Hamas denies launching the "Al-Aqsa Flood" in retaliation for "Qassem Soleimani"

The Hamas movement denied that the “Al-Aqsa Flood” attack against Israel last October 7 was part of “revenge for the assassination of Iranian Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani,” reiterating that the aggression against the Palestinians and Al-Aqsa Mosque was at the forefront of the operation’s motives.

On Wednesday, Hamas denied that the “Al-Aqsa Flood” attack against Israel last October 7 was part of “revenge operations for the assassination of the former commander of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Qassem Soleimani.”

This came in response to statements by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard spokesman, Brigadier General Ramadan Sharif, in which he claimed that “the Al-Aqsa flood was one of the retaliatory operations” for the killing of Soleimani in an American air strike near Baghdad in 2020.

In a statement, Hamas reaffirmed "repeatedly" the motives and reasons for Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, foremost among which are the dangers threatening Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The movement stressed that all Palestinian resistance actions "come in response to the presence of the occupation and its continued aggression against our people and our sanctities."

Sharif said in statements reported by the Iranian Mehr Agency, “The Al-Aqsa flood was one of the retaliatory operations taken by the axis of resistance against the Zionists for the martyrdom of Major General Soleimani.”

He added: "The Zionists lost more than 200 leaders and more than 1,500 were killed in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. These numbers are for a regime that claims to be invincible through military operations, and that is an indication of its demise."

In response to "daily Israeli attacks against the Palestinian people and their sanctities, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque," on October 7, the Hamas movement launched the "Al-Aqsa Flood" attack against Israeli military bases and settlements in the vicinity of Gaza.

In the attack, Hamas killed about 1,200 Israelis and captured about 240, exchanging about 110 of them with Israel, which detains more than 7,800 Palestinians in its prisons, during a truce that lasted a week until December 1, with Qatari-Egyptian-American mediation.

Pressure and millions of dollars How does Israel interfere in the American elections?

The Zionist lobby is striving to interfere in the upcoming American elections, to remove voices supporting Palestine, especially after some Democratic representatives criticized the massacres being committed in Gaza, and this is not the first time that Israel has sought to interfere in these elections.

As the United States enters the general election race, with its final round expected to be decided in November 2024, the Zionist lobby in the country is intensifying its efforts, in order to ensure the rise of candidates supporting Israel, and to get rid of names known for their advocacy of the Palestinian cause.

The Zionist lobby in America uses the tool of defamation and money in order to achieve these goals. This is not the first time that Israel has interfered in American elections, and for decades, this lobby, known as AIPAC, has represented one of the powerful players in political calculations in Washington.

How does Israel interfere in the American elections?

Many media reports revealed that the Zionist lobby in the United States, led by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, known as AIPAC, launched a massive campaign to influence the votes of American voters and prevent the rise of politicians known for opposing occupation policies.

The British newspaper The Guardian said that the Zionist lobby in America has launched a slander campaign against progressive Democratic candidates who support Palestine, in addition to supporting candidates who challenge them in the primary elections. The newspaper added that this lobby "has pumped tens of millions of dollars into this campaign."

In another report , The New Arab newspaper wrote that AIPAC has allocated about $100 million as a budget for this campaign, which “mainly” targets progressive Democrats, such as “Jamal Bowman, Cori Bush, Summer Lee, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib,” in addition to To "Republican Thomas Massie because of the latter's 'no' vote on multiple resolutions related to the war (in Gaza)."

At a time when recent opinion polls revealed that 66% of Americans support a ceasefire in Gaza, including 80% of Democrats. According to observers, AIPAC seeks to target progressive representatives to make them an example for those who are entitled to oppose Israeli policies in the future.

Conor Farrell, president of the American progressive group Left Rising, said : “In this election, AIPAC wants to make clear that no one is safe from their wrath, and that if you speak out you will be targeted, regardless of how popular you are or how many legislative sessions you have elected.” In which".

On the other hand, “The New Republic” website suggested that the campaign launched by the Zionist lobby “is just the beginning of a very turbulent battle,” as “its major political action committees, AIPAC, are also expected to pump huge funds in order to prevent the election of representatives who were They are clear in their opposition to the Israeli occupation.”

As one of the most prominent events of this campaign, American businessman Linden Nelson contacted Democratic Senate candidate Hill Harper, offering him $20 million in exchange for him abandoning his first candidacy and running instead for the House of Representatives for the 12th District of Michigan, in order to remove Representative Rashida Tlaib.

Politico magazine was the first to uncover the case on November 22, citing a source close to the Democratic candidate. Then, Harper said in a tweet : “I did not want this private call to go public, but since it did, here is the truth: one of AIPAC’s largest donors offered me $20 million in exchange for running against Rashida Tlaib.”

A few days later, the Democratic candidate, Nasser Baydoun, said that he had received the same offer from the same lobby and for the same purpose. Baydoun published a video clip on Monday in which he said that he had received an offer of $20 million in exchange for “giving up running for the Senate and running against my friend Rashida Tlaib.”

It is not Israeli intervention!

The upcoming elections are not an exception in terms of the Israeli lobby’s interference in them, despite the exceptional climate in which they come with the continuation of one of the bloodiest wars waged by the occupation against Gaza.

According to the American linguist and thinker Noam Chomsky, Israel’s interference in the American elections is frequent and very widespread. In his statements in 2018, Chomsky said, “If you are concerned about foreign interference in our elections, then everything the Russians have done hardly has any weight compared to what another country is doing, publicly, brazenly, and with tremendous support This country is Israel.”

The American libertarian thinker added, "Israeli interference in the American elections largely overshadows anything the Russians may do, and may reach the point where the Prime Minister of Israel, Netanyahu, goes directly to Congress, without even informing the president." In reference to what happened in 2015 between President Obama and Netanyahu.

In its report , the American website “The Intercept” revealed, in an article published on Monday, explaining AIPAC’s efforts to restrict and remove progressive representatives who oppose Israel’s policy, since the progressive wing of the Democratic Party entered Congress.

The American website quoted a previous statement by AIPAC President Howard Kohr to the Washington Post, in which he said: “We are seeing more outspoken critics of the relationship between the United States and Israel, who have influence in the discussion, so we must respond to the rise of the vocal minority.” From the far left of the Democratic Party.

The Intercept says that AIPAC spent more than $30 million during 2020 to harass progressive representatives, such as Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

During the midterm congressional elections in November 2022, the Israeli lobby pumped about 70 million US dollars, in order to prevent the election of representatives opposed to Israel, according to what the “Americans for Justice in Palestine” organization revealed .