Palestinian Media Watch, January 4, 2008.

To understand the causes of the Gaza conflict, it is essential to understand the
Hamas ideology. Hamas presents itself as an Islamic supremacist movement. Its
charter opens with a quote from the Quran: “You [Islamic nation] are the best
nation that hath been raised up unto mankind.” [3: 110]

However, whereas many religions and cultures believe that their own
traditions represent messages of truth, Hamas believes that this supremacy of
Islam obligates them to commit genocide, literally to exterminate millions of
people who have different beliefs, including the Jews. The following are some
recent examples of Hamas defining this ideology of genocide, as it applies to
Jews:

• Quran condemns Jews to extermination

“The Meccan [Quran] chapter entitled ‘Jews’ or ‘Children of Israel’ is

remarkable… It’s about today’s Jews, those of our century, and speaks only of

extermination and digging graves… This chapter sentences the Jews to

extermination before a single Jew existed on earth…

Palestine’s blessing is linked to destruction of the center of global
corruption [Jews of Israel], the snake’s head. When the snake’s head of [global]
corruption is cut off, here in Palestine, and when the octopus’s [Jew's]
tentacles are cut off around the world, the real blessing will come with the
destruction of the Jews, here in Palestine, and it is one of the splendid real
blessings in Palestine.”

[Palestinian cleric ,Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), July 13, 2008]

• Jews to face yet another Holocaust

Headline: “Suffering by Fire is Jews’ destiny in this world and next.”

“… you will taste the punishment of Scorching Fire.” [Quran 3:181]

“This [Quran] verse threatens the Jews with the punishment of Fire…
the reason for the punishment of Fire is it is fitting retribution for what they
have done… but the urgent question is, is it possible that they will have the
punishment of Fire in this world, before the great punishment [of Fire in Hell] …
many of the [Islamic] religious leaders believe that the [Jews'] punishment of
Fire is in this world, before the next world… therefore we are sure that the
Holocaust is still to come upon the Jews.”

[Sheikh Yunus Al-Astal, Hamas MP, in his regular column in Al-Rissala,
(Hamas weekly) March 13, 2008]

It is important to note that the Hamas MP switched words in the last sentence,
from the word he used throughout, “harik”, which means “fire”, to “mahraka” a
word from the same root, that is used by Arabic speakers to mean “holocaust.”

• Muhammad’s promise: Jews will be killed

“Regarding the Jews, our business with them is only through bombs and
guns… the prophet [Muhammad] promised that we will fight you, with Allah’s
help, until the tree and stone say: “Oh Muslim, servant of Allah, there is a Jew
behind me, come and kill him.”

[Nizar Rayan, Hamas religious and military leader, Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas),
Jan. 1, 2009.

Note: Rayan was killed on Jan. 2, 2009]

• Extermination of Jews – good for humanity

In an article promoting the continued use of suicide terror in the official
Hamas newspaper:

“We find more than one condemnation and denunciation of the
resistance operations and bombings [suicide attacks], carried out by Hamas and
the Palestinian resistance branches…

[Eventually] everyone will know that we did this only because our Lord
commanded so: ‘I did it not of my own accord’ [Quran] and so that people will
know that the extermination of Jews is good for the inhabitants of the worlds.”

[Al-Rissala, (Hamas weekly) April 23, 2007]

• Kill a Jew go to Heaven

A poster that Hamas posted on its old web site taught that killing a Jew
is enough to grant the rewards of Heaven.

Text on Hamas poster: “I will knock on Heaven’s doors with the skulls of
Jews.” Axe is crashing through the word: “Jews.”

• Resurrection dependent on Muslims killing Jews (1)

Hamas goes even further in its religious packaging of genocide. Hamas
teaches that the redemption of all of humanity, the anticipated Islamic “Hour”
of Resurrection, will happen only when Muslims are killing Jews and the
remaining Jews will be exposed by the trees and stones.

Hamas writes in Article 7 of the Hamas Charter: “Hamas has been looking
forward to implement Allah’s promise whatever time it might take. The prophet
[Muhammad] said: ‘The time (of Resurrection) will not come until Muslims will
fight the Jews; until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: 0
Muslim! there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him!’”

[Sahih Muslim, Book 041, Number 6985]

• Resurrection dependent on Muslims killing Jews (2)

The Hamas belief that Jews must be killed for redemption to occur is a
repeating theme of religious leaders on Palestinian Authority (Fatah) and Hamas
TV. The following is one example:

“‘The Hour [Resurrection] will not take place until the Muslims fight the
Jews and the Muslims kill them, and the rock and the tree will say: ‘Oh,
Muslim, servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, kill him!’ We must remind
our Arab and Muslim nation, its leaders and people, its scholars and students,
remind them that Palestine and the Al Aqsa mosque will not be liberated
through summits nor by international resolutions, but it will be liberated through
the rifle.”

[Hamas Spokesman, Dr. Ismail Radwan, PA TV, March 30, 2007]

Conclusion:

Given this Hamas ideology of genocide, the essential problem with Hamas is not
the missiles and rockets it showers on Israel, but the core belief that killing
Jews is a prerequisite to redemption. Hamas’s ongoing attempts to kill Jews,
which have led to the current Gaza War, are a symptom of the far deeper
problem — the ideology teaching that Allah demands the extermination of Jews.

Israel and the West must create a strategy not only to destroy the terror
infrastructures of Hamas, but to ultimately ensure that Jews and the world are
safe from this ideology and its consequences.