Eight years ago, Ismail Haniyeh became the Prime Minister of Hamas. He has followed well in the footsteps of former Hamas leaders, holding strong to the terror group’s commitment to violence, radicalism, and hateful rhetoric. To mark Haniyeh’s eighth year in power, we bring to you eight quotes that characterize his time as Prime Minister.
On December 8, 2006, several months after becoming Hamas’ leader, Haniyeh spoke to thousands of worshipers at Tehran University in Iran, calling for the next intifada against Israel.
(1) “We will never recognize the usurper Zionist government and will continue our jihad-like movement until the liberation of Jerusalem.”
On September 18th, 2011, in the wake of the Palestinian bid to gain recognition in the United Nations, Haniyeh reiterated his refusal to recognize the Jewish State.
(2) “We repeat today that we are with the establishment of a Palestinian state on any liberated part of Palestinian land that is agreed upon by the Palestinian people, without recognizing Israel or conceding any inch of historical Palestine.”
On December 14th, 2010, Haniyeh spoke at a rally to mark the 23rd anniversary of the Hamas terror group’s founding.
(3) ” Palestine is from the sea to the river, from Rosh HaNikra to Rafah. The siege will not change our belief, wars don’t cause people give up resistance and resistance leaders. We will not recognize! We will not recognize! We will not recognize Israel!”
Exactly one year later, on December 14th, 2011, Haniyeh addressed more than 100,000 Hamas supporters gathered in Gaza City’s al-Katiba to celebrate the
24th anniversary of Hamas’ creation. This was his message of violence to the audience:
(4) “The Hamas movement will lead Intifada after Intifada until we liberate Palestine – all of Palestine, Allah willing.”
On February 12, 2012, Iranian Preisdent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad invited Haniyeh to his country just in time for the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. During
a speech to his Iranian supporters, Haniyeh called again for a violent confrontation against Israel.
(5) “The resistance will continue until all Palestinian land, including al-Quds (Jerusalem), has been liberated and all the refugees have returned.”
Another quote from the same speech:
(6) “The gun is our only response to [the] Zionist regime. In time we have come to understand that we can obtain our goals only through fighting and armed resistance and no compromise should be made with the enemy.”
On October 19, 2013,
Haniyeh called for an end to peace negotiations with Israel, warning that Hamas fighters are preparing for a liberation campaign against Israel.
(7) “Thousands of fighters above ground and thousands of fighters underground have been preparing in silence for the campaign to liberate Palestine.”
On January 13th, 2014, the
Hamas’ government celebrated 13,000 graduates from the
Hamas youth paramilitary camps, designed to encourage Gazan teens “to follow in the footsteps of the suicide martyrs.” Haniyeh congratulated the participants at the graduation ceremony.
Haniyeh (Center) at ceremony for military camp
(8) “This is a generation which knows no fear. It is the generation of the missile, the tunnel and suicide operations.”
Hanyieh has been consistent in his radicalism and incendiary speech since taking power eight years ago in 2006. These eight quotes are just a drop in the sea of fanaticism that flows from the Hamas leadership.
