Hamas Is Isis - Blog Posts
I know that expressing your opinion of the internet can get messy real quick. I personally don't intend to make it sound as though Hamas is the epitome of morality. But it doesn't sit right with me that people are misinformed about this matter even now and reduce it to the simple binary of Good and Evil, especially since it's most likely because of Israeli and Western propaganda.
Hamas are a brutal armed resistance movement born out of the First Intafada (1987-1993) due to dissatisfaction and disagreement with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). It's a nationalistic movement with the aim of Palestinian liberation from the Israeli occupation. And because Hamas has an Islamic identity and Isreal likes to present itself has a Jewish state first and foremost, they claim Hamas is anti-Semitism as they like to do to anyone who dares oppose them. This had been addressed by Hamas founder (Sheikh Ahmad Yasin) and the recent Hamas Carters as well.
Hamas are not aimless rabid dogs set on mindless slaughter. They have tactics and politics based on Guerilla warfare, as unethical and ruthless as they maybe. Since Isreal doesn't give a single damn about any Palestinian life, inflicting damage on Israeli civilians has been their tactic in hopes of being a deterrent or to pressure Israel into retreating or ending the occupation. But since October 7th we know that Isreal doesn't give a shit about its own people also in it's quest to obliterate Palestine.
After the Second Intafada (2000-2005) Hamas popularity only grew amongst the oppressed Palestinians as the Palestinian Authority (PA) failed to improve their conditions or even stop Israeli settler terrorism. In 2006, Hamas won the democratic election in Gaza and West Bank and the US and Isreal just responded by attempting a regime change. They were successful in West Bank but failed in Gaza which was under Hamas' control by 2007. Using this as an excuse as always Isreal then made their existing blockaid on Gaza airtight which was great for the Israeli endgame of displacing Gazans.
Since then Israel has enjoyed maintaining a vicious back and forth with Hamas. When things get really bad in Gaza Hamas fires some attacks at Israel, who then loves to respond with a completely disproportionate and massive assault which kill thousands. This has happened saveral times in 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2021. This isn't even counting the other mindless massacers Israel routinely commits.
The Israeli government literally likes to call it "Mowing the Lawn", grandstanding to the Israeli population as a show of strength. Helps them maintain control and power in Israel too.
Hamas has tried to hand over some ministries back to the PA since then to try to break this Israeli cycle of punishing Gaza's entire population using Hamas as an excuse. Hamas' 2017 charter had proposed going back to the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as the capital and the right to return for those displaced, which is very much in line with the UN policies but all such attempts have been opposed by Israel and the West.
Starting in 2018, the 2 year long unarmed Great March of Return was backed by Hamas but ended with 214 dead and 36,000 injured. Regardless of what tactic or policy Hamas has employed, they haven't been met with any genuine engagement. The West and Isreal had started to regard the Palestinian cause as lost and forgotten one. That's how we end up on the 7th of October horrible and ruthless nothing comes out of nowhere.
No matter how you chose to look at it or how you feel about it, Hamas' existence and it's popularity is because of its fight against the Israeli occupation.
Also while I'm on this topic I'd also just like to say anyone and I mean ANYONE who says "Hamas is ISIS" is either ignorant, blind to Western imperialism or just a Zionist.
Other than the usual recommendations, I would personally recommend the following off the top of my head in case you're interested in learning more about Hamas history in specific:
● Hamas Contained by Tareq Baconi (book)
● Uncivilized Media (Palestinian Youtube Channel)
Here's my layman's opinion, the standard of violence in an Apartheid or in an occupied territory is set but the Occupier. Those that are occupied only function in the reality of that level of violence of which they are being subjected to. It's the only reality they know and it's the only path forward they can see when all other paths have been violently slammed in their faces.
But regardless, I do think that claiming unquestioningly and immediately that Hamas has an express interest in harming Jews specifically (irrespective of where they are from) is falling into Israel's malicious propaganda of equating Zionism with Judaism. It's believing the notion that the Palestinians oppose Isreal not because they are Zionistic occupiers but simply because they are Jewish.
It's in human nature to resist dehumanization, occupation and to fight for survival. Often in such horrendous conditions that is the only way. Every oppressed population has given rise to armed resistance regardless of their religion, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, etc.
Also... Sorry for the rant😅😶
I want Palestine to be free. But I also dread the slaughter of every Jew there. Please don't forget that Hamas leaders have said on multiple occasions that they want to genocide Jews there. An eye for an eye has never sat well with me. The murders of Palestinians are unforgivable, and Israel must be held accountable for decades of terror. The entire world will suffer if Palestine cannot be free. I don't know where the Jews in Palestine will go after this. I'm not a political expert. But. Any leader, any human, who calls for genocide is reprehensible. There are no exceptions.
