Zaki Bani Rsheid: Those Dreaming of Gaza Without Hamas-Free Gaza Are Delusional—The West Must Wake Up (Exclusive)

Former Secretary General of the Islamic Action Front in Jordan, Zaki Bani Rsheid, criticized Jordan’s involvement in intercepting Iranian planes and missiles targeting “Israel” in April 2024.

In an interview with Al-Estiklal, Rsheid emphasized that intercepting the attack, which followed the Israeli bombing of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, ultimately benefits “Israel despite being justified as a defensive measure.”

He stressed that the Jordanian popular movement’s reaction to Operation al-Aqsa Flood and the war on Gaza led to tangible results on the ground.

He highlighted that the Palestinian resistance has proven its fighters to be skilled warriors and superior negotiators, noting their success in the early negotiation stages, which led to a partial exchange of prisoners with “Israel.”

Zaki Bani Rsheid (67 years old) is an Islamic leader, Deputy General Supervisor of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, and the former Secretary General of the Islamic Action Front.

Jordan's Stance

• How do you view Jordan's handling of events following Operation al-Aqsa Flood in terms of foreign policy and the internal front?

While Jordan's stance is relatively more progressive than that of most Arab countries, its official position on the Palestinian issue is influenced by several factors, primarily its relationship with the United States.

Jordan receives approximately $1.5 billion annually in U.S. aid, in return for influence, privileges, and the safeguarding of U.S. interests in the region, including the establishment of several military bases and the provision of logistical facilities.

Additionally, the stance is shaped by the unique Jordanian-Palestinian relationship at both the official and popular levels. The Palestinian issue is central to Jordan for historical, social, and political reasons, and vital interests such as the refugee issue, borders, Jordanian custodianship over Jerusalem, and the increasing number of Jordanians of Palestinian origin.

Moreover, there are genuine Zionist threats to the future of the Jordanian state, such as the project to displace Palestinians from the West Bank and the concept of an alternative homeland.

One of the key factors is the 1994 Wadi Araba Treaty between Jordan and the Israeli entity, which established political, diplomatic, and security relations, as well as limiting Jordan's dealings with the Palestinian Authority and the faction led by Mohammed Dahlan, who resides in the UAE.

Further, Jordan aligns with regional and international efforts to find a political solution based on the two-state solution.

Due to these considerations, Jordan's official stance involves engaging with the Palestinian Authority as the sole representative of the Palestinian people, seeking to halt Israeli aggression on Gaza, and striving to establish a Palestinian state alongside “Israel” while providing some humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Given these constraints, this is all Jordan can do, resulting in its lack of engagement with Palestinian resistance movements. This is also due to the differing political agendas of these factions compared to those of Arab and international regimes.

Popular Movement

• How do you assess the Jordanian popular movement regarding the war on Gaza?

At the popular level, all opinion polls, media platforms, positions of Jordanian parties, civil society organizations, and popular activities confirm and support the resistance and Operation al-Aqsa Flood.

The first popular reaction globally emerged in Amman, specifically on October 7, near the Israeli embassy.

Subsequent popular activities were initiated by the Jordan National Alliance to support the Resistance, which includes the Islamic movement, several political parties, national figures, and civil society organizations across the country and in all governorates.

The popular movement expressed solidarity with the Palestinian resistance and condemnation of Israeli aggression, exerting pressure on the official side to take positive steps on political, diplomatic, and media levels.

Popular committees succeeded in collecting donations to aid the people of Gaza, with outstanding efforts and encouraging results. This led to the recall of the Jordanian ambassador from Tel Aviv and the delivery of aid convoys to Gaza.

• How do you view the Jordanian authorities' response to this movement?

Notably, officials' statements, including those from the Foreign Minister, reflected the sentiments of the Jordanian street by condemning the aggression and holding it responsible for the events, but the duty towards the Palestinian cause demands much more.

Regarding the authorities' handling of this movement, they adhere to their political calculations and constraints as a state operating within a defined framework.

The reality now is that the positions of regimes rarely align with those of the people, except in minor, occasional instances.

The state may be compelled to make sympathetic statements or otherwise, but it remains under the umbrella of its foreign relations, international commitments, and security arrangements, whether these are in favor of the cause or not.

Iran and Hamas

• What is your opinion on Jordan's response to the confrontation between Israel and Iran in April?

Contrary to the popular stance, which supports any action targeting the Israeli enemy, Jordan's use of its airspace to intercept Iranian missiles and drones, under the pretext of protecting its sovereignty, ultimately served the interests of Israel, regardless of the motivations behind it.

It would have been better not to intervene in this manner, especially since American and British military bases participated in engaging the Iranian projectiles.

While it is true that any country has standards and regulations for dealing with airspace breaches, in this particular situation, Jordan remaining silent or neutral and not intervening would not have caused any problems for Jordan. This intervention served Israel more than it protected Jordanian airspace.

• What is the importance of the relationship between Hamas and Jordan, especially considering the movement's role in countering the alternative homeland project?

In short, the relationship with Hamas is a significant Jordanian interest. The movement opposes displacement and the alternative homeland concept and represents the future of the Palestinian cause.

Resistance movements typically represent the future of just causes in any conflict. From this perspective, strengthening ties with the resistance is an important Jordanian interest.

Resistance and Negotiations

• How do you view the performance of the Palestinian resistance regarding prisoner exchange negotiations?

The truth is that the negotiations have demonstrated that Hamas members are professional fighters and superior negotiators.

Starting from Operation al-Aqsa Flood, the United States incited and encouraged Israel to respond without any considerations, aiming to ultimately force Hamas to comply with all the demands of the Israeli entity and the United States.

However, when we examine what happened, we find that the resistance often had the upper hand in the negotiations, especially in the initial stages of the confrontation. This indicated that the White House's bet on breaking the resistance's strength was a losing one.

The United States gave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu carte blanche and ensured him a safety net in international forums.

The American rhetoric was that those who cannot be tamed must be dismantled; those who resist subjugation must face intimidation. Anyone not with America and Israel is deemed a terrorist and an enemy of life, hope, and the future, and must be eliminated.

Yes, the Israeli response to Operation al-Aqsa Flood was violent, harsh, and destructive. But it is also true that Gaza was different.

Despite the pain, suffering, and betrayal, Gaza emerged from the destruction, tears, blood, and ruins, resilient against intimidation, rebelling against taming, and standing firm against dismantling. It fought with exceptional heroism and a superior spirit of sacrifice, astonishing the enemy and bringing comfort to the hearts of the believers.

If we consider the first truce, during which there was an exchange of prisoners, we will understand that the resistance successfully leveraged the results of the war despite its severe suffering.

It also exposed Israel globally and released prisoners who smiled and told the world how the resistance treated them. In the same situation, we realized we were facing a new Palestinian who resisted and negotiated to claim his rights with professionalism.

• Has the Western World Awoken to grant rights to Palestinians?

I believe that the desire for the complete removal of Israeli occupation from Palestinian land is not an accusation but a duty and honor. Those who wagered on Israel have lost their bet.

The West must understand that new realities are emerging, and that if Israel cannot protect itself, it is even less capable of safeguarding Western interests.

The interests of Western peoples do not lie with the Israeli Occupation state. Israel has become a burden for those who support and side with it. Anyone dreaming of a post-Hamas Gaza has failed.

The new maps of the Middle East will not be drawn by Zionist aggression but by resistance. This may be a beautiful dream, but it is achievable and closer than ever.