SINCE the decision on demarcation was taken in 1947, liberation of Palestine turned out to be Arab and Islamic slogan, so Al-Quds (Jerusalem) became the political and media target of all blocs, factions and regimes in the region.
They used Palestine as a direct justification for military coups in the second half of the twentieth century. It started with revolution of the liberation officers against King Farouq in 1952 when Gamal Abdul-Nasser declared that the so-called “corrupt weapons” had prompted the revolution. This was later replaced by “throwing Jews into the sea” and “complete liberation of occupied territories” slogans. As a result, Egypt fought four wars without Abdul-Nasser winning a single one; so, instead of liberation, the entire Palestine was lost in 1967.
After the departure of Abdul- Nasser, scenarios of revolutionary and liberation slogans surfaced with positions taken by Muammar Gaddafiin Libya, as well as Baath regimes in Iraq and Syria. It later turned into crises among militant groups, not inside Palestine alone, but also within the Arab World.
Today, 73 years after losing Palestine, many Arabs and Muslims are still investing in “Al-Quds Liberation” slogan politically. The regimes suppress citizens while civil wars erupt among Arabs and Muslims leading to thousands of deaths under this same slogan.
The military garrisons never moved towards the fronts of countries surrounding the occupied Palestine since 47 years, in spite of their placards with inscriptions such as “resistance”, “insurgency”, and “challenge and perseverance”, which all ended in “rights compromise”. In the 1980s, Saddam Hussein announced the establishment of “Al-Quds Army” with 7 million fighters to enter Palestinian territories with the intention of crushing the invaders.
However, instead of doing that, Saddam used the army to invade Kuwait on Aug 2, 1990. The same way he took over control of some Palestinian factions, which regarded him as the national rescuer after spoiling their leaders with money, he repeated the method when he invaded Kuwait. He even raised the slogan “Road to Al-Quds through Kuwait”. This was exactly what happened in Lebanon after declaring the “Road to Al-Quds through Beirut and Jounieh” while gaining control of the country with the excuse of backing Palestinian resistance. In 1979, the first slogan of the new government was “Al-Quds Liberation” for which “Al-Quds Corps” was set up in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, so Tehran regime marks the annual “Al-Quds Day”.
However, instead of facing Palestine, we saw this force fighting Syrians and Lebanese people in their countries while suppressing the Iraqi revolution being observed against corruption for the past three months, coupled with their interference in Yemen. Prior to that, it planted terrorist cells in Kuwait, Saudi and Bahrain but never launched a single assault on Israelis regardless its current position along the occupied Golan Height borders. The most ridiculous aspect of the situation is that Palestine itself is immersed in division and dispute between Hamas and Fatah instead of forming synergy to protect their homeland and work toward achieving a real independent state.
They turned Gaza into a small state under the leadership of a boss with around 2 million population, accumulating wealth from all governments they could get. In contrast, the government is powerless and only possesses data of deprecation and condemnation. “Al-Quds Liberation” was and still remains an attractive slogan for Arabs and Muslims who are interested in playing political roles in their various countries or regions, while Judaism is growing stronger in Al-Quds.
After America’s recognition of the place as the capital of Israel, it is no longer within the international political calculations. Rather, Palestinians are striving to make Abu Deis an alternative capital.
Is this the reason for killing several thousands of Arabs and Muslims, while citizens in many Arab nations were subdued? It is an irony for the number one Arab and Islamic issue to become the commodity of political investment at a time when it is wearing away due to its immersion in slogans to swindle people
By Ahmed Al-Jarallah Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times
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