Let the hate begin...
i’m willing to believe some people are genuinely idiots who don’t know that 90%+ of polish jews were killed in the holocaust (and made up half of all poles killed in wwii), but. it’s almost like this shit helps nothing and no one
Antisemitism on college campuses
You know what's not going to free Palestine?
-Barricading Jewish students from entering certain buildings, ordering them to stay indoors during one of our biggest holidays. -chanting antisemitic slogans and slurs. -Harassing and physically attacking Jews. It's literally Nazi behaviour.
The last few days have been terrifying for Jews across the world, and these instances shouldn't be ignored.Imagine any other minority group being treated like this.
What about the Jews?
If you're a Palestinian peace activist who advocates for the destruction of Israel, then let me give you a little history lesson.
In the late 1940s, after the UN partition plan was a guaranteed outcome for the territory. Many Arab nations in north Africa and the middle east went through massive waves of pogroms which were supported by the governments of these nations. They kicked out the native Jewish minority of their nations in the 100s of 1000s. These Jews are known as "Mizrachi" Jews, which is a name for the Jews who lived in the middle east and north Africa, they are descendants of Jews who had lived in the middle east and north Africa.
These are the nations which kicked out their Jewish populations, and how many they brutally expelled after massive waves of pogroms:
Morocco: 18,000 Jews expelled
Algeria: approx. 140,000 Jews expelled
Tunisia: 103,500 Jews expelled
Libya: approx. 35,000 Jews expelled
Iraq: 100,000 Jews expelled
Syria: 30,000 Jews expelled
Yemen: 62,500 Jews expelled
Oman: 5,000 Jews expelled
Iran: 150,000 Jews expelled (10 remain today)
Egypt: 75,000 Jews expelled
Pakistan: 2,000 Jews expelled
Afghanistan: 5,000 (only 1 left)
Why is it only "Zionist atrocities" which you all try to spread false news about? Why do you turn a blind eye to the atrocities which the Arab nations committed?
As of today, 50% of Israel's population are Mizrachi and are descendants of middle eastern Jews. Therefore making the stereotype that Israel is a white colonialist state false.
Don't blame Israel for simply existing. Blame the rest of the middle east and north Africa for making it necessary for Israel to exist.
links to help you actually learn and understand what happened in Israel on October 7
a site that collects the October 7th survivors' stories.
an Instagram profile that also collected survivors stories.
Yoseph Hadad - an Arab-Israeli who shows what it is like to be an Arab in Israel. also explains the situation.
Israel on Twitter - the official account of the state of Israel.
Stand With Us - a nonprofit organization that fights antisemitism.
4IL - an Instagram page for Hasbara (explanation).
Visit2Israel - explains, simplifies and updates on what is happening.
I do warn you - the stories are graphic, there will be graphic pictures. but this is the situation Israel is in, and there are so many stories to share that me, as a sole person here, just cannot bring you all on my own.
SHARE THIS PLEASE, LET THE WORLD KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO US
Key terms necessary for understanding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict : Part 1- Ancient Israel to the founding of modern Israel, Jewish terms
A/N: Hey! The results are in, and this is the topic my followers chose🫶 Writing this felt very much like retaking my high school history finals lol. Enjoy reading.
*These terms and definitions will be organized by topics, in chronological order. **If I have made a mistake or if you feel like I forgot something important- don’t hesitate to tell me in the comments. It is very hard to summarize thousands of years. *** Be respectful, I am human.
1. Key terms in Judaism and the connection to the land of Israel :
Israel and Judea- Were the two ancient Jewish kingdoms.
Zion ציון- Is one of the 70 biblical names for the city of Jerusalem. In fact, Jerusalem is referenced by this name in the bible over 150 times.
The word Zion is very much embedded into our culture: it is used in many prayers and Jewish texts written throughout Jewish history, songs etc.
Zion and the exile from it:
It is especially used when describing longing and the wanting of return to the land of Israel:
The most famous example that uses the word Zion is the biblical prayer from the book of Psalms, 137:
1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
תהילים פרק קלז א עַל נַהֲרוֹת, בָּבֶל--שָׁם יָשַׁבְנוּ, גַּם-בָּכִינוּ: בְּזָכְרֵנוּ, אֶת-צִיּוֹן.
This verse is an example of the longing for Israel: as it was written after the exile to Babylon.
