Hamas Official Fathi Hamad's Speech Was No Exception: Repeated Antisemitic Statements From Hamas Officials And In Hamas Media

After a July 12, 2019 speech by Hamas political bureau member Fathi Hammad urging Palestinians to kill Jews all over the world[1] sparked outrage, Hamas issued a clarification stating that his statements did not reflect the movement's official positions and that Hamas's struggle is against the occupation, not against Jews around the world or the Jewish faith.

However, MEMRI publications from the past two years show that statements by Hamas members and officials, and content published by Hamas's official media, have been rife with antisemitism. Fathi Hamad himself has made several statements referring to the Jews as "cancer" and "enemies of Allah," and claiming that they "control some of the Arab states." Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahhar stated, in speeches before the Hamas parliament, that the Jews had been hated throughout history in the countries where they lived because they corrupted and betrayed these countries "through usury, the worship of money, extreme miserliness, and bribery." Speakers on Hamas Al-Aqsa TV reiterated other antisemitic tropes, such as the claim that the Jews are behind every conspiracy worldwide. Others cited antisemitic Islamic themes, such as the Quranic story that Allah turned the Jews into apes and pigs or the hadith according to which the Muslims will fight and kill the Jews on Judgement Day and the trees and stones will give up Jews who hide behind them.

It should be mentioned that all of these statements were made after Hamas published its May 1, 2017 policy document aimed at presenting the movement as pragmatic, democratic, and tolerant. This document was also aimed at distancing the movement from the antisemitic statements that appear in its charter[2] (although it does not supersede the charter), by stating that Hamas does not fight the Jews as such, but only the Zionist occupation.[3]

The following are excerpts from MEMRI clips and reports published since May 2017.

Fathi Hammad: The Jews Are "Filth," "Cancer" And "Allah's Enemies"; Some Arab States Are Controlled By The Jews

Hamas political bureau member Fathi Hamad himself has made other antisemitic statements in the past year. On February 19, 2019, he said that the Arab regimes that have normalized relations with Israel will be "buried in the trash heaps of history" alongside the Jews, who are Allah's enemies. He said: "We say to all the Arab regimes that normalized [their ties with Israel] overtly or covertly: You shall not succeed... You shall be buried in the trash heaps of history alongside Allah's enemies – the Jews – about whom Allah said: 'You shall find the people strongest in enmity towards the believers to be the Jews and the polytheists.' The Jews are vanquished. They have been defeated."

View the MEMRI TV clip of Fathi Hamad's statements here or below:

At a July 12, 2018 rally in Gaza, Hamad predicted that by 2022 the Palestinians would be rid of the "Jewish filth" and the "Jewish cancer," and called on the Arabs to shake off the Jewish control of their countries. He said: "We are looking forward to two important things, which are within sight: The first is the cleansing of Palestine of the filth of the Jews, and their uprooting from it, Allah willing. This is within sight. Four years, my brothers... By 2022, we will be rid of them... The second thing is the establishment of the Caliphate, after the nation has been healed of its cancer – the Jews – Allah willing...

"It is unacceptable that the Jews control some of the Arab states – their regimes, their armies, and their security agencies – while the peoples remain oppressed. Oh peoples of the Arab and Islamic nation, oh Palestinian people, you possess a concealed power that you can detonate in the faces of the Jews and the hypocrites. We expect another Arab Spring from you, with new characteristics – a second Arab Spring, which will focus on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Allah willing. We are your embers and your fuel, Allah willing."

View the MEMRI TV clip of Fathi Hamad's statements here or below:

Senior Hamas Official Mahmoud Al-Zahhar: Throughout History, The Jews Corrupted European Societies, Betrayed The Muslim Societies Which Sheltered Them

Particularly virulent antisemitic statements were made by senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahhar. During a June 5, 2018 Hamas parliamentary session, Al-Zahhar gave a long list of cases throughout history in which the Jews had been banished from the European countries in which they lived. "These [Jewish] groups corrupted the societies in which they lived through usury, the worship of money, extreme miserliness, and bribery," he said. He rejected MP Yahya Al-Abadseh's protests that the Hamas Legislative Council report should not include such things. "I will lend it [my book] to Dr. Al-Abadseh, so he can see that what appeared in the [report] is just a drop in the sea of what those people did in European history," said Al-Zahhar. The following are excerpts from their statements in the session, which was broadcast by Al-Aqsa TV.

