What harm did the “Al-Aqsa storm” bring to the Zionists?/ The eight consequences

Mehr News, International Group: “When the cruelty and crime have exceeded the limits, when the rapacity has reached its limit, one should wait for the storm”. Al-Aqsa storm operation was born in such conditions. As the supreme leader of the revolution described, this calamity was caused by the actions of the Zionists themselves.

One ​​year has passed since that historical day that divided the world system into before and after. Today, more than 41,000 people have been martyred in Gaza, but many Palestinians living in Gaza still believe that there was no other option but to carry out this operation. According to a survey by the Palestinian Policy Research Center, two-thirds of Palestinians living in Gaza support this operation. Along with all the bitterness, October 7 also had positive consequences.

Destroying the myth of impenetrability

Perhaps the most important achievement of Al-Aqsa storm operation is that October 7 shattered the long-standing image of invincibility and impenetrability of the Zionist regime. This event showed that the regime can no longer predict the attacks of resistance groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah or have an adequate deterrence against these attacks. The deterrence equation in the region has finally changed; The path that was continued later with the operations of Sadeq 1 and 2. The previous approach, which emphasized short-term military interactions, may no longer be applicable given the current security landscape.

Expansion of insecurity throughout the occupied territories

The second positive consequence can be seen in the insecurity of the occupied territories. The greatest concern was about the living conditions and security of the residents of the occupied territories and illegal settlements in the north, but today the fear has taken root deep in the lives of the residents of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The Zionist regime intended to return the residents of the north of the occupied territories who fled the terror of the war to their homes, and today nowhere is safe. More than 550,000 Israelis emigrated from the occupied territories in the first six months of the war. These migrations caused a 285% increase in the departure of Israelis from the occupied territories. Also, the departure of wealthy immigrants and investors from Israel caused Israel to leave the list of countries that attract wealthy immigrants for the first time.

Thirdly, this operation, as a symbol of Palestinian resistance against the occupation of the Zionist regime, strengthened national identity and increased solidarity among Palestinians. This action showed that the resistance is still alive and can stand against the aggression of the Zionist regime.

Change security equations

The fourth positive consequence is that the Al-Aqsa storm operation changed the military and security equations by penetrating deep into Israel and attacking Zionist settlements. This operation showed that the Palestinian resistance is able to effectively infiltrate into the occupied territories and challenge the security of this regime.

Attracting the attention of the world public opinion to Palestine can also be considered as the fifth achievement of Al-Aqsa storm. This operation caused the Palestinian issue to be at the top of the international news once again and drew the world’s attention to the situation of the Palestinian people and the crimes of Israel. The image of the demonstrations of several hundred thousand people from New York to London is the manifestation of this global awakening.

According to a new opinion poll by Quinnipiac University, 52% of young Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 have declared that they sympathize with the Palestinians. This statistic has changed significantly compared to October. Also, in this survey, it was found that 66% of young people under the age of 34 in America are strongly critical of Israel’s attacks on Gaza.

According to a new survey of the people of 16 Arab countries, 89 percent of the respondents of the Arab world are against the recognition of Israel. Not only does this figure represent a near-unanimous position against normalization in the Arab world, it also represents a 5 percent increase in opposition to Israel compared to the 2022 poll, where 84 percent opposed recognizing Israel. In the latest survey by the Ugav Institute about the support of British citizens for suspending the export of some weapons to Israel, nearly 50% of the people of this country supported this idea.

Severe economic blow to Zionists

But this is not the whole story and the economy of the Zionist regime was seriously damaged as a result of this operation. According to the data provided by Gideon Gilbert, the CEO of Eilat Port, the port has not seen any activity or income in the last 8 months, and the attacks of Yemeni forces in the Red Sea have reduced the traffic of ships by 85%. Also, Israel’s budget deficit reached 8.1% or 41 billion dollars, which was more than double the forecasts. The war in Gaza has cost Israel about $63 billion, and inflation in Israel reached its highest level since October 7 at 3.6 percent. The closure of businesses in 2024 in Israel reached more than 60,000. Samsung Next closed its office in Israel and more than 40,000 jobs in Israel were closed.

India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), which is known as the Arab-Mediterranean Corridor due to the leading role of the Zionist regime in its promotion and cooperation with some Arab countries along the Persian Gulf. It is a planned economic corridor that aims at development and economic integration in Asia, the Persian Gulf and Europe, and its proposed route is India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Greece. This major project has been significantly delayed due to the continuation of Israel’s war against Gaza. The condition of the corridor depends on the improvement of the relations between the Zionist regime and Saudi Arabia, and with the escalation of the conflict between Tel Aviv and Gaza, the future of this project is bleak.

Some analysts describe Israel’s war against Gaza as a major obstacle to India’s economic and strategic ambitions against China (if successful in advancing this corridor). A problem that has disappointed some big Indian investors to develop this corridor.

Failure to extend normalization

It is impossible to talk about the positive consequences of the Al-Aqsa storm and not mention the failure of the ambitious peace plan of Abraham and the normalization of relations between some Arab countries and the Zionist regime. According to Fred Kemp, head of the Atlantic Council think tank, there is no chance for this plan to succeed. Interestingly, the terrible crimes of America and the Zionist regime in Gaza have awakened some supporters of the normalization of relations in Islamic countries. For example, Dr. Osama al-Ghazali, one of the biggest defenders of the normalization of relations with the Zionist regime in Egypt, apologized to the people of Egypt and to the martyrs of Gaza because of his support for normalization. He said: “I apologize for my good opinion towards the Israelis who revealed their hateful, criminal and racist spirit in this war.

Furthermore, the public opinion in the Arab world is strongly against the recognition of the Zionist regime. Not long ago, the Doha Institute published a survey in which the people of 14 Arab countries were asked to what extent they agree with the establishment of relations with the Zionist regime. In this survey, 90% of the people of Tunisia, 92% of the people of Iraq, 87% of the people of Qatar, 84% of the people of Egypt, 85% of the people of Kuwait, 84% of the people of Lebanon and 94% of the people of Jordan, which borders Israel, opposed this issue. . Even in Morocco, whose government has had diplomatic relations with the Zionist regime since 2020, more than two-thirds of its people are against establishing relations with the illegitimate Zionist regime. Another reliable survey also shows that only two percent of the residents of Saudi Arabia support the normalization of relations with the Zionist regime.

The eighth positive consequence of Al-Aqsa storm is the increase of public dissatisfaction with the government in the occupied territories. According to a poll by Israel’s Channel 12, which was conducted 8 months later on October 7, the overwhelming majority of Israeli settlers want Netanyahu to step down from the position of prime minister. 44% want Netanyahu’s immediate resignation. 28% believe he should leave after the end of the war. Even half of the supporters of the government are in favor of Netanyahu leaving before the end of his term. Also, 39% of settlers consider Netanyahu to be the main culprit of the October 7 security failure. This survey also shows that 64 percent of Israelis support the ceasefire agreement with Hamas for the release of Zionist prisoners.

Summary

Today, support for the Zionist regime continues, especially at the level of leaders and decision-makers of Western and Arab countries, but this support is no longer free. The issue of the mountain war has become one of the most serious concerns of the voters of the American elections, and this indicates that millions of dollars spent by the Zionist regime over the years for public diplomacy and improving its image have been wasted. During the recent decades, the Zionist regime sought to establish its presence in the region and the world, but now, thanks to the Al-Aqsa storm, it has returned to 75 years ago and is fighting for its existence and life.

Ilham Abedini; Researcher of international relations