On Friday, the Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement, Ziad al-Nakhala, condemned "Arab attempts to normalize relations with Israel," while the movement organized events in Palestinian territories and neighboring countries amidst Israeli efforts to reach peace with Saudi Arabia. In a speech via a video clip, al-Nakhala stated, "Those who rush to normalize with the Israeli project must understand, and they know, that it is an acknowledgment from them that Palestine is not ours, and that Jerusalem with its mosque is not ours."
The video clip was presented to demonstrators in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria, who were celebrating the 36th anniversary of the movement's establishment. Armed and masked activists in military attire participated in the march in Gaza. Organizers placed large flags of Israel and the United States on the ground, which participants stomped on upon reaching the gathering point in an open square.
Al-Nakhala also condemned the Palestinian Authority, which emerged from the Oslo Accords 30 years ago and exercises limited authority in the occupied West Bank, where its security forces briefly clashed with Islamic Jihad militants during a large gathering in Tulkarm. He remarked, "Israel kills us with American weapons, and what is called our security forces pursue and arrest us by American-Israeli decision as well," calling for the Palestinian Authority to release all Palestinian activists detained by them.
He affirmed that "our resistance continues and that the Islamic Jihad movement, which stems from the spirit of Islam, is still on its path, compromising and will not succumb to illusions." The Palestinian Islamic Jihad has engaged in repeated battles with Israeli forces over the past few years, consistently rejecting any political settlement. The movement is headquartered in the Gaza Strip, controlled by its rival Hamas, and also has offices in Beirut and Damascus.