Mahmoud Al-Zahhar: "Throughout their history, the Zionist Jews betrayed the Muslims who sheltered them, and who treated them in keeping with the moral values of Islam. This was a time when the Christians were deporting the Jews from their countries, in a long series of countless deportations – from which I have chosen some examples: They were deported from Rome in 139 BCE, as well as in 19 BCE. Then they were deported from France in 1253 and from Britain in 1280. They were deported from Germany in 1348 and from France in 1360. In the same year, they were deported from Hungary. In 1370, they were deported from Belgium. In 1380, they were deported from Slovenia. In 1420, they were deported from Austria, and from Holland in 1444. In 1492, they were deported from Spain, and in 1882 from Russia.

"There was a series of 120 deportations of Jews from Europe. This was because they betrayed the people among whom they lived, and worked against the interests of the societies that sheltered them. They betrayed those societies, in which they lived as spies. For example, they spied against the Persians for the Byzantines. These [Jewish] groups corrupted the societies in which they lived through usury, the worship of money, extreme miserliness, and bribery. Those nations considered them to be anti-Christian. The [Jews] lived in Europe according to the principle of rejection of non-Jews, whom they call Gentiles. They embraced the notion of the Jews being the victims throughout history, in order to take over Palestine."

Yahya Al-Abadseh: "I hope that the brothers who wrote this report will remove most of the first page, which deals with the persecution of the Jews and their deportation from European countries. This position makes us look as if we justify their deportation. This is not in line with our values or our beliefs. We do not approve of these deportations or of their reasons. Our position is that throughout history, whenever the Jews were deported, we Muslims accepted them. The standards of Europe at that time cannot possibly have been appropriate, because they were based on racism, and religious fanaticism. We must not get ourselves involved in all this. The report of the Legislative Council should not include such things, so that no one can claim that we support the philosophy of the Holocaust"...

Mahmoud Al-Zahhar: "There were 120 deportations of Jews. This is no fabrication, and it is not about Nazism or antisemitism. This is part of history. I once wrote a book titled The Hatred of the Jews – Historical Heritage. I will lend it to Dr. Al-Abadseh, so he can see that what appeared in the [report] is just a drop in the sea of what those people did in European history. So this has nothing to do with the Holocaust or whatever. This is a matter of written history and not one's personal opinion."

View the MEMRI TV clip of Al-Zahhar's and Abadseh's statements here or below:

Several months previously, at a January 3, 2018 parliamentary session, Al-Zahhar made similar statements in the context of U.S. President Donald Trump's pro-Israel moves. He said: "Today, Trump is trying to appear as if he is supporting the Israeli occupation, but the forefathers of the West had other things to say [about the Jews]. The Jews used to live all over Europe, and they corrupted everything in it. This is their history. They corrupted everything in Europe. While working as slaves to the kings, they corrupted the leaders. They corrupted the European peoples with usury. They corrupted its economy using extortion. It has been recorded in the annals of European history that the corruption of the Jews was met with the worst violence imaginable. More than 100 cases of full expulsion and total uprooting of the Jews were recorded in Palestine [sic]...

"Let me just mention what Trump's forefathers did to the Jews. In 1253, the Jews were completely uprooted from France. In 1280, the Jews were completely uprooted from Britain. In 1384, the Jews were completely uprooted from Germany. In 1360, France expelled once again large numbers of Jews. These are the forefathers of Trump. This was before America was founded. In 1360, that same year, Hungary expelled its entire Jewish population. In 1370, a decade later, Belgium expelled all the Jews from its land. In 1380, Slovenia followed in the footsteps of the other European countries, and removed all the Jews from its land. In 1420, it was Austria's turn to expel all the Jews from its land. In 1444, Holland expelled the Jews from its land. In 1492, the Jews were expelled from Spain, simultaneously with the elimination of the Islamic state there. The inquisition courts were established to persecute the Jew for their crimes against the [Christian] population. In 1882, after the assassination of Russian Tsar Alexander II, the Jews were tortured and completely expelled from Russia. Brothers and sisters, these were attempts to get rid of the evils of that gang, which corrupted every place in [Europe]. Trump's actions should be viewed in the context of this corruption. He wants to win the votes of the Jews, and his political position is motivated primarily by his corruption in the recent elections."

