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| Sinwar, the day Israel let him walk free [Image Source] |
Associated Press is reporting this afternoon that Hamas has a new leader in Gaza, and calls him “one of the Islamic militant group’s most hard-line figures“.
The appointment of Yehiya Sinwar, who was freed by Israel in a 2011 prisoner swap, solidifies the takeover of Gaza operations by the armed wing of the group. The military wing, which controls thousands of fighters and a vast arsenal of rockets, has battled Israel in three wars since Hamas seized Gaza a decade ago… Sinwar replaces Ismail Haniyeh, who served as the prime minister of Hamas’ government following the 2007 takeover of Gaza. Haniyeh is now expected to take over as Hamas’ supreme leader, replacing Khaled Mashaal, who lives in exile. Khalil al-Haya, another political hard-liner, was elected as Sinwar’s deputy. [“Hamas Names Top Militant as New Leader in Gaza”, Associated Press via Bloomberg, February 13, 2017]
We’re pleased to note that AP’s story skips the customary nonsense about the Islamists wanting desperately to create a Palestinian Arab homeland and itching to create more kindergartens and nicer maternity wards and museums. Instead:
Hamas is sworn to Israel’s destruction and has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings, shootings and other attacks… Gaza is mired in poverty and widespread destruction. International organizations estimate the unemployment rate at over 40 percent, and the movement of people and goods in and out of the war-battered territory remains restricted. [Associated Press]
Sinwar was released from Israeli prison in the catastrophic Shalit Deal of 2011, having been arrested on January 21, 1988 and sentenced a year later after being tried in an Israeli court to four life terms for multiple offenses including (according to AP) masterminding the abduction and murder of two Israeli soldiers.
But a Haaretz profile two days ago reveals that Sinwar (sometimes written Sanwar) was sentenced by Israel
to life in prison in 1989 for the murder of Palestinian [Arabs] suspected of collaboration. His younger brother Mohammed was a commander in the Khan Yunis sector and was involved in the operations in which Shalit was abducted in June 2006, which five years later led to Sanwar’s release. [“Palestinians Freed in Shalit Deal Running the Show for Next Prisoner Swap“, Haaretz, February 12, 2017]
It goes on to paint a portrait of an unusually vicious personality, even by Hamas’ satanic standards:
Palestinians who have met with Sanwar describe him as an extremist, even in the context of his organization, and as someone who speaks in apocalyptic terms about perpetual war with Israel… [For example] the case of Mahmoud Ishtiwi, a Hamas battalion commander in the Gaza neighborhood of Zeitoun who was executed about a year ago. In the past, claims circulated in Gaza about the reasons for his execution, ranging from collaboration with Israel to suspected homosexuality… Ishtiwi’s sister [said] in April 2015, three months after Ishtiwi’s arrest, Sanwar visited the Ishtiwi family at home with Ishtiwi in tow – and Sanwar threatened them with a gun. In February 2016, Ishtiwi was executed… The Hamas leadership said the decision was based on “security and moral reasons.” [An Israeli source however] cites a power struggle within the Hamas military wing. The young battalion commander had accumulated influence and dared to try to undermine Sanwar. So in a highly unusual move, Sanwar decided to get rid of him… [Haaretz]
It’s especially galling (to us at least) how this sociopath was released from behind Israeli bars with barely a mention of the risks his unwarranted freedom represented. Israel Prison Service records, issued at the time the 1,027 Shalit Deal terrorists walked free and which we have filed away, indicate merely that Sinwar – named there as Yihia Ibrahim Hasan Al-Sinwar, יחיא סנואר אברהים חסן, prisoner ID 955266978 – was serving time for
הריגה ; אימונים בנשק ; פעילות חבלנית עוינת ; הסתה
Manslaughter; weapons training; hostile terrorist activity; incitement
No hint, in other words, of the man’s distinctive malevolence or leadership role. But today, with Sinwar free and unconstrained, the expert assessments appear. For instance this is from today’s Associated Press cited above:
Kobi Michael, a former head of the Palestinian Desk at Israel’s Ministry for Strategic Affairs, said Sinwar represents “one of the most radical and extreme lines of Hamas.” He described Sinwar as a “bitter enemy” of Egypt who is focused on building Hamas’ military capabilities. “The idea that he was elected is a very dangerous and concerning indication of the destabilization of the region,” Michael said.
A great pity Israelis weren’t told this before the Shalit Deal went through.
And also worth noting that Sinwar comes accompanied with a pair of loyal deputies who likewise are Shalit Deal graduates:
At Israel’s Nafha Prison, Sanwar created a circle of activists who were loyal to him. Two of them, who were released along with Sanwar, are now in key posts in the Hamas security apparatus. Ruhi Mushtaha is in charge of the prisoner portfolio and Tawfik Abu Naim heads the internal security apparatus in Gaza. [Haaretz]
[Continuing]
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