Hamas' Public Executions

Quds News Photo

What Happens to Palestinian Moderates - Editorial
 
One of the myths about the Middle East is that there would be peace if only Israel courted Palestinian moderates. This might be possible if any Palestinian who harbored such a thought wasn't summarily executed.
     
The practice goes back to the days of the British Mandate when the mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini killed Palestinians open to a Jewish presence. During the anti-Israel uprisings in the 1980s, Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction murdered some 800 Palestinians for alleged collaboration. The Palestinians will never have peace as long as they keep murdering anyone who wants it. 
(Wall Street Journal)


Unlikely Executed Palestinians Connected to Israel - Amos Harel

Hamas has executed a large number of suspected collaborators. Yet it is highly unlikely that the murdered victims had any connections to Israeli intelligence agencies, particularly with regard to disclosing the whereabouts of the recently targeted Hamas commanders. It is more likely that they had publicly challenged Hamas policies in Gaza. That was the message: Anyone opposing us risks his life.
(Ha'aretz)


Hamas on Executions - Smadar Perry
 
11 people, including two women, were brought on Friday morning to the busy intersection in front of Al-Azhar University in Gaza City. Their hands were tied behind their backs, their mouths gagged. The executioners waited until the curious masses had gathered - the children were not kept away - and put bullets into each of the 11 heads. That afternoon, a Hamas firing squad assembled in the Great Mosque complex. There was a short salvo, and the waiting ambulance was loaded up with seven victims. And there was no rest for these executioners on Saturday, when they killed another four.

Hamas deputy leader Moussa Abu Marzouk was asked what pushed them to firing squads: "Because of the pressure put on us by the residents of Gaza, because of the cries of despair and so that there would not be further chaos. We decided to create deterrence, so that people would not try to be clever," he replied. 
(Ynet News)


After Criticism, Hamas to Curb Public Executions - Roi Kais

Asharq Al-Awsat reported Sunday that after receiving an outpouring of criticism regarding the public executions of "collaborators," the Hamas political echelon decided not to conduct such executions in front of the public.
(Ynet News)
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