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On January 18, 2021, the Al-Nujaba Islamic resistance movement, an Iraqi, pro-Iranian Shi'ite militia, launched alnujaba.info – a Hebrew-language website. In content and structure, the website is identical to the movement's Persian-language website, alnujaba.ir, and includes translations of reports published on the Persian-language site. Both websites focus on reports about declarations from the movement's leadership against the U.S. and Israel, and translations of studies published in the West about the movement and its activities. The movement's Arabic-language website focuses more on internal Iraqi politics.[1]
It appears that all the websites are operated under the auspices of the movement's Communications and Media Affairs Center in Iran.
The ceremony for the launch of the Hebrew website, which took place in Baghdad, was dubbed "Jerusalem is the Ultimate Goal of the Resistance." It was held on the 12th anniversary of "the victory of the Palestinian resistance over the Zionists," in Gaza.[2] Nasser Al-Shammari, the movement's spokesman and deputy secretary-general and Palestinian Authority (PA) ambassador to Iraq Ahmad 'Aql were both present at the ceremony.
The launch of a Hebrew-language website is an additional step which reflects the desire of Al-Nujaba, which is supported by Iran, to extend the range of its activity and stress its presence and intentions in Palestine.
During the inauguration ceremony for the Hebrew-language website, Nasser Al-Shammari explained the rationale behind its creation: "Previously, we saw the creation of Arabic networks and [web] pages, as well as the emergence of Arabic-speaking speakers by the enemy to sow discord," he said. "Today we use the same weapon to target the enemy that in the past was exclusively in their hands. From now on, we will address the depths of the enemy, including its supporters and popular bases, in order to inform them of all the crises and the terrible future that awaits them… The opportunity for the Zionists is short and now we have entered the process of the decline of that regime. The same path that the martyr Qasem Soleimani drew and the martyr Abu Mahdi Al-Mohandes moved, continues until the liberation of Quds and we go to their houses, where is the source of all conspiracies."
According to Al-Shammari, the Zionist regime and the Americans only understand the language of force, and he states that plans such as the "establishment of two governments" or the "normalization of relations with the Zionist regime" will never be the solution to peace and tranquility in the region, saying that the solution for the region is rather to resist the American and Zionist occupiers.
PA ambassador to Iraq Ahmad 'Aql praised the launch of the Hebrew website, describing it as, "an important step in the fight against the occupying regime in Jerusalem," and adding, "We are used to Israel setting up Arabic-language bases for Arabic-speaking audiences, but this is the first time we have responded to this regime."
The PA ambassador expressed the hope that the Hebrew-language Al-Nujaba website would be successful in transmitting "external facts" to the Israeli community and, on the other hand, would convey the Zionist regime's instability to the Arab community.
Ahmad 'Aql voiced his appreciation of the resistance of the Iraqi people and of the resistance groups against the conspiracy to normalize relations with the Zionist regime and said he considered it valuable help to his Palestinian compatriots.[3]
Nasser Al-Shammari is left of center, and Ahmad 'Aql is right of center (Source: Alnujaba.ir, January 18, 2021)
A video clip published on the occasion of the launch of the website mentions that this is the first time that a group belonging to the Islamic resistance has launched a site in Hebrew "in a direct manner, with no barrier, honestly, face-to-face with the enemy and in a language it understands." According to the clip, the website is meant to expose "the Zionists to all the videos they should see." Addressing the Israeli people at the conclusion of the video, a narrator says, "Your leaders are lying to you. Leave [Israel] or be expelled."[4]
The above images are from the promotional clip for the Hebrew-language Al-Nujaba website (Source: Telegram, January 19, 2021).
As mentioned, the structure and content of the Hebrew-language website are identical to those of the Al-Nujaba Persian-language website and include "News," "Picture," "Video," "Cartoon," and "Graphics" sections. The level of Hebrew is low and there are many syntax errors.
In addition to the words of the PA ambassador to Iraq, both the Hebrew and Persian-language websites published reactions welcoming the launch of the Hebrew-language website from senior members of the resistance factions in the Gaza Strip who also praised the initiative, among them senior Hamas member Mahmoud Al-Zahar who stressed the importance of the support of the Islamic resistance movement, including its members in Iraq, for the resistance in Palestine, regarding dissemination of information, morale and other aspects.[5]
Prior to the creation of the Hebrew-language website the movement's office in Gaza made other efforts to convey an image of the movement as one that is active beyond the Iraqi and Syrian arenas. In June 2020, Al-Nujaba announced that its operatives in Gaza had sent over balloons to Israel with pictures of Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and of Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, deputy chairman of Al-Hashd Al-Sha'abi (Popular Mobilization Units, PMU), who were killed in an American attack on January 3, 2020. In May 2020 the movement published a statement saying that its operatives in Gaza had distributed aid packages to the families of prisoners and martyrs.[6]
[1] On November 4, 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it had seized 27 domain names used unlawfully by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to further a global covert influence campaign. Among the domain names was Alghadeer.tv, which is affiliated with the Al-Ghadeer satellite channel, owned by the Iran-backed Badr Organization. On November 25, 2020, the movement launched a new site in Arabic, see MEMRI Report:
Iran-Backed Al-Nujaba’ Movement Launches New Website In Defiance Of U.S. Scheme To silence The Truth, December 1, 2020.
[2] The reference is to what is known in Israel as Operation Cast Lead and took place in Gaza between December 27, 2008 and January 18, 2009.
[3] The English-language quotations from the speakers' words at the inauguration ceremony were provided on the Al-Nujaba Persian-language website, Alnujaba.ir, January 18, 2021.
[4] Telegram, January 19, 2021.
[5] Alnujaba.info, January 19, 2021.
[6] See MEMRI JTTM Report: Iran-Backed Al-Nujaba’ Movement Releases Balloons With Photos Of ‘Martyrs’ Into Israel, Distributes Food Baskets In Gaza, June 15, 2020.
