation we are in. Biden and his administration have their hearts in the right place. The famous ‘warning’ that Biden gave to the Iranians didn’t move them at all. They attacked Israel anyway, and the American response was that the administration issued condolences for Raisi’s death. The American administration repeatedly shows weakness, which is also reflected in the ongoing negotiations.”
“Every time Hamas does not accept a deal with Israel, we are forced to step back two more steps. It is hard for me to see a situation where Hamas allows us to write up another agreement that doesn’t include withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor,” Ilam noted. “I can assume that when America is weak, the axis strengthens. This confrontation is very significant. I saw Biden’s performance in Atlanta, where he was different than at the recent debate. He was excellent. The same team that advised him to go to the debate is exactly the same team that shapes America’s policy.”
Israel-Lebanon conflict parties aim to avoid war
Ilam further added that “the Israel-Lebanon situation is interesting. All four main players, the US, Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel, do not want war. The one who least wants war is Nasrallah, who entered the situation in a very difficult state, both economically and in terms of his legitimacy from within Lebanon itself.”
“All four players do not want war. Nasrallah is waiting for the moment when Sinwar signs an agreement. I think they are sending him messages to urge him to sign. Even if this does not happen, the chance of a full-scale war decreases in favor of a settlement. Is a settlement good for Israel based on the current situation? That is another question,” Ilam concluded.
Edited by Michal Kedosh for 103FM radio.
IDF forces began demolishing the house of Ahmed Duabsha, a terrorist from the village of Duma, according to Ynet reported on Tuesday night.
Duabsha had been responsible for the murder of Binyamin Achimair, a 14-year-old shepherd, in April.
The terrorist was arrested on April 12 by The IDF, Shin Bet, and Israel Police during an overnight operation.
Duabsha admitted during interrogation to assaulting the teenager, which resulted in his death.About Binyamin Achimair
Achimair had been missing for 24 hours before his body was discovered on April 13.
Achimair had left Gal farm in the Samaria region of the West Bank on the morning of April 12 to allow his sheep to graze, and after several hours, the herd returned without him.
After news of Achimair’s body being found, a few violent incidents – including setting cars on fire – happened in the village Duma, and one person was killed by settler gunfire according to Palestinian reports, Walla reported at the time.
YUVAL BARNEA contributed to this report.
Aircrafts carried out a targeted strike on Tuesday night on the Nur Shams camp, in the West Bank, eliminating a terror cell as they placed explosives, Israeli media reported. The IDF surrounded the squad and attacked it from the air while it was placing the devices.
Maariv, citing Palestinian reports, claimed that 5 people were killed in the strike. The report indicated that only one of the 5 killed were terrorists and that several others were wounded. The Palestinian Health Ministry placed the number of casualties at 4, according to Reuters.
The attack took place near an incident in Jenin in which 22-year-old Captain Alon Sacgiu was killed after his vehicle hit one of the explosive devices.
Uptick in attacks in the area over the last 3 days
This is the third attack in the last three days and, since the outbreak of the war, more than 50 attacks have been carried out in the area.
The Palestinian Health Ministry claimed that Israeli fire, following a military vehicle hitting an explosive device, resulted in the death of a woman and a child.
The ministry did not comment on the age of the child or whether those reportedly killed or wounded were engaged in attacks on the Israeli personnel operating in the area.
Sergeant-Major (Res.) Yehuda Geto, 22, was killed after hitting explosives.
The incident occurred during an operation to counter terrorism in the camp. According to the details of the initial investigation, a bomb exploded under a military vehicle where Geto, who served as a driver in the unit, and a commander were inside.
The IDF said that the military vehicle was in an area where there was no risk of explosives, therefore no searches were conducted for them, Israeli media reported.
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