Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is really, really trying hard to spin Operation Breaking Dawn as a victory.
The latest delusional logic comes from a Palestine Today interview of PIJ political bureau member Dr. Walid al-Qatati.
“The loss of the martyrs, especially the great leaders, saddens and pains us and leaves a great void for their families and their movement, but this does not affect the course of jihad, but rather increases it strength and vitality. vitality on the march of jihad and resistance until victory," al-Qatati stated.
If killing PIJ leaders strengthens the movement, then by all means, let's continue!
Al Qatati says that Israel tried to drive a wedge between Islamic Jihad, Hamas and ordinary Gazans, but it failed to do so. He doesn't really explain why Hamas didn't join the battle, though, or why even Islamic Jihad never claimed to be acting on behalf of Gazans.
He also claims that Israel is hiding the extent of damage and injuries from Islamic Jihad rockets, because - apparently - Israel controls its media so well.
And what about the accomplishments that Islamic Jihad claimed when the fighting stopped, that Israel agreed to release two prisoners who have not been released? He brushes that aside, saying that Israel is procrastinating, but the battle has achieved the most important goals of hurting Israeli security, the continuation of the flame of jihad and resistance, and the affirmation of the unity of all the battlefields of national struggle in Palestine.
Meanwhile, in the real world, Islamic Jihad officials privately admit that the deaths of their leaders was a major blow to them.
One senior Islamic Jihad leader told AFP that the commanders killed were replaced “within minutes,” but Ahmed al-Mudallal, from the group’s political bureau, acknowledged the impact.“This round was difficult,” he told AFP. “We lost many major military leaders that were important to us.”Mudallal’s son Ziad — an Islamic Jihad officer — was killed alongside senior commander Khaled Mansour in a strike in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah.
