The Israelis continue to wage war in Gaza and repress the West Bank. The latest round of negotiations for a ceasefire have reached an impasse. Add to this the deaths of six of the Israeli hostages in Gaza, protests erupted in Israel. Israeli protestors have taken to the streets and demand that Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu’s government bring the hostages, home. How? Has yet to be answered.
A missile described by the Houthis as a “new hypersonic ballistic missile” was hit by an Israeli interceptor, Israeli military officials said Sunday, after initially saying it got through its defenses and fell in an open area. An Israeli interceptor hit the missile fired into central Israel from Yemen, causing it to fragment, according to Israeli officials. The missile was not destroyed, but caused no damage, the Israeli officials said. “The conclusion into the review of the surface-to-surface missile that was fired this morning is that there was a hit on the target from an interceptor, as a result of which the target fragmented but was not destroyed,” an Israeli military official said in a statement.
Israel it should be clear is biting off more than they can chew with this war. The Zionist occupation forces and powers are sowing the seeds for more enmity. That enmity is now coming back to Israel to be reaped. The Houthis for their part are not lying low but doing everything that is in their power to divert Israeli fire power from Gaza. It appears to be working. The missile fired by the Houthis may not have caused damage or resulted in casualties on the Israeli side but it has also led the Israeli national spirit being shaken. The fact that a Houthi missile could strike deep into Israeli territory would have sent shockwaves through the fabric of the Zionist state.
The Houthi movement confirmed responsibility for a missile attack on Israel on Sunday, saying in a statement posted to social media that the attack targeted “an important military target” in the Tel Aviv region. The Houthi statement said it fired a “new hypersonic ballistic missile” which flew some 1,267 miles in less than 12 minutes. Israeli anti-missile defenses “failed to intercept” the weapon, the statement said. “The Israeli enemy must expect more strikes,” the Houthis added. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed to ABC News that its defenses did not intercept the missile fired from Yemen, which it said “fell in an open area” and caused no casualties.
-ABC News’ Nasser Atta and Jordana Miller
The Houthis may not have succeeded in destroying their intended military target, but their success in penetrating Israeli territory has served as motivation to move forward. The Israelis for their part won’t take this lying down and it remains to be seen how they will respond or retaliate. Israeli civilians would certainly feel threatened by the speed with which the missile hit. The Houthis’ major mistake was to alert the Israelis to future strikes. This will put the Zionist occupiers on high alert. The Palestinians for their part will continue to face the continued bombing by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) with out relent. A Cease fire is still far from being implanted no matter what pressure the delusional Netanyahu faces.
Meanwhile as the Houthis continue their war against Saudi Arabia and fire rockets into Israel, the Muslim World League (MWL) held a Summit in Madrid on a Two State Solution.
In an MWL statement, MWL Secretary General and Chairman of the Association of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al Issa commended the group’s unwavering efforts to alleviate the hardships faced by Palestinians and secure their legitimate rights and independent state. He emphasised the importance of empowering the Palestinian government to fulfil its responsibilities in Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and urged the international community to actively support the two-state solution, including wide recognition of the State of Palestine and its full UN membership. Al Issa also stressed the need for an immediate, unconditional, and unrestricted large-scale delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians by opening all crossings and supporting the work of UNRWA and other UN agencies.
The return of sovereignty and state hood to the Palestinians will be a long and laborious process. Given the cycle of conflict and occupation the Palestinian people have had to face, it will take more than fine words and declarations made on paper to make that dream of statehood a reality. Although Sheikh Dr. Muhammad Al Issa is right to advocate for the MWL on behalf of the Palestinians for the two-state solution this has proven itself to be a long dead proposal. Not even the majority of Israelis support it. It will take the effort to move the masses of heaven and Earth to advocate a ceasefire let alone the two-state solution for Palestine. The only way that it will take for the immediate, unconditional, and unrestricted large-scale delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians of Gaza is through a ceasefire.
Its only a matter of time before the Houthis strike again into Israel. This could lead to an incursion into Yemen by the United States which has the fire power. As regards the Palestinians nothing short of sanctions against Israel can lead to a ceasefire and possible sanctions against the Zionist regime.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