*Yes, the funky Boney M song is based on this Psalms verse :) Coming full circle- It is also used in the official hymn of the modern state of Israel, Ha'Tikva. התקווה, written by Naftali Herz Imber. This word might sound familiar to you, as it is also the origin of the word "Zionism".
Zionism- is the notion that the Jewish people deserve to have a state of their own.
Semite- is a term for people relating to, or constituting a subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic language family:
Semite languages- are a group of ancient languages, that originated around the same time, in Africa and the Middle East- aka the neighboring countries of Israel.
The Semitic languages are: Hebrew and its other ancient dialects , Arabic, Amharic, Aramaic and more. Unfortunately , most of these are extinct and no longer spoken.
The languages that are still spoken to this very day are : Arabic, Amharic and Hebrew.
Some Hebrew Fun facts :
-While there are only estimated 8 million Hebrew speakers nowadays( most of them Israeli), Hebrew is considered a holy language in is spoken during prayer.
-Ancient Hebrew and modern Hebrew are very similar. So much so that if I were to time travel, I could have a decent conversation with my ancestors😊 (some pronunciations, grammar and words have changed, but it’s essential the same).
-Which cannot be done with Romanic languages or Celtic languages..
Antisemitism A\N: This word is getting its whole section because it simply deserves it. Nowadays, every time a Jewish person says something is antisemitic, they will usually be bombarded with mocking comments about how Jews like to call everything antisemitic. If had a nickel for every time I got those comments or an Arab person tried to troll me in the comment section by saying "I can't be antisemitic if I'm a Semite myself"... Let's make it clear (once again).
As I have explained before, the word Semite refers to a group of ethnicities. However, the word Antisemitic refers to Jewish hatred: "Antisemitism is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews.[2][3][4] This sentiment is a form of racism,[5][6] and a person who harbors it is called an antisemite. Though antisemitism is overwhelmingly perpetrated by non-Jews, it may occasionally be perpetrated by Jews in a phenomenon known as auto-antisemitism ".
TLDR: Don't be a Jerk and use antisemitic rhetoric, blood libels, and stereotypes... You don't get to choose if something is antisemitic or not, Jews do.
2. Modern Israel and its founding
The Knesset- Is the Israeli parliament consisting of 120 members, elected democratically every 4 years. Usually- there have been 5 elections in the last 5 years. It also currently has 36 ministers. Yes, that _IS_ a lot.
Kibbutz- "Kibbutz is a community where people voluntarily live and work together on a noncompetitive basis. The first kibbutzim were organized by idealistic young Zionists in the beginning of the 20th century."
As time moved on, starting in the 80s, many Kibbutzim struggled financially and closed down. Today, there are 265 Kibbutzim left, with approximately 200,000 residents. Less than 20% of them are communal.
Unfortunately today, the word Kibbutz has a different connotation:
British mandate- Yep, they colonized us too lol. After the first world war, Between 1917 and May 1948 (Israel was founded literally as soon as the mandate ended).
Fun fact- Today, there are still a few rules left from the British mandate In Israel (Most of them were updated or changed by Israeli law makers after it's founding, usually by the Knesset and the Supreme court of justice).
“Homa U’migdal” (חומה ומגדל Tower and stockade)- During the British mandate, Jewish settlements were built overnight due to a legal loophole still valid from the Ottoman rule. The loophole prevented the British from destroying the new settlement: "Homa U'Migdal is the name of an operation that the leaders of the Yishuv initiated in Palestine, during which 52 new settlements were founded. This operation was a response of the Yishuv to the 1936-1939 Arab Revolt and the restrictions the Mandatory authorities placed, both on the building of new Jewish settlements, and on the amount of Jewish immigrants allowed into Palestine. The building of each settlement began at night. First, the guard tower and the defense stockade were set up, so the operation was named “Tower and Stockade”. According to an old Ottoman law that was still valid during the Mandate period, the destroying of a building was not allowed after the roof had been erected. For this reason the British did not destroy the "Tower and Stockade" settlements which had not received building permits. "
The 2-state solution - The notion that the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should be two states for two people- one for Arabs and one for Jews.
Balfour's declaration- is the famous letter sent by then-British foreign secretary Lord Balfour to Lord Rothschild in 1917. In the letter, Lord Balfour stated that the British Empire would support the forming of a Jewish Zionist state in the land of Israel.
Peel Commission- was a community created in 1936 by the British rule during their Mandate over Israel. As the name suggests, the head of the Commity was Lord Peel. A suggestion for a Two-state solution was suggested to representatives of both Jews and Arabs. Unfortunately, the Arabs have refused it.
1947 Partition Plan- A partition plan suggested by the UN, that included another draft of the two-state solution, with different borders. The Arabs have refused it once more.
