Discussing the baseless claim that ‘Israel supported Hamas’.
Israel and the Creation of Hamas: Debunking the Myth
One of the most misleading, contextless talking points spread by the pro-Hamas right and left contends that Israel “supported” and “created” the terror organization. It is the political equivalent of condemning someone today for failing to make a citizen’s arrest of OJ Simpson in 1986.
The myth was popularized by former Qatari propagandist, now one of MSNBC’s leading terror apologists, Mehdi Hasan. The insinuation, of course, is that Israel bears moral and historical responsibility for the murder of its own citizens. A lot of these same people, no doubt, blamed Americans for creating al Qaeda and thus 9/11.
The Hamas claim is even weaker, frankly, considering Israel had no hand in arming any iteration of Hamas.
An offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, the group was formed in 1967 and legally registered in Israel in 1978 as a nonprofit Islamic association. From the start, its stated goal was destroying Israel, joining virtually every Arab group in the area. If Israelis began shuttering every Islamic association and assassinating every leader whose stated goal was the destruction of the Jewish State, it would be in a constant state of war.
Israel, instead, was largely indifferent to Hamas — one of many theocratic groups appearing at the time. When created, Hamas was best known for building medical centers and offering welfare services. Most of Hamas’ funding came from foreign sources. Jordan, probably the group’s biggest patron in the subsequent years, saw Hamas as a way to influence the politics of the “West Bank.” And Israel also largely looked the other way, hoping to create a political counterbalance to the terrorist PLO. (Israel’s only known direct funding to the group came, according to U.S. intelligence officials, to fund agents who were spying on the organization.)
Wouldn’t any civilized country prefer a religious organization providing social services in power than one engaged in hijackings, suicide bombings, and knife attacks on civilians? Hamas, in the 1970s and early ’80s, was not violent. As soon as the group began to participate in attacks, as they did around the first Intifada, Israel began cracking down on the organization and assassinating its terror leaders.
Those sharing quotes with me of Israeli politicians lamenting their role in helping Hamas rarely seem to read past a headline. Of course Israelis regret not seeing the threat earlier and playing realpolitik. That doesn’t mean they “supported” the terror iteration of Hamas.
Even if Israel had shut down Hamas in 1978, there would almost surely be another fundamentalist organization that would have taken its place and engaged in the same behavior. Political Islam swept through the Muslim world, discarding the failed experiment of Arab nationalism, in those years. Palestinians were not immune.
From a 2009 Wall Street Journal piece exploring the issue:
Arieh Spitzen, the former head of the Israeli military’s Department of Palestinian Affairs, says that even if Israel had tried to stop the Islamists sooner, he doubts it could have done much to curb political Islam, a movement that was spreading across the Muslim world. He says attempts to stop it are akin to trying to change the internal rhythms of nature: “It is like saying: ‘I will kill all the mosquitoes.’ But then you get even worse insects that will kill you…You break the balance. You kill Hamas you might get al Qaeda.”
The people regurgitating Hasan’s claims put more blame on Jews than they do on Hamas or the Palestinians who cheer on the terror group in great numbers. The claim that the “conditions” that brought on the murder of Jews were “mainly Israel’s occupation and Israel’s support of Hamas” is prevalent on social media. (It’s amazing how many of the people who feel compelled to have strong opinions on this issue are unaware that Gaza was given autonomy almost 20 years ago.)
It is just more shameful victim-blaming by Hamas apologists aimed at credulous idiots.
David Harsanyi is a senior editor at The Federalist, a nationally syndicated columnist, a Happy Warrior columnist at National Review, and author of five books—the most recent, Eurotrash: Why America Must Reject the Failed Ideas of a Dying Continent. Follow him on Twitter, @davidharsanyi.
Why did Israel initially turn a blind eye to Hamas’s activities and even consider using it as a counterbalance to the Palestine Liberation Organization
E decades. Groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and Hezbollah rose to prominence, spreading their extremist ideologies and carrying out acts of violence.
It is important to note that Hamas did not arise out of Israeli support or creation. It was a product of the larger movement of political Islam that was sweeping the region at the time. Israel had no role in arming Hamas or supporting its terrorist activities. In fact, Israel largely looked the other way and even hoped to use Hamas as a political counterbalance to the terrorist Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
At its inception, Hamas was primarily focused on providing social services and welfare to the Palestinian people. Its funding came from foreign sources, and its main patrons were countries like Jordan, who saw Hamas as a tool to exert influence over the politics of the West Bank. Israel’s only known direct funding to the group was to support agents who were spying on Hamas.
It wasn’t until Hamas began engaging in acts of violence, such as bombings and attacks on civilians, that Israel started cracking down on the organization. The Israeli government initiated measures to dismantle Hamas and assassinate its terror leaders. Israel faced a choice between a religious organization providing social services and one engaging in terrorist activities. It is only justifiable for any civilized country to prioritize the safety and well-being of its citizens over allowing a terrorist organization to flourish.
It is crucial to dispel the myth that Israel “supported” or “created” Hamas. Such a claim not only distorts the truth but also places undue moral and historical responsibility on Israel for the actions of a terrorist group. Even if Israel had shut down Hamas in 1978, there would likely have been another fundamentalist organization that would have taken its place. Political Islam was gaining momentum in the region, and groups like Hamas were a product of that broader movement.
In conclusion, the notion that Israel supported or created Hamas is a misleading and contextless narrative propagated by individuals with an agenda. It is important to understand the historical context and the complexities of the situation. Israel’s actions against Hamas were driven by the need to protect its citizens and combat terrorism, not by a desire to support or create a terrorist organization.
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