Islam Times - The Flourishing Sapling of Anti-Israeli Resistance in Jordan Valley

Islam Times - The hardline government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with its Gaza war sought to remove the shadow of threat from the Israeli settlers, but the longer the war gets, the larger the security concerns of Tel Aviv leaders grow.

The officials in Tel Aviv had not yet come out of the nightmare of the resistance fronts in Gaza, the West Bank, Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon that seventh obsession for them also started from the Jordanian border, grabbing calm from them.

On Sunday, in a shooting from a close range, an Israeli soldier was killed in Mahola town in Jordan Valley and another one was injured. Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Israeli channel Kan reported that the shooting took place in two places, at the same time. Channel 13 of this Israeli regime reported that two cars were shot at on Road 90 near the town of Mahola.

Israeli media reported that attackers fled from the scene of the incident. At the same time, the occupation army has started a chase operation and set up military barriers around the operation site and has sent its forces to the villages of Kordala, Bardala and Ain Al-Bayda in the east of Tubas to search of the attackers.

While congratulating this anti-Israeli operation, Hamas and Islamic Jihad described the attack a "natural response to the ongoing crimes of the Israeli regime."

The operation, unprecedented in its kind, has rendered Netanyahu government worried. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz immediately described the eastern border of occupied Palestine with Jordan the place where the Palestinian resistance groups smuggle arms, calling for its closure and insisting on building a wall between Jordan and the West Bank.

Jordan Valley significance for Israel

They reason the Israelis are so worried about Jordan Valley operation is open to probe from various aspects. The Jordan Valley is reminiscent of the history for people of Jordan when their leaders were struggling against the Israeli occupation.

According to Al-Akhbar news, the first armed resistance against the British and Israelis in occupied Palestine was founded by a group led by Jordan's Sheikh Kaid al-Maflah al-Obeidat, and perhaps he was the first Arab who was killed in Palestine in April 1920.

The second armed struggle of Jordanians was carried out under the leadership of Major General Ali Khalqi al-Sharairi, who led the resistance operation in the Howran region against the French occupation, and later played a role in the Palestinian resistance, and was one of the pillars of the Umm Qais conference, which called for the creation of a Jordanian national government and denied any relationship with the Israeli rule and acceptance of Balfour Declaration.

So, the Jordanians led the anti-Zionist struggle for three decades, and immediately after foundation of the Israeli regime in 1948, they announced continuation of the anti-occupation battle and joined the ranks of Arab nations fighting the Israeli regime.

Although the Arabs suffered many defeats in the wars, the struggles on the border of Jordan established the strategy of standing and resisting the invaders, and now this sapling is sprouting, and the leaders of Tel Aviv are afraid of this issue, lest the new generation of Jordanians revive the anti-Israeli struggles by remembering the past struggles of their leaders, especially that 60 percent of Jordan's population is made up of Palestinian immigrants who were expelled from their land, and despite decades of displacement, they still maintain their Palestinian identity and want to return to their country.

On the other hand, with the recent attack in Jordan Valley, once again the un-implemented agreements between Jordan and the Israeli regime over control of this strategic region regain their importance. Jordan Valley is a region over which Jordan and Israeli regime have had unsettled dispute for several decades.

Shortly after the 1967 war, Yigal Allon, the time's Israeli foreign minister, proposed the annexation of the Jordan Valley to the occupied territories, and this bid has always been raised more or less by the Tel Aviv officials. Therefore, the Israeli regime has always believed that this strategic region acts as a security barrier in front of the eastern borders.

In September 2019, Netanyahu also announced his government's intention to annex the Jordan Valley and the northern areas of the Dead Sea if he won the Knesset elections. He also believes that controlling the Jordan Valley will prevent the joining of the West Bank to the Gaza Strip.

The Jordan Valley region with an area of 2,400 square kilometers in the north of the Dead Sea along the border of Jordan covers about 30 percent of the West Bank. The importance of this region is the food basket for Palestinians due to its tropical climate and fertile lands, and basically the independent state of Palestine would not have an identity without the Jordan Valley

This region has agricultural potential, energy production, potash and phosphate mines and many tourist attractions. Today, by occupying 85 percent of the region and establishing 90 military and security bases, the Israeli regime has practically prevented a large number of Palestinians from using resources of this region.

