Get this old piece of news: After leading the waves of terrorism in Judea and Samaria during the Second Intifada and masterminding mass terrorist attacks inside the Green Line before being dissolved in 2007 by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' "presidential order," and having allegedly laid down arms and having even been granted an official Israeli pardon, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades are reinventing themselves. For the past year, their fingerprints have been all over a string of shooting attacks in Binyamin, Samaria, Gush Etzion and the communities surrounding Jerusalem. Now we also know that they were involved in firing rockets into Israel during Operation Protective Edge. The warning signal is flashing in red and Israeli defense officials are not indifferent to it.
The writing has been on the wall for several years. It was only recently that the declaration that Mecca is for worship and Jerusalem is for martyrdom was posted on the official Facebook page of the Palestinian Fatah party. This month, Fatah posted a photo of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu standing beside a hangman's noose, saying that he will be hanged "soon."
Several months ago, members of the Fatah central committee unabashedly condoned a gruesome ax and knife terrorist attack in Jerusalem. Now, with the assassination of Jihad Mughniyeh, the commander of Hezbollah forces in the Syrian Golan Heights, the Fatah movement, headed by Abbas, had this to say to Hezbollah: "We stand together in one line, and we have one enemy."
Israel has already grown accustomed to Palestinian incitement, to their aggrandizement of terrorism and to explicit calls to murder Jews. But it is an entirely different matter when the venomous words lead to actions. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades are not short on weapons, and neither is Fatah. Hundreds of masked men carried these weapons proudly last month during the celebrations of Fatah's 50th anniversary. At the various refugee camps, masked individuals took photos with guns and axes and bats. The militant message is clear, but now it is being backed by actions. They are claiming responsibility for dozens of shooting attacks late last year: at IDF troops in Samaria; at Beit El, Itamar and Shavei Shomron; near Jerusalem; in Tulkarm, and more.
Breaking all the rules
Did Abbas give his permission for the re-establishment of the Fatah military wing? Did he sanction the resumption of Fatah terrorist attacks? Yoni Dahuh-Halevy, a lieutenant colonel (res.) in the intelligence corps, says these questions require further investigation.
"If Abbas approved the brigades' activities, he is party to terrorism. If not, it suggests that he is weak both as a leader and as a diplomatic partner," he said.
In July 2007, 178 Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades operatives across Judea and Samaria agreed to lay down their arms and quit terrorism and violence against Israel. They handed their weapons to the Palestinian authorities, and in return, Israel promised to stop pursuing them.
In 2008, 150 additional operatives joined in on the agreement, in coordination with Israel. They were even kept in Palestinian custody for three months before being granted their freedom. This arrangement lasted several years, but every so often, the group violated the agreement with Israel and the Palestinian Authority and perpetrated terrorist attacks. Two that come to mind are the murder of Rabbi Meir Avshalom Chai near the settlement of Shavei Shomron in 2009, and the kidnapping and subsequent murder of soldier Tomer Hazan in 2013.
Now, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade command center has announced that they are breaking all the rules. They declared "open war against the Zionist enemy using all possible means and surprises, granting the Palestinian people the right to armed struggle in efforts to banish the occupation from all Palestinian land." The brigades' announcement declared further that "this will be a war of attrition, in which all the options are available, including our military cells." This announcement was accompanied by a claiming of responsibility for the firing of dozens of rockets into Israel during Operation Protective Edge, together with photographs documenting said rocket fire.
There is no doubt that Hamas' actions against Israel contributed to the brigades' return to operations. After all, beyond sharing a common enemy, there is stiff competition for the hearts of the Palestinian population. Hamas itself, despite having sustained a serious blow during Operation Protective Edge, has been investing all its resources into rehabilitating its military capability in recent months. Anyone who had hoped for a change in direction from Hamas, and a possible investment in rehabilitating the devastated civilian Gaza population, is bound to be sorely disappointed.
The 'popular' army
The Gaza national security forces -- an important internal security mechanism -- recently completed a drill on the ruins of the Israeli community of Morag (formerly in Gush Katif). According to a report filed by the intelligence and terrorism information center, the drill involved a simulation of an infiltration and seizure of an Israeli military post. The drill took place in an Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades facility in the southern Gaza Strip.
Hamas itself boasted that more than 17,000 young men aged 15 to 17 took part in the exercise, undergoing basic military training, advanced military training (abduction of soldiers and use of terror tunnels) and religious indoctrination.
The researchers at the intelligence and terrorism information center report that Hamas has even begun building a "popular" army.
The first brigade comprises 2,500 troops, and it is meant to provide support to the Izzedine al-Qassam fighters during a future conflict with Israel. The plans to abduct Israeli soldiers were heavily emphasized during the training. Hamas views an abduction as a tiebreaker, seeking to "bring home many of the prisoners" as in the exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit.
In the meantime, Fatah is continuing its campaign to legitimize armed struggle against Israel. On the movement's Facebook page, photos are regularly posted depicting children holding guns, poems aggrandizing armed struggle are featured, and activists and religious figures often post remarks suggesting that armed struggle against Israel is still, and always will be, on the table.
The brigades, coming out of Fatah, much like their Hamas competitors, are gradually turning into potential terrorists. The indictment against Nur Hamdan, the head of the cell that planned a shooting attack on the Temple Mount several months ago, suggests that he asked the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Gaza and in Nablus for assistance in carrying out the attack. Only after receiving their assistance, did he recruit the rest of the cell members, residents of the A Tur neighborhood of Jerusalem.
טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו