The Guardian gave op-ed space on 21 November to Azzam Tamimi, a known Hamas supporter who claims that Israel is responsible for the latest violence in Gaza.
- Tamimi claims that the “hudna” or truce was broken by Israel when “On November 4 the Israeli army penetrated Gaza, killing six Hamas officers under the pretext of having discovered a tunnel close to the Kisufim roadblock.”
Amos Gilad, head of the Israeli Defence Ministry’s Diplomatic Security Bureau sheds some light on what Tamimi fails to elaborate:
the IDF received credible information that Hamas intended to kidnap another soldier, and had dug a tunnel for the purpose. The details are known.
We weighed [the decision to raid the tunnel on November 4] carefully. What prevailed in the end … is that saving the life of a soldier or the lives of soldiers is a supreme value in and of itself…
Their [Hamas’s] intention was out of the blue one day to announce that they had captured another soldier. They would not have said how. They’d have said it’s not a breach of the “calm.” And they would have threatened us not to respond. They would have demanded that we free prisoners in exchange.
Of course, Tamimi is not prepared to countenance the possibility that digging such a tunnel for the express purpose of a kidnapping is a breach of the “ceasefire.”
- Tamimi falsely claims that “not a single rocket had been fired by Hamas from the inception of the hudna to the raid on Gaza.” In fact, while rocket fire significantly decreased during that time period, some dozen Qassams and several mortars were fired by Palestinian terrorists from Gaza between July and October 2008. Hamas is in full control of the Gaza Strip and bears full responsibility for what takes place there, irrespective of whether Hamas’s own terrorists fired missiles or allowed other terror groups to do so.
- Tamimi also refers to Hamas demands in exchange for the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, saying that “Hamas is not asking for much.” In fact, Hamas is not only asking for the release of “1,000 of its captive men, plus all the women and children, and the parliamentarians and ministers kidnapped in the aftermath of Shalit’s capture.” Hamas is also demanding the release of hardened terrorists with blood on their hands, and with it the risk that these dangerous individuals will renew their terrorist activities.
- Incredibly, Tamimi ends his propaganda piece by saying that Israel “should grasp a chance to build peace.” Of course, Tamimi doesn’t mention the Hamas idea of “peace”, which entails the destruction of the State of Israel as outlined in the Hamas Charter.
WHO IS AZZAM TAMIMI?
The Guardian refers to Azzam Tamimi as “director of the London-based Institute of Islamic Political Thought, author of Hamas: Unwritten Chapters and has advised Hamas on media strategy.” This is only part of the story.
Harry’s Place blog describes Azzam Tamimi as
a senior member of the Muslim Association of Britain, the British wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, who has been criticised for his alleged links to Hamas and his public comments justifying suicide bombing and inciting jihad against non-Muslims. In 2006 he told one BBC interviewer: “if I can go to Palestine and sacrifice myself I would do it.”
In its Charter, Hamas actually defines itself as part of the Muslim Brotherhood, an organisation founded in Egypt in the 1920s that has branches around the world, including Syria, Iraq, Europe, even the United States.
Commentator Stephen Pollard, describing IslamExpo in July 2008, refers to:
Azzam Tamimi, Hamas’ Special Envoy who praises suicide bombers and whose presence was one reason why the government boycotted IslamExpo. Mr Tamimi said that: “Zionism causes our pain…It is a western colonial project…in the same category as the Holocaust”. He referred to Hamas as “the resistance” and described it as “a national liberation movement, duly elected in the fairest elections in the Arab world.” Palestinian suicide bombers and missile attacks were, he said, simply the actions of people “defending themselves and their country.”
Academic Martin Kramer has more on Azzam Tamimi, including video footage of Tamimi addressing a 2006 Iranian-sponsored Jerusalem (Al-Quds) Day rally in London.
The Guardian gives op-ed space to Azzam Tamimi, an extremist mouthpiece for Hamas. Please expose Tamimi and address the Hamas propaganda in his article by using the information above. Send your considered comments to [email protected].