By annexing this region to the occupied territories, the Israelis are planning to practically block the path to the formation of a Palestinian state, something that Tel Aviv hardliners dream of. If the Israeli regime takes control of the Jordan Valley, it can continue the settlement development plan and drive the Palestinians out of these areas, and this dangerous project has recently been approved by the Knesset.

Also, the region is of major political, security, and humanitarian significance for Jordan. In addition, it represents cultural integration, especially the common interests of the Jordanian and Palestinian people, and if it is fully occupied, it will seriously threaten Jordan's vital interests in the region. This area was under the complete control of Jordan until the 1967 war, so in case of complete occupation, the Wadi Arabia peace treaty between Jordan and the Israeli regime would collapse. More importantly, if the Israelis occupy this region, it will pave the way for more Israeli aggressions against other Arab lands.

The only important factor that prevents the Israelis from occupying the Jordan Valley is the peace agreement they have signed with Jordan in this regard. According to this treaty, the two sides recognize each other's sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence, and consider international borders, including territorial waters and airspace as borders that cannot be transgressed and should be respected.

With the aim of achieving a comprehensive and permanent solution to all existing water disputes, the two sides have agreed to recognize the fair share of water resources of Jordan River, Yarmouk River, and the underground water of Wadi Araba.

Still, Israel has not been that much committed to the terms of these agreements and Jordan is suffering from a shortage of water. Due to the water crisis, water reaches Jordanian homes only one to two days a week, and residents store water in tanks on their rooftops to last through the weekend with no daily water available.

The official narrative of the Jordanian government about water poverty is that its causes are demographic changes, the effects of climate change, drought and limited water supply options, while experts and water activists doubt the importance of these reasons and believe that this crisis is contrived and caused by the government's negligence to the fact that the share of Jordan's water has been stolen by Israel.

On the other hand, the Jordan Valley is also very important for economic reasons. Having in mind that economic development and prosperity are the pillars of peace, security and harmonious relations between countries and people, the two sides emphasize their mutual desire to promote economic cooperation not only between themselves, but also according to the understandings made.

The Israeli regime has always wanted to have all the virgin areas of the Arab lands around the occupied Palestine under its occupation and strengthen its economic position, and the Jordan Valley is one of these regions for its occupation the Israelis have dreamed from decades.

Given these facts and amid growing resistance in the Jordan Valley, the Israeli government radicals may think about implementing their evil plans they have failed to do due to international opposition.

Birth of new resistance front

One of the biggest worries of the Israelis is Jordan Valley becoming another front against them and ramp up threats against Tel Aviv. Operation in Jordan Valley comes at a situation that the occupation army has suffered heavy defeats from Palestinian resistance groups in the south and has lost the initiative to Lebanon's Hezbollah on the northern front and so Tel Aviv cannot absorb a new front, and this threat is so important for the Israelis that the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army Herzi Halevi is going to decide on the founding a new division to be stationed on the border of Jordan.

If founded, the new division will deploy along hundreds of kilometers of borders with Jordan in Jordan Valley to Beit Shan to Al-Arama region's south to Ramon region.

The new force deployment is aimed at preventing a new front from opening from Jordan. So, Israel intends to watch Jordan border closely and deter any threat to the settlers.

The Israeli authorities, who in recent days have been engulfed with fear of Iran's revenge in response to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, attribute all anti-Israeli developments to Iran and the resistance, and the Jordan Valley operation is no exception.

According to Tel Aviv, Tehran is trying to smuggle advanced weapons and organize militias in this border region. Although these undocumented claims are not true, arming the West Bank is one of the plans of the Islamic Republic to hit the occupation enemy that knows nothing but language of force.

The Israeli army announced on the first day of July that it foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons from Jordan to the West Bank. According to the army's claim, these weapons included 75 assault rifles and dozens of other weapons.

In this situation, the Israeli cabinet has realized the fact that the threats in the domestic front are broadening day by day and they have to think of a solution to deal with this new security threat, but neither the security agreements with Jordan can prevent the spread of the anti-Israeli actions on eastern borders nor Israel has additional forces for deployment to the Jordan borders. So, Tel Aviv is far from being able to block birth of a new front.

Now, Israel is captured in the encirclement of resistance forces in the region and this encirclement tightens day by day, and hence the security challenges and operational surprises grow.