Demonizing Hamas To Justify Israel’s Genocide In Gaza

Editor

Rabi' al-Thani 17, 1445 2023-11-01

Editorials

by Editor (Editorials, Crescent International Vol. 53, No. 9, Rabi' al-Thani, 1445)

Western politicians and their media whores have gone hoarse screaming “Hamas is a terrorist organization,” and “Israel has the right to defend itself.” Based on these self-serving narratives, zionist Israel is given carte blanch to perpetrate genocide of the 2.3 million people of Gaza.

Let us deconstruct the scandalous label of Hamas as a “terrorist” organization. In the 1980s, the African National Congress (ANC) was branded a terrorist organization by the same western regime because it was fighting against the white supremacist apartheid regime in South Africa. Nelson Mandela was declared a terrorist. What this shows is that when there is a struggle against western interests, they will go to any lengths to discredit those movements.

Thus, the west’s branding of Hamas as a “terrorist” organization does not come as a surprise, even if it is totally false. Much of the rest of the world including the Global South do not consider Hamas a terrorist organization. They see it as a liberation movement. And that is the correct designation for this movement.

Further, in 1982, the United Nations General Assembly passed resolution 37/43 that clearly stipulates that “people under occupation have the right to resist their occupiers by whatever means necessary” (emphasis added). This is what Hamas is doing (see also here).

Hamas and other Palestinian organizations like Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) are exercising their fundamental right to gain freedom from the yoke of zionist colonialism. The struggle is by no means easy but since they are faced by a neo-Nazi regime in Israel, they have no choice but to resist their occupiers by all means necessary, including armed struggle. Those regimes, primarily the US, Canada and regimes in Europe are complicit in the crimes of the zionist apartheid regime by trying to delegitimize Palestinian resistance.

Two other allegations against Hamas need to be debunked before proceeding further. One is the allegation that during Al-Aqsa Storm operation on October 7, Hamas fighters killed Israeli civilians in a Kibbutz. Second, and even more scandalous, that they beheaded 40 Israeli babies.

The alleged killings of Israeli civilians have been debunked by Yasmin Porat, an Israeli mother of three from the Be’eri settlement. In an interview with Israeli radio Haboker Hazeh (“This Morning”) hosted by Aryeh Golan on state broadcaster Kan, she categorically rejected that Hamas fighters killed civilians. She said that the Israelis were killed in cross-fire between Israeli police and military and Hamas fighters.

This is what she told the radio host: “They [Israeli police and military] eliminated everyone, including the hostages.” Killing their own civilians is part of a long-established Israeli policy. In 1986, it adopted the notorious “Hannibal Directive” requiring that any Israelis captured by Palestinians must either be rescued or killed to avoid allowing them to become future bargaining chips.

Ms. Porat went on: “There was very, very heavy crossfire” and even tank shelling (Hamas fighters do not have tanks). She said that prior to that, she and other civilians had been held by the Palestinians for several hours and treated “humanely.”

The other, even more scandalous allegation about 40 Israeli babies being beheaded was started by the notorious zionist settler David Ben Zion. He used the Israeli foreign ministry-financed mouthpiece, Channel i24, and in particular its reporter Nicole Zedek, to peddle his lies. In its investigative report, the American web magazine The Grayzone has meticulously debunked this allegation.

The false allegation was lapped up by eager western media outlets including The Los Angeles Times (which walked it back on October 9) and CBS News. While other US networks, like NBC stated that they could find no independent verification for the news (meaning it was a lie) and the Israeli army also denied it, that did not prevent US President Joe Biden from repeating it on television on October 10 and 11.

In his October 11 remarks in front of American Jewish leaders, Biden went totally overboard. He claimed he had seen photos of “beheaded babies”! When American media outlets contacted the White House to see those photos, the White House walked back the claim. Instead, it offered the lame excuse that the president was relying on information from the Israeli media. He had not actually seen the photos (for details, see here)!

One other point needs highlighting before addressing the saga of the non-existent “beheaded babies” and the reason for peddling it. Palestinian fighters took nearly 300 Israeli prisoners. On October 24, they released two elderly Israeli women including 85-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz. With her daughter interpreting for her, she said they and other prisoners were being treated humanely and being taken care of by the Palestinians. Lifshitz added: “They gave us pitta bread, hard cheese, some low-fat cream cheese and cucumber…” This was also the food the Palestinians ate.

Translating her mother’s comments, Sharone, said: “My mum is saying they [the Palestinian resistance] were very friendly towards them [Israeli prisoners]. They took care of them.” She added that “they kept the place very clean.”

This, however, is not what the zionist propagandists and their western media outlets want to hear. It went against their narrative of “Hamas as terrorists”, so they latched on to a single word the elderly Lifshitz had said about the ride into Gaza. She described it as “hell”.

Riding on a motorbike on dirt tracks cannot be too comfortable. The “hell” comment is what CNN, BBC and other media outlets harped on and amplified. What Lifshitz had said about Hamas’s gentle treatment and kindness toward them was largely overlooked and buried deep inside the story.

Nor did they pay much attention to the video footage of Lifshitz’s release in which she could be seen stopping, and turning back to shake hands with a Hamas member. He had accompanied her when she was handed over to the UN. She bid him goodbye by saying “Shalom”.

Such information blows the narrative of “Hamas as a terrorist organization”. The question is, why is it necessary to resort to such crude depictions? The demonization of Hamas is necessary to justify Israel’s genocide of the people of Gaza. After all, who will have any sympathy for “baby killers”, especially ones who beheaded young babies?

While Hamas has not killed any babies, the zionists have killed, at the time of writing (October 26), at least 3,000 Palestinian babies and children. This number continues to rise with each passing day. The zionist mass murderers take special pleasure in killing babies and pregnant Palestinian mothers. That is why they have bombed hospitals, medical centres, schools and even bakeries.

They are inflicting collective punishment on the Palestinian people. It is against international law, for what it’s worth. Nobody should expect any reprimand of the zionist war criminals. They are shielded from opprobrium because they consider themselves “God’s chosen people.” All other people are inferior to them, according to their demonic ideology.

This is how racism is defined. Their day of reckoning is near when they will have to account for their crimes against innocent Palestinian children, mother and men.