The leaders of the “Islamic State”, who have an extremist Wahhabi ideology, have threatened to target the Gaza Strip and occupy it as one of their areas in the Middle East. Additionally, they accuse the Palestinian opposition of not signifying the application of Sharia. So, is this simply and advertisement or a new revolution that will turn the tables between the districts?
A video recording released from the rebellious “Islamic State” organization in Syria threatened the Palestinian opposition to expand its occupation to include the Gaza Strip. This threat takes a new dimension against the background of the bloody attacks launched by the “Sinai Province” organization against the Egyptian army. In this regard, Talal Okal, a Palestinian political analyst living in Gaza, said in an interview with the German news agency, “ISIS threats to Hamas are serious threats, and the resistance leadership and other Palestinian leaders should not ignore their importance. So far, there is no crystallized organization in the Gaza Strip under the title (Islamic State), but the Gaza environment is productive for these people in the face of poverty, unemployment, and severe blockade.
The content of the Wahhabi “ISIS” message is explicit and obvious. This ideological proposal will cause tough challenges for Palestinians in the direction of extremism . “The Palestinians are monitoring the situation now, and to face the challenge, they must be alert all the time, because it is not about a hundred or two hundred people, because the production process of (ISIS) Wahhabis is ongoing and continuing all the time.
If the opposition is a movement that confronts Israel by armed forces, then it does not seek to wage a global religious war or establish a caliphate, because it defines its’ activity as taking place within the Palestinian national borders. The Palestinian resistance is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, Israel, and the European Union. The opposition entered on the ground in armed confrontations with the “ISIS” organization, and, ironically, this did not arouse any interest abroad.
Talal Okal believes that the relationship between the Palestinian resistance and what is happening in Sinai in terms of smuggling and arms trade has always existed, and it is an undeniable fact. The emergence of these groups will be at their expense and will weaken them, as it will weaken the system in Egypt. Therefore, there is no solution other than understanding. The Palestinian analyst added that coordination must be made between Egypt and the Palestinians because “there is severe interference in the national security obligations and conditions of the two parties”.
It seems that the Wahhabi “ISIS”, as a new player in the region, may cause an earthquake to reshuffle the cards, especially in the face of the strict policy pursued by the ISIS regime towards the Brotherhood on one hand, and the absence of a prospect for a political solution to improve the situation in Gaza and lift the siege on it on the other hand. This provokes a foundation for the rise of a new generation of jihadists. Hence, ISIS will not find it difficult to gain the generation Z of extremism.
