According to a recent report published by MEMRI, “With the conclusion of the fighting between Israel and Hamas, Hizballah and other members of the resistance axis, articles in the Arab media condemned the rhetoric regarding the historic victory over Israel promoted by spokespeople for these organizations.”
By Rachel Avraham
According to a recent report published by MEMRI, “With the conclusion of the fighting between Israel and Hamas, Hizballah and other members of the resistance axis, articles in the Arab media condemned the rhetoric regarding the historic victory over Israel promoted by spokespeople for these organizations. The articles argued that these organizations, far from defeating Israel, actually suffered a crushing defeat in the war, as evident from the heavy damage and losses sustained by them and by and the local populations. They also stated that the outcomes of the war proved that the doctrine of ‘unity of the fronts’ formulated by the Iran-led resistance axis – whereby all the axis members would assist each other in the event of a war against Israel – had collapsed.”
MEMRI added: “The writers described this defeat as another link in the chain of defeats suffered by the Arabs in the wars they have waged against Israel since its establishment under the banner of the “Palestinian cause.” They argued that these defeats are the final nail in the coffin of the Palestinian issue as the foremost cause of the Arab world and are a reflection of Israel’s power in the region. The writers therefore called on those who fought against Israel and on the entire Arab nation to recognize their defeat and dedicate their efforts to developing their countries instead of engaging in futile wars.” MEMRI then goes on to site a number of examples of Arab writers who reject the Hamas narrative.
Lebanese journalist Jean Al-Feghali, chief editor at the LBCI News channel, wrote in the Lebanese daily Nidaa Al-Watan: “…Hamas, which started this war… was defeated in it, and anyone who wants to contest this should examine the balance of gains and losses: the part of Gaza that is aboveground no longer exists; it is completely destroyed; [Hamas’] leaders have been eliminated, from Yahya Sinwar [the architect of the October 7 attack] to Isma’il Haniya… So how can this be considered a victory?
“What is true for Hamas and its ‘victory’ in Gaza is also true for Hizbullah and its ‘victory’ in Lebanon: more than 20 towns and villages on the southern “front” [i.e., on the border with Israel] have been destroyed… Most of Hizbullah’s leaders, from Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, through field commanders, to Radwan Force fighters have been killed, not to mention the [destruction of] the ammunition and missile depots. So how can this be considered a victory?”
“The outcome is ‘a unity of defeats,’ stemming from ‘the unity of the fronts’: Hizbullah has been defeated in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza… The collapse of the ‘unity of the fronts’ is patently evident from the fact that Hizbullah agreed to a ceasefire without conditioning it on a ceasefire in Gaza… So where is the unity of the fronts?”
Khalid bin Hamad Al-Malik, the chief editor of the Saudi government daily Al-Jazirah, likewise came out against the rhetoric of the resistance axis and called on it to acknowledge its defeat. He wrote: “Hamas talks about defeating Israel in [Israel’s] war of extermination. Hizbullah also claims to have defeated Israel in the war, and so do Iran and the Houthis. They [all] deny the blows they have sustained, which have weakened them, and deny their failure to respond in kind. This shallow perception of the outcomes of the war against the Israeli enemy means that the victories are imaginary and have no connection to the course of the war and the results of the Israeli offensive… How did Hamas win if all its commanders in Gaza have been killed, as well as the ones who stayed in Lebanon and Iran[?] Where is the victory, if tens of thousands of Palestinians are dead, wounded or missing[?] How can anyone believe Hamas has won when Israel occupied all of the Gaza Strip after destroying 80 percent of it[?] It is not the weapons of Hamas and the [Palestinian Islamic] Jihad that will force [Israel] to withdraw [from Gaza]. [It will withdraw] in an agreement that will include an arrangement preventing Hamas from returning to its condition before the war.
“The same is true for Hizbullah, which claims to have defeated the Israeli aggression against Lebanon even though Israel has killed all of its leaders, including Secretary-General [Nasrallah], occupied South [Lebanon], destroyed buildings and eliminated [Hizbullah’s] weapons, which were the source of its power. It has [also] prevented future [arms] deliveries from Iran via Syria or via the sea, and now this organization [too] has been forced to accept an agreement that will [preclude it] from returning to its past condition.
“As for Iran, which claims to have withstood the Israeli attacks… we did not see it retaliating in a way that compares with the killing of its leaders and of a guest who was staying in its territory [i.e., Hamas leader Isma’il Haniya, who was killed in Tehran].
“The imaginary victories persist [only] in the minds of those who allow themselves to lie and lie until they eventually believe their own lies, like the Houthis, who launched drones and missiles at Israel that did no significant damage to Israeli [military] bases.”
According to MEMRI, “Some of the writers pointed to the damage and destruction caused to societies and countries in the Arab world by the wars waged over the decades against Israel in the name of the Palestinian cause. Some even argued that these wars not only failed to further the Palestinian issue but actually harmed it and caused it to be marginalized, while Israel managed to establish its legitimacy. The writers called on the Arab countries to recognize their defeat against Israel and focus on internal development.”
Dr. Hani Anouti, a lecturer on Middle East policy, wrote in the Lebanese daily Al-Nahhar: “There is a long history of struggles and victims for the sake of Palestine. Tens of thousands of dead are buried in the ground, and millions of wounded are suffering in ruined cities that have been denied development and peace as a direct or indirect result of the Palestinian and Arab conflict with Israel. This conflict, which is approaching its 100th year, has had negative political, military and security effects on all the countries and peoples of the region…
“In practice, the Palestinians waged only one war against Israel, in 1948… As for the Arab countries, they have jointly waged three wars against Israel. Some of them fought with armies, fire and blood, and others by providing financial, political and diplomatic support. But the result was catastrophic for these countries and their societies, so much so that Egypt [decided to] end the cycle of violence and the erosion of its capabilities and signed the peace agreement with Israel, bravely defying the Arab and Islamic consensus. It [thereby] established the legitimacy of Israel’s existence for the first time in the history of the conflict…
“Unfortunately, the Palestinians are unable to approach this conflict realistically, unlike Israel, which has established its legitimacy and existence through force and diplomacy… No country has managed to achieve in a century what Israel has achieved, transforming from an ostracized and illegitimate state surrounded by powerful enemies into a legitimate and strong state that, along with several other countries, has the power to change the fate of the Middle East.”