Declaration of Israel's Independence from Britain:
And so, as the British mandate ended on May 14th, 1948, the people's Council (that later served as the initial government of Israel) declared the formation of the modern state of Israel.
The day following the declaration, the Arabs in Israel revolted and with the help of 5 foreign armies that invaded Israel, tried to stop the formation of Israel: Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon.
They failed and Israel was formed.
You can watch David Ben Gurion, head of the council (and Israel's future first prime minister) declare its formation/independence here.
PS- this was the flag of Palestine before the current one:
Sources:
-Semite languages pic: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Semitic-languages
-Kibbutz: * https://kibbutzulpan.org/about_kibbutz/ *https://www.hamichlol.org.il/%D7%A7%D7%99%D7%91%D7%95%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%9D_%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%9C (Hebrew)
-Homa U'Migdal" : http://www.zionistarchives.org.il/en/Pages/TowerStockade.aspx
UNRWA gets decimated by community notes, how long can they keep their mask on?
Links:
In a powerful opinion piece, the First Lady of Israel, Michal Herzog, expressed her disappointment towards international bodies, who have remained largely silent in the wake of the mass rapes and sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas terrorists on and since October 7th.
Apparently, it's:
#BelieveAllWomen...unless you're Israeli.
#MeToo...unless you're a Jew.
A brief History of Mizrahi Jews in Arabic countries and Their expulsion
A\N: While I am an Ashkenazi Jew, I have done A LOT of research, and have both Iraqi friends and relatives to corroborate this with. Also, I'm petty - an Iraqi user who comments regularly on my posts seems to forget about his own country's Jewish history... Well, I hope he forgot instead of the more likely reality: It seems like Arabic people nowadays aren't aware of Jewish history in their countries since they either killed to expelled them all. Thus is born the constant argument that all Jews originated in Europe and are merely settlers in the Middle East.
I realized that what may be obvious to me won't be obvious to others since I'm a history nerd who grew up in Israel with plenty of rich archeological evidence and resources surrounding me. I'm happy to make these posts in hopes of educating others and contributing my part to ending antisemitism and prejudice. ___________________
You might have seen the following picture in one of my previous posts:
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Unfortunately, in this case, it concludes hundreds of years of discrimination, violence, and exile for Mizrahi Jews. * It is important to note that numbers are slightly varied between sources, but the meaning is clear.
In a nutshell- all throughout history, the fate of Jewish people in countries where they weren't the religious majority was the same:
Discriminatory laws, blood libels, being blamed for disasters > violence & murder > Pogroms * > and eventually- exile or mass murder AKA ethnic cleansing \ genocide.
Pogrom- the term refers to violent attacks by local non-Jewish populations on Jews in the Russian Empire and in other countries.
Every Jewish community has its own Pogrom. While my side of the family might immediately think of the Kristallnacht or persecution & pogroms in Hungary, it is different for Jews from different backgrounds. You can read about a few cases of forced conversion to Islam here.
A brief History of the land of Israel
The land of Israel has always been considered a strategic passageway, and so many empires throughout history have conquered it:
* I simply cannot accurately write 3000+ years of Jewish history in the land of Israel. I found that this video summarizes it perfectly.
Exile from the land of Israel
Jews were exiled from the land of Israel numerous times since the Assyrian empire conquered Israel in 732 BCE, to what we call "the diaspora" גולה. It was not by choice and we were persecuted everywhere we went.
Jews were not allowed to legally return to Israel until 1948 when the British mandate over the land of Israel ended and Israel was formed. Yes, even during the Holocaust.
The Jewish answer to exile - Aliyah עליה There have been 5 waves of illegal immigration from all over the world to the land of Israel before 1948, recorded in modern times.
Chart taken from Wikipedia (their chart was the best I could find in English)
Forced Conversion
Whether in conquered Israel or in exile, Jews were often forced to convert to either Christianity or Islam. The choice was between conversion or death.
*You can read more about some of the forced conversion of Jews during history here and here.
First Case study- The last jew of Peki'in, Margalit Zinati
Peki'in is an ancient village in the upper Galilee, Northern Israel. Nowadays, its population is mostly Druze.
