‘Ceterum censeo Carthaginem delendam esse’: Gaza, like Carthage

“Furthermore, I consider Carthage to need to be destroyed,” repeated Cato the Elder. Gaza is jihad’s foothold, our Carthage. We have no other choice.

The winner in a conflict is the one who better understands the enemy’s ultimate goals and worldview, his aspirations and priorities.

What is Gaza for Israel?

For the average Israeli, thinking within the framework of a rational Western worldview (I am not talking about leftist inversions), Gaza is a bridgehead controlled by a hostile force, Hamas. So it is necessary to weaken Hamas as much as possible and control it through its proxies (such as Mohammed Dahlan) with the support of moderate Arab states, or contain it directly through a military administration.

What is Gaza for Islam in general, and for the local Arab population in particular?

Gaza, in their view, is the sacred land of Ribat, a stronghold, a “vigilant watch” or citadel of an even “greater Ribat” – Arḍ al-Ribat (“Land of Ribat”) – Palestine. They are guided not by politics, but by sacred precepts that they must strictly follow.

The Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research, to which I will refer, thus defines the significance of the Gaza Strip:

“Whether in honoring the Prophet’s lineage or serving as a strategic stronghold for the defense of Muslim lands, Gaza boasts a history steeped in nobility, virtue, and honor.”

The different aspects of Gaza’s importance to Arabs and to Islam are then highlighted.

• Gaza is sacral land. It is the resting place for many noble Islamic figures throughout history.

Islamic figures buried in Gaza are listed: “Amr ibn ʿAbd Manāf, …the grandfather of Prophet Muhammad, …some of Hāshim’s relatives from the Banū ʿAmr ibn Kinānah tribe, noble descendant of Ḥāshim, the esteemed scholar and founder of the Shāfiʿī school of thought, Imām al-Shāfiʿī.”

“In this vein, Gaza has continued to honor the Prophet’s lineage, becoming known among Muslims as Gaza-Hāshim.”

It is emphasized that “Gaza played a pivotal role as a hub for Arab trade expeditions.”

• This is Ribat, the territory of “jihad,” which includes Ashkelon.

“A selection of hadiths also extol Ashkelon (ʿAsqalān), a city now located 13 kilometers north of the border with the Gaza Strip. Such hadiths commend the city for being dedicated to defending Muslim lands, an endeavor known as ribāṭ.

The Prophet was reported to have said,

“So, upon you is jihād, and indeed, the best of your jihād is ribāṭ, and the best of your ribāṭ is in Ashkelon.”

Major Islamic figures who visited Ashkelon or were buried there are listed.

It is emphasized: “The aim of ribāṭ is to safeguard Muslim lands and honor.”

“Al-Bukhārī (d. 256/870) titled one of the chapters in his collection “A Chapter on the Merit of Performing Ribāṭ for One Day for the Sake of Allah and on Allah’s Saying, ‘You who believe, preserve, endure, and be ready (rābiṭū).’”

• Gaza is defined as a springboard for the conquest of the Levant (al-Sham), which comprises areas in Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

“Аl-Shām plays a pivotal role as the prophesied location for significant events at the end of time, including the descent of Prophet Jesus (AS) and the demise of al-Dajjāl, as indicated in several hadiths.” (Al-Dajjāl is associated with the West, and of course with the “Zionists.” – A.M.)

“The Prophet’s companion, ʿAbdullāh ibn Ḥawālah, narrated that the Prophet said,

The matter will come to the point where you will be enlisted as soldiers: a group in al-Shām, a group in Yemen, and a group in Iraq.”

In other words, in the collective consciousness of Muslims, the fate of Gaza is closely linked to the fulfillment of Qur’anic prophecies. This, and not just Iranian ambitions, whims, or posturing, is what motivates Yemeni Houthis and Iraqi militants to fire on Israel. It is a religious imperative.

For Israel, this means only one thing: if we do not destroy Gaza, Gaza will destroy us. Ashkelon, Tel Aviv and, of course, Jerusalem will follow.

Therefore, it is not enough to simply try to control Gaza. Most of the population of the Strip firmly believes that Gaza is the chosen “Land of Jihad” (the citadel of an even “Greater Ribat” – Arḍ al-Ribat) to conquer the vicious Zionist entity cursed by Allah.

This leaves Israel with no choice. Many of the Gazans must be resettled in other countries: perhaps in Africa. After October 7, there were plans to resettle them in the Congo and Rwanda for a significant reward, but under pressure from the Bidenites, those plans were curtailed.

With the arrival of the Trump administration, those plans should be fully restored, and a significant part of Gaza will be populated by Jewish communities.

Ceterum censeo Carthaginem delendam esse (“Furthermore, I consider Carthage to need to be destroyed”), repeated Cato the Elder. Otherwise, he warned, Carthage will destroy Rome.

We have no other choice.

Alexander Maistrovoy is a graduate of Moscow Univ. in Journalism, worked there in his field and made aliyah in 1988. He works at the Russian language newspaper Novosty Nedely, has had articles posted on many internet sites and authored “Ways of God” about different religious and ethnic groups in the Holy Land, Agony of Hercules or a Farewell to Democracy (Notes of a Stranger), and with Mark Kotliarsky the Russian book Jewish Atlántida.