(JNS) Bassem Eid - The terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a militant faction capable of immense violence, operates under the command and control of the world's top terror sponsor - the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has provided the group "millions of dollars in direct funding, as well as training and weapons." PIJ's goal is to replace Israel with an Islamic theocracy. In 1981, PIJ's founders were expelled from Egypt after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat by the related Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ). EIJ, under the leadership of Ayman al-Zawahiri, merged with al-Qaeda in 1998. Iran began funding PIJ via incentive payments for successful terror attacks in 2000. Starting in the 1990s, PIJ became a pioneer of modern suicide bombing. During the second intifada of 2000-2005, PIJ carried out more than 400 attacks in which 134 Israelis were killed and 880 injured. PIJ is used by Iran as a pawn in a global war on free nations. Faced with such a fierce foe and its dangerous patron, Israel has no choice but to defend itself. The writer is a Jerusalem-based Palestinian political analyst and human rights pioneer.
2022-08-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive