Just this past week we have seen celebrations for Hamas' 27th anniversary which certainly made evident the extremity of the blatant anti-semitism and generally violent nature of the terrorist organisation. The marches which occurred in the West Bank were particularly horrifying, involving a procession of coffins with pictures of the rabbis killed at Har Nof with darts dripping blood photoshopped onto their foreheads, labelling them as targets which had been hit.
The recent documentary 'the Green Prince' provides a fascinating insight into Hamas and the lives of terrorists in the West Bank, revealing the true nature of the organisation. It tells the true story of Mosab Hassan Yousef who grew up as the son of the leader of Hamas' political wing in the West Bank. He was brought up with a clear prejudice against Israel, and a strong emphasis on the importance of 'liberation' for the Palestinians, although significantly he also claims that his father never taught him to hate. Mosab was arrested by Israeli police at age 17 for purchasing arms, and being in prison allowed him to gain a wider perspective on the Israel-Palestine conflict. He was convinced by the Shin Bet, the Israeli intelligence agency, to work with them, essentially as an informant, in providing information that would help thwart potential terror attacks on Israeli citizens.
The fact that he even agreed to turn against Hamas, considering the danger he was placing not only himself in, but his family, shows the extent to which the organisation began to horrify him.
Mosab describes that the turning point for him was the time spent in a high security Israeli prison with Hamas terrorists, which allowed him to comprehend the truth face of the terrorist group and what exactly went on within its leadership. Previously his father had not allowed him to have significant contact with other Hamas leaders.
He talks in the film about seeing Hamas leaders in prison brutally torture to death terrorists simply because they had been convinced to 'work with Israel' while in prison. This barbaric behaviour made him realise that Hamas was not ideologically working to truthfully help Palestinian people live freely and safely as he had been led to believe by his father, who perhaps even believed this himself. Mosab now lives in America, has converted to Christianity and often speaks out against Hamas and their oppression of the Palestinians both in Gaza and the West Bank. Writing his autobiography and publicising his story placed his family in huge danger as well as ruining his own relations with them, and the fact that he was willing to put so much at stake is indicative of his strong feelings about the organisation.
Malala Yousafzai, human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, has recently announced plans to donate $50,000 to UNWRA's educational institutions and facilities in Gaza. She has said she believes the money will get more children a 'quality education'. Presumably she is not aware of the huge control which Hamas and Islamic Jihad have over the schools run by UNRWA and the irreparable damage her support will do to the outlook for peace. By giving money to this organisation she is funding terrorism. UNRWA schools use textbooks, at present mostly issued by Hamas, which advocate de-legitimisation, demonisation and violent attack of Israel. In addition, UNRWA schools are affiliated with Hamas' official wing for educational institutions and large-scale activities are often run in and by schools, celebrating the lives of terrorists, known as 'martyrs'. Generally, UNRWA schools in Gaza create an environment which produces many activists who go on to become part of Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam brigades.
As Palestinian human rights activist Bassem Eid recently wrote in an open letter to Malala, urging her not to donate, the money dedicated to UNRWA basically always ends up in the hands of Hamas who can allocate it to their military wing, but aside from this, it is proven that UNRWA schools are often used for storing ammunition and for hiding suspected terrorists.
Why is Hamas considered so much less of an abhorrent organisation than the Taliban, whom Malala has dedicated significant time to fighting against?
Hamas, by causing seemingly 'low' civilian deaths of Israelis in recent conflicts may not seem as threatening, however in its ideology it is just as dangerous and this cannot be ignored. Why should Israel be penalised for having the Iron Dome to protect its citizens from Hamas rockets, which leads to lower death tolls?
I hope that Malala will recognise the danger of donating to UNRWA, an organisation affiliated with terrorist groups, and which indoctrinates generations of children with hate, anti-semitism and violence which only perpetuate the issues of the conflict. She has dedicated her life and worked incredibly bravely in advocating against terrorism and she should not exclude Hamas from this fight.
My thoughts and prayers are also with the recent victims of the barbaric attacks in Pakistan and Australia, and I long for a world where terrorism, namely the killing of innocent civilians, in all its manifestations is no longer a part of daily reality.
