The name of Hamas’ deadly terrorist attack on Israel over the weekend, the ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’, was deliberately chosen to galvanise support across the Muslim world. The group’s justification for the operation included desecration claims at the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. Several Palestinian uprisings (intifadas) have been given the Al-Aqsa nomenclature over the years, including in September 2000 after then Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon’s walkabout on the historic compound.
Al-Aqsa was the original direction of prayer for Muslims but is now the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina. The site – also holy to Jews and Christians – is the location of the Isra wa Miraj, Prophet Mohammad’s night journey (Isra) to the ‘furthest mosque’ (Masjid al-Aqsa) and ascension (Miraj) through the seven heavens. Some claim the event is proof of Islam’s superiority, because of the special status given to the prophet. All three Abrahamic faiths agree that the End of Days – Judgement Day and Resurrection – will take place here.
Historical Sunni-Shia grievances have been set aside by Hamas and Iran
The deadly attack will embolden jihadist groups around the world and could lead to ideological differences being set aside for short-term gains. Al-Qaeda (AQ) branches were quick to praise Hamas and urged Muslims to support the group’s goal of liberating Al-Aqsa. The AQ branch in the Indian Subcontinent called the attack the ‘crown among all military operations’ which had ‘wiped off the marks of humiliation and disgrace’ from past Arab-Israeli conflicts. AQ’s Arabian Peninsula branch lavished praise on the ‘daring operation.’ AQ in general positioned the operation as part of a wider jihad aimed at expelling ‘Jews and Crusaders from Muslim lands.’
Further away, the Taliban in Afghanistan opined on the repercussions. Abdul Qahar Balkhi, the group’s foreign ministry spokesman, said they were ‘deeply concerned about the recent decision of the Zionist regime to deprive the people in the besieged Gaza Strip of essential resources such as electricity, food & water supply.’ He urged the international community, especially the UN, to ‘fulfil their responsibility in preventing the apartheid Israeli regime from collectively punishing the oppressed Palestinian people for the failure of Israeli security forces.’
A statement on the Taliban foreign ministry website also positioned the operation as an inevitable ‘outcome of the violation of the rights of the oppressed Palestinian nation and the continued defilement and desecration of Muslim holy sites (Al-Aqsa) by the Israeli Zionists.’
So-called Islamic State did not shower any praise because they consider Hamas to be ‘apostates’ for accepting support from Shia Iran and for not supporting their aim of a Caliphate. You can be sure, however, that many IS grassroot supporters found a way of celebrating the attack on platforms like Telegram.
Historical Sunni-Shia grievances have been set aside by Hamas and Iran and the latter’s backing of the terrorist group is now common knowledge. Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad told BBC News that Tehran gave its support to the surprise attack. Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi spoke to the leaders of Hamas, and Islamic Jihad after they joined the offensive, and then took to the airwaves to offer support to the Palestinians.
The Iranian regime has historically placed great emphasis on Al-Aqsa. The late Ayatollah Khomeini ordered the last Friday of Ramadan to be marked as al-Qods Day (al-Qods being Jerusalem in Persian, al-Quds in Arabic) shortly after the 1979 revolution and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, still to be proscribed in the UK as a terrorist organisation, named its elite military unit the ‘Qods Force’.
Iran’s proxy army in Lebanon, Hezbollah, praised the ‘heroic’ actions over the past few days. A statement said ‘resistance’ was the only recourse in ‘confronting Israeli occupation’ and that the attack was a clear message to those seeking to normalise ties with Israel. The finger was of course pointing at Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Analysts have speculated that the timing of the attack was intended to derail peace moves between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Past Arab peacemakers have certainly paid a heavy price just for visiting Al-Aqsa. A Palestinian assassinated King Abdullah I, of then Transjordan, inside the Al-Aqsa mosque in 1951 for supposedly accommodating the Jewish population too much. Egypt’s Anwar Sadat also offered a hand of peace, and made a historic visit in 1977, but the gesture cost the former president dearly: his assassin, who has since had a street in Tehran named after him, claimed he was motivated by Sadat’s signing of the Camp David peace accords.
The ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ operation certainly raises questions for Western policymakers. Footage of the gruesome attacks and of the horrific treatment meted out to some hostages was shared widely online. Where does this leave the UK’s pending Online Safety Bill? This content surely falls under the terrorism and incitement to violence categories, and social media companies, search engines and messaging platforms will soon be obliged by law to block and remove it or face heavy financial consequences. The likely effectiveness of these legislative attempts to counter online hate remains questionable in my view. Do we really think they will be able to contain the shocking footage of the next atrocity? The EU already has the Digital Services Act, designed to heavily regulate the actions of ‘very large online platforms’ visited by more than 45 million Europeans every month, but Telegram, which hosts much of Hamas’ digital output and many Islamic State channels and group chats, claims to fall just under this definition so will not be as strictly controlled. Furthermore, where do you draw the line between news reporting that highlights war crimes and incitement to violence?
The online sharing of some television content should also face much greater scrutiny. Hamas’ own Gaza-based Al-Aqsa television channel routinely calls for Jews to be stabbed and glorifies attacks against Israelis. The channel has broadcast music videos of fighters urging compatriots to restore their honour by liberating Al-Aqsa from Israeli control. Hezbollah’s Manar television carries similar fare, promoting the role of its martyrs on the battlefield and set to video montages of Al-Aqsa.
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