Hamas, not Israel, is the Real Enemy of the Palestinian People and the Arab World

At 6:30 am, on a beautiful Saturday morning last October 7, Hamas unleashed a chain of events that have destroyed thousands of lives – both Israeli and Palestinian. Its massacre of more than 1,200 Israeli civilians and the kidnapping of more than 260 others – the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust – provoked a fierce Israeli response, resulting in tragic loss of life, displacement, and destruction in Gaza.

 

What’s clear is Hamas’ attack has – at least for the time being – undermined both the aspirations of the Palestinian people and the interests of the entire Arab world. 

 

Hopeful Momentum Before October 7

To put Hamas’ destructive actions in perspective, let’s recall the optimism in the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region in the period leading up to that bloody day.

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For three years before Hamas’ attack, the signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel and several Arab countries has fostered unprecedented opportunities for diplomatic, economic, and cultural cooperation. The peace deals have already delivered more than $4 billion in trade between the Abraham Accords countries, with analysts projecting about 4 million new jobs and $1 trillion in new economic activity over a decade.

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The excitement of a potential agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia was also palpable in the weeks before October 7. In a September 2023 interview, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said, “Everyday we get closer [to a deal].” Imagine the benefit of such an agreement for the people of Saudi Arabia and beyond.

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Hamas’ attack blew up that positive momentum, depriving millions of Arabs of a more prosperous future – at least for now.

 

Hamas Serves Iran and Undermines Arab Interests

Hamas claims to champion the Palestinian cause, but its actions have consistently harmed the very people it purports to represent. As a proxy of the Iranian regime, Hamas has always acted in the interest of Tehran, to the detriment of the Palestinians and the Arab world.  

 

The Iranian regime provides Hamas about $100 million annually in financial, military, and political support – though notably not humanitarian – enabling the group to maintain its grip on power in Gaza. Moreover, as part of Iran’s regional army, Hamas is complicit in undermining the security and stability of the Arab states on the front lines of the Iranian regime’s aggression. It is a critical pawn of the Iranian regime’s grand strategy to interfere in the internal affairs of Arab countries, promote radical ideologies, and ultimately dominate the entire MENA region – not just Israel.

 

Hamas is Anti-Palestinian

How else can we describe a group that steals humanitarian aid, deprives the Palestinian people from making a living, uses women, children, and the elderly as human shields, and jails, tortures, and executes other Palestinians? 

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Since taking over the governance of Gaza in 2007, the international community has given Hamas tens of billions in assistance aimed to improve the lives of Gazans. Most of that money was either pocketed by the group’s corrupt leaders, turning them into billionaires, or poured – not into building bomb shelters for its people – but into the so-called “Gaza metro,” the maze of tunnels dug by Hamas operatives under schools, hospitals, mosques, and people’s homes to protect themselves. “All the aid goes [to the tunnels] underground…Hamas takes everything,” an elderly Palestinian woman told a reporter recently. 

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As another consequence of Hamas’ actions, nearly 200,000 Palestinians who made their living in Israel lost their jobs. Ironically, the very Israelis who employed Palestinians in the towns overrun by Hamas, were the ones most sympathetic to the Palestinian people’s aspirations. Hamas broke that trust. It may take a generation to rebuild that trust before most Palestinians will be able to earn a living in Israel. 

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And let’s not forget about the Palestinian Israelis victimized by Hamas. The Yalla show has documented the stories of Awad Darawshe, a paramedic murdered while treating wounded concert goers; Suhaib Razeem, a bus driver from East Jerusalem who was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time; and four members of the Ziadna family, kidnapped from a dairy farm.

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Hamas is an Obstacle to Palestinian Statehood

Hamas’ existence is not based on the promotion of Palestinians’ well-being but the erasure of Israel. Hamas rejects any form of co-existence or peaceful resolution with Israel.  

 

Not a single proposal for a two-state solution – whether through the United Nations, the Oslo process, the Saudi-led Arab Initiative, the Middle East Quartet, or various American proposals – has been taken seriously by Hamas (or the Palestinian Authority, for that matter). This uncompromising stance has been the biggest obstacle to the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict thwarting the aspirations of Palestinians for statehood and self-determination.

 

In the last four decades, several Arab countries overcame the wounds of the past and made peace with Israel. Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan found common ground with their Jewish neighbor and acted for the greater good of their people. Imagine the peace dividend that could have already been realized by the Palestinian people if Hamas cared more about their welfare than Iran’s. 

 

Hamas is Un-Islamic

Hamas' actions diverge significantly from the principles and teachings of Islam, which emphasizes principles of justice, compassion, and respect for human life – even in the midst of conflict. 

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During its October 7 massacre, Hamas transgressed many Islamic warfare restrictions: 

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• Islam forbids the deliberate targeting of civilians, including women, children, and the elderly. Hamas deliberately targeted Israeli civilians and continues to use Gazans as human shields. 

• Islam prohibits the malicious destruction of property. Hamas destroyed property and vandalized homes. 

• Islam forbids the use of torture, mutilation, and other forms of cruel treatment towards bystanders, prisoners of war or captured combatants. Hamas tortured, mutilated, raped, and burned helpless civilians on October 7 and, according to the testimony of released hostages, continues to starve, degrade, and sexually abuse its captives.

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In expressing their concern for the plight of Palestinians in Gaza, prominent Arab leaders have condemned Hamas. The Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, remarked, “​​In the Quran, it says that the killing of an innocent…is akin to killing all of mankind.” He then plainly stated, “I condemn Hamas unequivocally.” 

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Reem Al Hashemi, the Emirati Minister of International Cooperation, described Hamas’ attacks as “barbaric and heinous” and called on the group to release Israeli hostages “immediately and unconditionally.”

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The Iraq-based Islamic Fatwa Council issued a fatwa against Hamas. The Council’s edict urges Muslims not to “pray for, support, finance or fight on behalf of Hamas.”

 

Only the Defeat of Hamas Will Alleviate the Suffering in Gaza

The devastation in Gaza is heartbreaking and decent people everywhere mourn the tragic loss of life. But only the end of Hamas’ anti-Palestinian, un-Islamic rule will end this painful chapter in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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Many Palestinians want Hamas gone. Manar Al-Sharif, a Palestinian Syrian journalist, told the Yalla show that Gazans don’t want war, but are intimidated into silence. Dr. Ali al-Nuaimi, a senior member of the UAE’s Federal National Council observed, “[Gaza] is occupied by Hamas. And the Palestinian people in Gaza are suffering because of Hamas, not the Israelis.”

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As Dr. al-Nuami said, “It’s time to free the Palestinians from Hamas – and Iran.” Hamas not only harms the Palestinian people, it undermines the stability and security of Arab countries in the MENA region. Only after its demise will a path towards peace and prosperity for Palestinians and the broader region be forged.