View the MEMRI TV clip of Al-Zahhar's statements here or below:

Hamas MP Marwan Abu Ras: The Jews Have Been Abhorred Throughout History

Marwan Abu Ras, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council on behalf of Hamas, said in a June 23, 2019 show on Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV that the Jews have been abhorred throughout history and that Hitler wanted to get rid of them because of their "deeds and crimes." He added that everything people say about the Holocaust is a lie. Abu Ras said: "If we look back at history, we see that [the Jews] were abhorred in the time of Nebuchadnezzar. This is also true of the times of the Assyrians, the Romans, and the Prophet Muhammad. They betrayed him. They were treacherous against him, and he expelled them from the Arabian Peninsula. Even Hitler hated them, loathed them, and got rid of them. However, everything people say about massacres and Holocaust – these are all lies. Hitler may have hated them, but it was because of their deeds and crimes. Hitler was no less of a criminal than them."

View the MEMRI TV clip of Abu Ras's statements here or below:

Gaza University Professor On Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV: The Jews Are Human Garbage, Behind Every Conspiracy

Speaking on Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV on July 19, 2018, Abdul Samee' Al-'Arabeed, Professor of Quranic Studies at Al-Aqsa University, said that according to the Quran, "the Jews are behind every conspiracy" and that the Quran warns us and teaches us "how to deal with this human garbage." He said: "The Jews are behind every conspiracy – this is what Allah told us through these [Quranic] verses. You may notice that over a third of the Quran talks about the Israelites, not merely to provide information, but to warn us, and to teach us how to deal with this human garbage. They are the ones who incited the Arab tribes against the Prophet Muhammad."

View the MEMRI TV clip of Al-'Arabeed's statements here or below:

Columnist In Hamas-Affiliated Daily: The Holocaust Exists Only In Israeli Tales – And In The Minds Of Supporters Of Normalization With Israel

In his January 28, 2018 column in the Hamas-affiliated Filastin daily, 'Isam Shawar wrote that the Holocaust had not happed as the Jews claim, and called on the Arabs to stop expressing solidarity with the Holocaust fairy tale. His column was written in response to a letter written by Dr. Mohammad Al-'Issa, secretary-general of the Saudi-based Muslim World League (MWL), to Sara Bloomfield, director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C., on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, in which he condemned the Holocaust and stressed that the true Islam opposes this crime.[4] Shawar called Al-'Issa's statements on the Holocaust politically motivated and part of Saudi Arabia's attempts to advance normalization with Israel. The following are translated excerpts from Shawar's column:[5]

"On the occasion of the commemoration of the tale of the 'Holocaust,' MWL secretary-general Dr. Muhammad Al-'Issa called it a Nazi crime that deeply shocked humanity and exposed the horrors that no decent, justice-seeking man can ignore or take lightly. Al-'Issa stressed that the MWL's views were based solely on the purely humanitarian aspect [of the Holocaust], connected to the lives of innocent people.

"Before I respond to this news item [about Al-'Issa's letter], which astonished [me], I would like to remind readers that Dr. Muhammad Al-'Issa is leading an unprecedented campaign for normalization with the Israeli occupier, and is holding many meetings in Europe with Zionist extremists. Likewise, he holds puzzling positions that contradict the laws of Islam, such as calling on Muslim women in Europe not to cover their hair if requested [not] to do so, or leave the European countries. But, fortunately, Europe respects its citizens and it has democracy that respects the rights of minorities – more so than those claiming to represent Islam or the Muslims do.

"All the scientific university studies have proven resolutely that the Holocaust in the dimensions that the Jews claim did not take place, and could not have taken place. That is, it cannot be accepted as the truth. Even if tens of thousands of Jews were murdered or burned, it is nothing out of the ordinary, in an era during which tens of millions of people, most of them Muslims, have died as a result of wars, disease, famine, and other causes.

"Therefore, do not let the condemnation of the Holocaust by an institution presenting itself as Islamic mislead you, and do not believe one bit of it. They are condemning, and shedding tears over, a tale that belongs only in museums, books, and Israeli stories, and also in the minds of the Arab normalization-seekers.

"Dr. Muhammad Al-'Issa says that the MWL's motive in defining the Holocaust as a crime is purely humanitarian. But we say [that it is] clearly political, and that it was coordinated with the 'Slap of the Century' [a play of words on Trump's 'Deal of the Century'] plot  against Jerusalem, Palestine, and the Palestinian people... This is the first time in the history of the MWL that it mentions and condemns the Holocaust, even though it was founded over 50 years ago.

