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September 20, 2004
Hamas - Terrorism Supports Terrorism
Day after day, month after month, year after year and death after death, Israel continues to do battle with the terrorist group Hamas. Although on the US and EU lists of recognized international terrorist organizations, Hamas is largely ignored by the rest of world. Hamas continues to indoctrinate arab youth into it's cult of international terrorism, and proclaiming as it's heroes not only it's own terrorists but also Osama Bin Laden, and Hamil Basayev, one of the Chechen rebel leaders who planned the slaughter in Beslan, Ossetia.
Found in institutions influenced by Hamas in the PA-administered territories were CDs containing posters and movies used by Hamas to show, among other things admiration, identification and support for Chechen and international Islamic terrorism.
The CDs are distributed by Hamas in various educational institutions in the PA-administered territories as part of their plan for indoctrination the younger Palestinian generation. The Chechen CDs were distributed by Hamas at the American University in Jenin as early as November of 2003; at Islamic-oriented Hebron University in February of 2004; and more recently, at the Hebron Orphan Asylum, operated by Hamas' Islamic Charitable Society in August of 2004.
They preach hatred and terrorism and call for violence and murder.
Hamas has established its own "army" in the Gaza Strip as a source of power and strength in opposition to the Palestinian Authority, understanding that whoever controls Gaza will succeed the Palestinian Authority. At the Cairo hudna deliberations in December of 2003, Hamas openly and confidently challenged the basic Palestinian view that the PLO is the sole and exclusive representative of the Palestinian people. Hamas demanded partnership status in the adoption of all decisions in a manner reflecting its political strength. Hamas has also demanded that it be removed from the list of recognized international terrorist organizations and seeks permission to operate overseas. Additional demands include the cessation of measures against it's charity groups abroad and recognition as the main power center in the Palestinian arena. Lofty goals indeed for terrorists.
The crisis of leadership within the Palestinian political system is obvious and even as Arafat retains control, the power struggle has begun. It has become obvious that the power of Arafat's Fatah is in decline and will not remain the power center of Palestinian politics in the post-Arafat era. Hamas is positioning itself to inherit the Palestinian Authority. In January of 2004, a member of the Hamas political bureau, Mohammed Nazal, called for contact with the U.S., clearly indicating that Hamas expects to be a future player in the international politics of the Middle East. Israel is now facing the possibility of a Hamas takeover of the Palestinian political system.
As early as 2002, in an internal Hamas memorandum captured by Israel, Khaled Mashaal, the head of the Hamas political bureau, noted that senior officials in Cairo were giving a Hamas delegation a reception that was "grander than in the past." The Hamas memorandum assessed that the Egyptians understood that the Palestinian Authority was weak and Palestinian support for the PA was "waning." It contains a distinct tone of a growing sense of power among the Hamas leadership as it seeks to fill the power vacuum left by Fatah.
From the position of a political body that was not part of the PLO and which competed with Fatah, Hamas has emerged as a key player in the Palestinian leadership, exercising "veto power" over all key decisions, and demanding the lion's share of the Palestinian leadership, while presenting itself as a possible alternative to the existing Palestinian leadership.
This was the basis for Hamas' rejection of the Palestinian Authority's request, raised in the Cairo hudna deliberations, for authorization to negotiate with Israel regarding a ceasefire. Inter alia, Hamas claimed that the Palestinian Authority no longer functions as an effective government in view of the current political and military situation. As a tactical step, Hamas did not categorically reject the option of joining the PLO. Instead, it posited impossible conditions for such a move, the most important of which was the conducting of new elections for PLO institutions, and the adoption of an amendment to the organization's charter in the spirit of the Hamas movement's principles, i.e., rejection of the path of negotiations and advocacy of continued armed struggle for the liberation of Palestine.
There is no doubt that if Hamas is successful in its bid for power, Israel will experience an increase in the wanton and random murder of its people through the brutal acts of terrorism that Hamas is well known for.
What can the rest of the world expect? The answer to that question can be found in the propaganda materials distributed by Hamas to palestinian youth:
The pictures appearing from left to right are: Khattab, Ahmad Yassin, Khattab again, Osama bin Laden and Shamil Basayev, one of the Chechen rebel leaders , who was recently named in media reports as being one of the planners of the slaughter at the school in Beslan, Ossetia. The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S) has several others posted here.
Consider that Osama bin Laden's picture appears on one of the posters along with that of Ahmad Yassin and Chechen terrorists. Consider that the regions in which “holy wars” are being fought by holy warriors [ mujahadeen ] include Chechnya, Afghanistan, the Balkans, Kashmir, Lebanon, and, of course, Palestine.
Of course, there is the ever popular a quotation from Muslim tradition about the international brotherhood and Islamic revival of Muslims living as an oppressed minority under "infidel" regimes.
The terminology used by Hamas in its posters and movies is extreme Islamic in nature. Their message of hate and violence extends beyond the borders of Palestine, Israel and the Middle East. The Chechen terrorist leaders, such as Shamil Basayev and "Khattab" are praised, while the Russian Army is held in contempt and its actions are described as "terrorism against the Islamic population of Chechnya." One of the CDs (called “The Russian's Hell”), shows scenes from the fighting in Chechnya, and includes religious messages in favor of a jihad, claiming that those taking part in it go to heaven as shaheeds [martyrs for the sake of Allah] after their death.
Hamas presents itself to its supporters in the PA-administered territories, especially the younger generation of Palestinians, as supporting all muslim terrorists, and includes Chechen terrorism. It also presents itself as part of the violent international Islamic insurrection in regions where friction exists between Islam and the "infidels," and bases its actions on ideology which comes directly from Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda.
As Al-Qaeda must be destroyed, so must Hamas. It is nothing but a death cult led by terrorists and it represents a direct threat not only to Israel but to the rest of world.
Cross-posted at IsraPundit.com
Posted by LindaSoG at September 20, 2004 07:19 AM