One of the articles published on the website of the Qatari Al-Jazeera network on the occasion of Ramadan is headlined “How the Palestinian Resistance Turned Ramadan into the Season of Attacks and Victories.” Written by ‘Adnan Abu ‘Amer, a Palestinian Political Science lecturer at Al-Ummah University in Gaza, the article notes that, throughout Muslim history, Ramadan has always been the month of jihad and victory, and that the Palestinian terror organizations “take advantage of the spiritual atmosphere” during this month, and of the heritage of the Muslims battles and victories that took place during this month throughout Muslim history, to step up their jihad against Israeli targets.[1]
Abu ‘Amer lists a long line of deadly attacks by the Palestinian terror organizations – against both soldiers and civilians, including suicide bombings – that were deliberately carried out during Ramadan due to the month’s special character. He also mentions the Israel-Gaza war of July 2014, which likewise coincided with Ramadan, and which he says serves as a model for resistance groups to this day because it included “the most prominent acts of heroism by the resistance in the history of Palestine and the conflict with the occupation.” He adds that the Israeli security apparatuses are aware that, on Ramadan, the Palestinian organizations are especially motivated to carry out attacks and therefore prepare for it in advance.
The following are translated excerpts from his article.[2]
“The Palestinian resistance takes advantage of the spiritual atmosphere in the month of Ramadan to raise the morale of its members and step up their activity, a fact that Israel’s security and military apparatuses take into account each year as this month approaches. The history of the Palestinian resistance shows that it has often chosen to carry out its harsh operations and attacks against the Israeli occupation in the month of Ramadan, thanks to the [special] tactical and ritual role of this month, exemplified by famous battles in Islamic history. Below I will use a question-and-answer format to review the most prominent attacks carried out by the Palestinian resistance in the recent months and the losses they inflicted on the occupation, [and explain] why [the resistance] deliberately chose to carry out these armed attacks during Ramadan…
“What Ramadan victories are etched in the Palestinian memory?
“The Palestinian [custom] of mobilizing for operations and intensifying them in the month of Ramadan is inspired by [Islamic] history, which is replete with wars and conquests that took place during this month, because the Muslims clearly made special efforts to carry out attacks then. Prominent among these attacks were the Battle of Badr,
[3] the conquest of Mecca,
[4] the conquest of Andalusia,
[5] the Battle of Tours,
[6] the Battle of ‘Ain Jalut,
[7] and the October/Ramadan War [between Israel and the Arabs in 1973]. All these [battles] are a source of inspiration for the Palestinian resistance.
“Every year, at the beginning of Ramadan, the military branches of the Palestinian resistance factions stress that this is a [special] month, in which the jihad fighters pray during the daytime and defend their Palestinian homeland during the night. It is a month marked by outstanding Muslim victories, and the month during which the resistance carried out [its] most impressive wars of heroism and sacrifice.
“Does the resistance regard Ramadan as an opportunity to intensify its activity?
“It is the custom of the resistance to step up its activity during Ramadan, and the Israeli security apparatuses have always made a point of warning that Ramadan is a month of warfare and resistance operations. The Ramadan atmosphere increases the readiness for sacrifice, due to its religious and psychological effect, which is automatically felt by the resistance fighters. Consequently, Ramadan always sees an increase in the resistance against the occupation…
“How does the Israeli occupation prepare for Ramadan?
“Every year, when Ramadan approaches, the Israeli security apparatuses and the occupation army start to tighten procedures and try to prevent the resistance from carrying out operations by increasing the arrests and deploying additional forces on the main roads. But the result is that the resistance maintains the [regular] pace of its operations or even increases it. The occupation forces and security apparatuses regard Ramadan every year as the season in which the resistance increases its motivation to carry out attacks against Israelis. This is because Ramadan is the month of jihad and victories in Islamic history, and there is apparently greater readiness for self-sacrifice during this month, which increases the Israelis’ security concerns.”
