Palestinian Writer: Hamas Uses Hitler-Like Methods That Will Doom The Palestinian People

Palestinian writer Majed Hadib published an article on the website Amad.ps, which is associated with the PLO and owned by former PA minister Hassan 'Asfour, in which he scathingly attacked the Hamas movement. He claimed that Hamas employs methods similar to Hitler's in its attempts to eliminate all other Palestinian power brokers, and warned that continuing on this path will doom the Palestinian people, much like the German people under the Nazi regime.

The following are excerpts from the article


"Ever since Hamas was established and appeared in the Palestinian political arena, it has been engaged in struggle and clashes... even with the Palestinian people. The reason is that, since its establishment... after the outbreak of the first intifada [in 1987], it has been increasingly acting as though it is [the representative] of the entire Palestinian people. As for the other forces and factions – [it believes] that their past and present should be uprooted and their struggle erased from the memory of the Palestinian people. However, despite its coup and its bloody takeover of the Gaza strip [in 2007], and despite its efforts... Hamas has not succeeded in getting the people to stand behind it. Furthermore, it has not managed to eliminate everyone it wished to eliminate, despite the steps it took, including the forceful takeover [of Gaza] and the legislation of [various] laws under the pretext of allowing the resistance to win and eliminate Israel.

"[Hamas'] measures resemble those taken by Hitler when he sought the permission of the Germans to lead Germany and its people towards years of glory. [However,] Hitler led Germany to collapse and division, after murdering, arresting and oppressing the German people. The laws he passed were meant to protect his regime on the one hand, and on the other hand to rally the people behind him and lead Germany towards the 'glorious skies,' as he called it. If Hamas continues to march on his path and try to rally the people around it without any comprehensive and unified national strategy, and under the pretext of letting the resistance win – it will lead our people to doom and to the end of its lengthy historic struggle, which is soaked in the blood of martyrs...

"Hitler took control of Germany in two main stages: In the first stage, he sparked conflagrations in order to enforce a state of emergency under the pretext of defending Germany's democracy from collapse. In the second he consolidated his control by legislating arbitrary laws... and declaring martial law in the country, [measures] which served to restrict liberties and ban gatherings and protests... [He] called everyone to unite behind him so he could lead Germany towards those 'glorious skies'... But Hitler and the Nazis led Germany – which, until then, had been among the most advanced countries in terms of its science and military [capabilities] – towards division and backwardness...

"Hamas must understand now, before it is too late, that its adherence to the principle of attempting to eliminate the other, the steps it is taking to silence others, its increasing oppression of Palestinian national forces and of the people of Gaza, the legislation of the so-called 'Mutual Responsibility [Tax] Laws'[2] and the taxation that preceded them, the restriction of general liberties... and the hobbling of all media that oppose its activity – all this will not cause the Palestinian people to rally behind it. This, because the Palestinian people is not a herd, but rather a people with a national cause [which has shown] creativity throughout its lengthy struggle. The attempts to eliminate the national forces of the Palestinian people or suppress them will not enable Hamas to lead [the Palestinians] to victory and to the establishment of a Palestinian state. Rather, [Hamas will lead them] where Hitler led the German people – namely to defeat and years-long destruction.

"If Hamas – its leadership and its members – does indeed desire the existence of Palestine and the victory of its people, it should cease ruling in this [arbitrary] manner... [Rather] it must resume invigorating the people, but not with its [current] policy that leads to collapse and doom... It must immediately reevaluate its positions, since why would it want to keep the [Palestinian] people hostages of the Muslim Brotherhood plan, for example? Will its position on the war that is [currently] waging between the new regime in Cairo and the Muslim Brotherhood, its allies and affiliates lead [the Palestinians] to power or victory?

"We still regard Hamas as part of the Palestinian people and as a significant component of this people, as president [Mahmoud 'Abbas] said. [The question is this:] Will Hamas learn a lesson and cease seeing the other components of the people as something that must be uprooted in order to strengthen [itself], under the pretext of 'resistance' and of leading the people towards victory? Or will it insist on following in Hitler's footprints by levying taxes, legislating harsh laws, and taking increased security measures – [which] will lead the people to the brink of disaster and cause it to deteriorate for many years, even decades, has happened to Nazi Germany?"

http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/8719.htm