By Popular Demand: Hamas Celebrates Anniversary, Calls for Murdering more Jews
Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist group, celebrated its 28th anniversary on Dec. 14, 2015 by calling for more violence against Israel. The group’s charter calls for the destruction of Israel and genocide of the Jews.
The Jerusalem Post reported that tens of thousands of Palestinian Arabs took to the streets to march in celebration of Hamas’ anniversary (December 15, “On its anniversary, Hamas vows to ‘keep its weapons directed at the Israeli occupation only”).
The terror group has been labeled by some, including former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and current Obama administration “ISIS czar” Rob Malley, as a potential peace partner with the United States and Israel.
Hamas has praised recent terror attacks against Israeli’s and encouraged Palestinian Arabs to commit more.
In a statement released on its English language website, Hamas (the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement) affirmed that it “will never recognize the Israeli occupation, and confirms that Palestine form the Jordan River to the Mediterranean is an Arab, Islamic country.”
Reporting on the celebrations, The Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) noted that Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal called for “jihad, sacrifice, and blood” as the only way Gaza and West Bank Arabs can achieve their objective.
In a video clip translated by the Middle East Media Research (MEMRI), Meshaal stated:
“Weapons like Kalashnikovs or missiles are not at hand, but there are knives and cars with which to run over the enemies…By God, after the knives used by the people of the West Bank and Jerusalem, can anyone possibly have an excuse to abandon the path of jihad? Nobody can have such an excuse.”
The celebration of Hamas’ anniversary comes the same day as a survey showing widespread support amongst Palestinian Arabs for anti-Israeli terrorism and murder.
According to a new poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR), a Ramallah-based non-profit, two-thirds of Palestinian Arabs in Gaza and the West Bank support the current wave of attacks against Israelis, and a “growing majority rejects the two-state solution.” Over one-third believe that current violence targeting Israelis, civilian and non-civilian alike, will lead to greater violence in the form of another intifada (uprising)—and two-thirds of those believe this would “serve Palestinian national interests in ways that negotiations could not.”
67percent of Palestinian Arabs polled supported the use of knives in attacks against Israelis, however 73percent expressed a preference against “young school girls” carrying out such acts of murder and attempted murder.
21percent of West Bank Palestinian Arabs, ruled by the Palestinian Authority and the Fatah movement that dominates the authority, expressed a “positive evaluation” of living conditions. 15percent of Gazans living under Hamas rule expressed similar satisfaction.
65percent of Palestinian Arabs polled want to see PA President Mahmoud Abbas resign, with a majority believing Abbas should, but likely won’t, end commitments to peace and security with Israel brought about by the 1990s Oslo process. According to the survey:
“If new presidential elections were held today and only two were nominated, [Hamas leader] Ismail Haniyeh and Mahmoud Abbas,” Abbas and Haniyeh would receive an almost equal percentage of support in the Gaza Strip. However, in the West Bank Haniyeh would win with 53percent compared to Abbas’ 37percent.
71percent of those polled believe that Hamas supports ongoing terror attacks, while 59percent believe Fatah does as well.
At its 28th anniversary, Hamas—and its commitment to genocidal violence—apparently remains popular with many Palestinian Arabs. A qualification: Both Hamas and, to a somewhat lesser extent Fatah, run authoritarian administrations. Respondents to public opinion surveys may feel some intimidation in answering pollsters.
The PSR poll can be found here.
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