GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Within the last month, the Islamic Jihad has organized more than nine rallies in the Gaza Strip in support of the intifada that began in early October in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. In the past, the movement had typically organized rallies with other Palestinian factions, such as Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The current rallies organized independently are not part of a military initiative or a border confrontation, but in fact go beyond any demarcation line of Israeli forces in supporting and energizing the intifada from afar. For instance, one rally was called Hebron Martyrs’ Friday, which is also reflective of the group's adopted practice of individually naming marches held every Friday.
Khaled al-Batsh, an Islamic Jihad leader, told Al-Monitor, “There is no confrontation along the occupation lines in the Gaza Strip, unlike in the West Bank, as we do not have checkpoints such as Tulkarm and Tarqumia [where confrontations are taking place]. We consider our movement to be political, not military.”
