Yahya Sinwar: Iconic leader of Palestine's freedom struggle has Netanyahu in a corner 

By Iqbal Jassat 

Haunted by the memory of the release of Yahya Sinwar 13 years ago, on October 18, 2011, along with more than a thousand Palestinian prisoners in exchange for an Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, the corrupt war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu faces the biggest nightmare of his political career.

Shalit was captured in a daring raid from his military base in the occupied territories by Hamas resistance operatives. Following protracted negotiations that saw Hamas gain the upper hand, Netanyahu succumbed by signing off the deal, which his partners viewed as "lopsided". 

In a cruel twist of irony, Sinwar who had been sentenced to four life terms and had been behind bars for 22 years, is now the head of Hamas leading the resistance against Netanyahu’s genocide in Gaza. 

And as fate would have it, Netanyahu faces severe embarrassment and ignominy knowing that his mortal enemy, whom he had vowed to eliminate, is on the opposite end of the current ceasefire negotiations - in full control of Hamas' narrative, the just and legitimate narrative. 

One Israeli journalist underscored the shame and obvious mortification of Netanyahu, saying Netanyahu would have had fewer problems with a deal if Sinwar was "not still on the run in the Gaza underworld". 

In other words, at the end of 10 horrific months of relentless savagery that has resulted in the loss of more than 40,000 Palestinian lives - mainly women, children, and the old - Netanyahu and his criminal gang of warlords have failed miserably to achieve any political or military goals apart from pulverizing civilians and the Gaza Strip as a whole. 

A PR disaster indeed for the apartheid settler colonial entity, whose decades of investment in projecting its image as a "caring nation" having the "most moral army in the world" is completely exposed.

The much-vaunted "total victory" of "defeating Hamas" and "freeing the hostages", was an unrealistic and unattainable military objective as has been proven by the resilience of the resistance led by Sinwar. 

Far from being unfairly depicted by Israeli "hasbarists" (propagandists) as a "monster", Sinwar enjoys the iconic status of a revolutionary leader among Arab masses and many social justice activists across the world.

David Remnick, editor of the New Yorker, commenting on the life of Sinwar, wrote that he regarded Israeli prison as an “academy,” a place to learn the language, psychology, and history of the enemy. 

He added that like many other Palestinians designated as “security prisoners,” Sinwar became fluent in Hebrew and consumed Israeli newspapers and radio broadcasts, along with books about Zionist theorists, politicians, and intelligence chiefs.

Despite the length of his incarceration, he was preparing for his release and the resumption of armed resistance against the Zionist occupation.

Born in 1962, Sinwar grew up in a large family in the Khan Younis refugee camp in southern Gaza.

Much like how Nelson Mandela's biography was secretly written while he was imprisoned in Robben Island and the concealed pages smuggled out, Sinwar's life of struggle against Zionism can be found in an autobiographical novel that he wrote in 2004, while still in prison, called “Al-Shawk wa’l Qurunful” (translated as “The Thorn and the Carnation”).

Remnick wrote that fellow prisoners “worked like ants” to smuggle out his manuscript and “bring it into the light,” according to the preface. 

As is the norm among hypocritical corporates fearful of being blackmailed as "antisemites", Sinwar's much sought-after novel translated into English was removed from bookshelves. 

In his detailed article, Remnick pointed out that up to and until last December, Amazon had the English version on offer, but removed it after "several pro-Israel groups took offense and warned Jeff Bezos that selling it could be a violation of British and U. S. antiterrorism laws...” 

Operation Al-Aqsa Storm has been described as the most devastating attack on the Zionist entity since the 1967 war. Not only has it shaken the occupiers to the core with thousands upon thousands fleeing, but it has galvanized global solidarity for Palestine's freedom struggle in unprecedented ways. 

Hamas “remains steadfast in the battlefield and in politics,” Osama Hamdan, spokesperson for the group, was quoted as saying recently. “The person leading today is the one who led the fighting for more than 305 days and is still steadfast in the field.”

Iqbal Jassat is an executive member of Media Review Network, Johannesburg, South Africa.

(The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Press TV)

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