Peki'in has had a Jewish presence since the Second Temple period, until Arab riots in the 1930s*. Meet the remaining member of the Zinatis, the only family who returned. (aish.com)
*Read more on the Arab riots of the 1930s here and here. Margalit is currently the last Jew living in the village of Peki'in . She is the last direct descendent of the Zinati Cohen family. The Zinati family's origins are dated back to the Second Temple era. The former Jewish community of Peki'in maintained a presence there since the Second Temple period (516 BCE – 70 CE). That is when the polytheistic Persian Empire conquered the land of Israel. For reference- that was approximately 500 years before Jesus was even born! "During which the Second Temple stood in the city of Jerusalem. It began with the return to Zion and subsequent reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and ended with the First Jewish–Roman War and the Roman siege of Jerusalem." (Wikipedia)
As an adult, Margalit chose to not marry so she could stay in Peki'in and continue her family's Jewish legacy in Peki'in. She later became in charge of the ancient synagogue in the village and turned her basement into a visiting center \ museum of Jewish history in Peki'in- "House of Zinati". in 2018, she lit up a torch as part of Israel's 70th Independence Day Torch lighting ceremony (which is considered an honor given to influential and trailblazing people).
-Margalit Zinati pictured in the Peki'in Synagogue yard, 2016 Picture taken from Wikipedia, uploaded by Deror Avi.
Second Case study - Iraqi Jews (Babylonian Jews \ יְהוּדִים בָּבְלִים)
Iraqi Jews are one of the oldest documented Jewish communities living in the Middle East. It is estimated that they originated around 600 BC.ת
The Farhud الفرهود הפרהוד
Unfortunately, Iraqi Jewish history ended in the same pattern I've described earlier. The Farhud was the violent mass dispossession against the Jewish population of Baghdad, Iraq between 1-2 June 1941. was the pogrom or the "violent dispossession" that was carried out against the Jewish population of Baghdad, Iraq, on 1–2 June 1941, It immediately followed the British victory in the Anglo-Iraqi War.
Background for the Farhud:
WW2- At the time, many Arabic countries in the Middle East agreed with Nazi ideology.
History of violence towards Jews.
The Anglo-Iraqi War (2–31 May 1941) - caused rising tension, and as usual, it was turned on the Jews.
personal family ties to the Farhud My relative was born in 1939 in Iraq, to a big upper-class Jewish family. Unfortunately, the mass exile of Jews in the 1950s didn't skip her family: she was stripped of her belongings and exiled to Israel along with her family. In the 1950s there were approximately 140,000 Iraqi Jews. As of 2021, there are only 4 left.
----------------- Please feel free to add anything I missed in the notes. And as usual - remember I am a human being. If you cuss or harass me, I will block and report you.
______________
Online Sources: * https://www.israelhayom.co.il/article/865383 - Hebrew article, Title means "Sad ending to a magnificent history: Only 4 Jews left in Iraq".
What was the Farhud https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farhud
History of the Jewish community in Baghdad https://cojs.org/the_jewish_community_in_baghdad_in_the_eighteenth_century-_zvi_yehuda-_nehardea-_babylonian_jewry_heritage_center-_2003/
What are Pogroms?https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/pogroms?gclid=Cj0KCQiAkeSsBhDUARIsAK3tiedM7DuwIaSQX-kRxvXTgCDxN6-zqeo_DNNFgyanSYGyGOhwu_0vfrkaAg6REALw_wcB
The last Jew of Peki'in, Margalit Zinati https://aish.com/the-last-jew-of-pekiin/
Arab riots of 1930s- https://www.gov.il/en/Departments/General/ben_zvi_30 https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-1936-arab-riots
Israel's history from ancient times & timeline : https://www.travelingisrael.com/timeline-land-israel/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=iiUIWnU-Ofk
Second Temple era - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Temple_period
Forced conversion of Jews across history- https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt18mvnct.7?seq=4
https://academic.oup.com/book/32113/chapter-abstract/268043723?redirectedFrom=fulltext
Go back to where you came from, they said.
“Israel should be charged with war crimes!!”
But not Palestine? Not Hamas - the elected government of Gaza?
How about Russia? They bombed maternity wards and orphanages. Why aren’t the leftists demanding their war crime trial? The double standards are getting old.
Everything you complain about with Israel (if true) is exactly what Hamas and the Palestinians have been doing to them as well.
“Israel has wiped out entire families!” So did Hamas.
“Israel is bombing Gaza!” Palestine is bombing Israel (and, ironically, Gaza as well).
“An IDF soldier raped someone!” Hamas employed mass rape as a weapon of war against Israeli women.
“Israel is trying to wipe out Palestinians!” Hamas is trying to wipe out Jews.
We can keep going on this. The list goes on. Not only that, but multiple other countries have employed such tactics against their own people and other countries. Not a single cry for war crime trials.
They start war, we win war, they complain, we get human rights allegations, repeat.
Well illustrated! CAIR which is an Islamic group was influential in removing our Southern History in Virginia.