"Before sympathizing with the Jews and their lies, the Arabs must [act to] remove the Arab-Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip, and must stand up to the American president Donald Trump, who claims that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and who has taken it [off the negotiating table] in preparation for peace with the Palestinians and the Arabs. [The Arabs must] stop digging into stories and fairytales, and give us advice about the crimes being carried out by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people, and against their holy places and land.

"A last word that must be said: Trump sees you as nothing but suckers, by Allah. [Even] if the Arabs and the foreigners join forces against our [Palestinian] people, we will never relinquish our land, our principles, or our steadfastness against the occupation. You [the Arabs supporting Israel] will stop existing, and Palestine will be liberated, from the sea to the river, and its capital will be Jerusalem the transcendent."

 

Palestinian Cleric Nasser Maarouf On Al-Aqsa TV: Allah Turned The Jews Into Apes And Pigs Because He Hated Them

Figures on Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV referenced the Quranic story according to which Allah turned the Jews into apes and pigs. In a December 2, 2018 address, Sheikh Nasser Maarouf of the Palestine Islamic Scholars Association said that that Palestinian jihad fighters have the advantage of fighting against Jews, for a martyr killed by the Jews receives twice the reward of one who was killed by other infidels. He explained that Allah had turned the Jews into apes and pigs because He hated them. He said:

"The mujahideen [in Palestine] have two advantages. The first advantage is that they are [operating] in a blessed land of ribat, and the second advantage is that they are waging Jihad against Jews. The Prophet Muhammad informed us that a martyr killed by the People of the Book is equal to two martyrs. In other words, his reward is equal to that of two martyrs. This does not apply to martyrs killed fighting other infidels. "The People of the Book" are the Jews. In addition, Allah tells us that He cursed [the Jews], and that He was angry with them and turned them into apes and pigs. Allah hates and curses [such] people, and He loves people who confront the falsehood of those He hates just as much... Jihad is necessary because the enemies of Allah will never cease fighting the people. It's in their nature."

View the MEMRI TV clip of Maarouf's statements here or below:

In a speech at a Palestinian rally in northern Gaza that was aired November 5, 2018 on Al-Aqsa TV, former Hamas minister of religious endowments Ismail Radwan said that those who cooperate and collaborate with Israel will be gathered in the Hellfire with the Jews, whom Allah transformed into "apes and pigs." He said: "Those [cowards] who quake with fear, those who cooperate and collaborate [with Israel], those who normalize relations with the occupation will be gathered with the apes and pigs in the Hellfire. Do you know who the apes and pigs are? They are the Jews who Allah transformed into apes and pigs."

View the MEMRI TV clip of Radwan's statements here or below:

Islamic Cleric Salah Nour On Al-Aqsa TV: Today Jews Control Us, But The Day Will Come When The Muslims Will Kill Them As They Try To Hide Behind Rocks And Trees

Other clerics on Al-Aqsa TV referred to the hadith  according to which the Muslims would fight the Jews on Judgment Day, and the trees and stones would give up the Jews hiding behind them. Speaking on Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV on June 24, 2018, Islamic cleric Salah Nour likewise cited this hadith, saying: "When the clerics, the preachers, and the imams in the mosques say that victory belongs to the religion [of Islam], and that we will overcome the Jews, who are in a position of power and who control us, people say that the preachers are laughing at us, inflaming our sentiments, and toying with our emotions, as a form of sedative to keep us quiet and persevere in this harsh reality. This is not true! The Prophet Muhammad said: 'Judgment Day will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews, and the Jews will hide behind trees and stones. Then the trees and the stones will say: Oh Muslims, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.' The Jews believe in this more than some of the Muslims. According to some history and archaeology books, [the Jews] planted over a million [Gharqad] trees, because they believe the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad."

View the MEMRI TV clip of Salah Nour's statements here or below:

On November 5, 2018 Al-Aqsa TV aired statements by Gaza Imam Ahmad Okasha, who cited the same hadith, saying: "[Jerusalem] shall only be liberated in the way decreed for us by Allah: 'Judgment Day shall not come until you fight the Jews, and the trees and the rocks will say: 'Oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.'"

View the MEMRI TV clip of Salah Nour's statements here or below: