The son of a Hamas co-founder has spoken out against pro-Palestinian activists in the United States, labeling them “useful idiots.”
Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, appeared on ‘Dr. Phil Primetime” on April 2 to debate two University of Michigan student attorneys.
Yousef is from Ramallah and fought as a Palestinian militant before defecting to Israel in 1997 and working as a spy for the Shin Bet intelligence service.
“It is very disappointing to see that Americans support Hamas and think that Hamas is something cool… while those followers do not know that Hamas would torture and slaughter them without mercy,” he said.
‘They call them useful idiots. They don’t know that Hamas is a dark black hole.”
Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, called pro-Palestinian activists ‘useful idiots’
Yousef, a former Palestinian militant turned Israeli spy, appeared on ‘Dr. Phil Primetime” on April 2 to debate student activists at the University of Michigan
He claimed that its supporters “don’t know what they support” and described Hamas as a “black hole.”
Yousef further claimed that those on the pro-Palestinian side “don’t know what they support,” and deemed Hamas’a monster that has hijacked an entire society and endangered the entire Middle East, driving the world toward global war.”
The defector, who was nicknamed “The Green Prince” and was the subject of a 2014 documentary of the same name, said he based his knowledge on time he spent in prison with Hamas leaders.
Unlike the students on the show, he continued, “I was born there and I’m part of that culture, part of that religion.
“Some people hear about Hamas, or see an avatar of a Hamas fighter with a gun in his hand, a freedom fighter, and think it’s a great idea to support such a monster.”
One student accused the former Hamas member of promoting “colonial rhetoric.”
But Yousef hit back, claiming the students were speaking “on the authority of Hamas propaganda.”
He pointed out that all three students were wearing the keffiyeh, a traditional black and white Palestinian scarf.
‘You don’t actually know what Palestine is. In fact, the keffiyeh you are wearing is just a statement to show that you really do not have the authenticity to represent the cause,” he claimed.
“There’s a tribe of Hamas, and there’s a tribe of Islamic Jihad… and each has different interests, and they’re all in conflict with each other. If they didn’t have Israel as a common enemy, they would kill each other. This is the reality.’
Yousef pointed to the traditional keffiyeh worn by several attendees and claimed that the students lacked the “authenticity” to speak out in support of Palestine.
One student accused the former Hamas member of promoting “colonial rhetoric.” But Yousef fired back, claiming the young activists were repeating Hamas’ propaganda.
The son of Hamas’s co-founder claimed that Palestine consisted of two warring factions, a “tribe of Hamas” and a “tribe of Islamic Jihad,” who would kill each other if not for their common enemy, Israel.
As for pro-Palestinian activists in the United States, the former Israeli spy stated, “Those pro-Palestinian people need to go to a mental institution.”
Yousef’s comments came amid growing outrage sparked by the Israeli killing of World Central Kitchen aid workers on April 1.
Among the seven people killed in the airstrike was 33-year-old Jacob Flickinger, who had dual American and Canadian citizenship.
In the aftermath of the deadly airstrike, President Joe Biden hosted a 30-minute phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“President Biden emphasized that the attacks on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable,” read a statement released by the White House on April 4.
“He made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete and measurable steps to address the harm to the civilian population, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers.”
During the call, Biden “underlined that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians, and urged the Prime Minister to enable his negotiators to reach a deal without delay.” close to bring the hostages home,” the statement said
More than 33,000 Palestinians had been killed and nearly 76,000 injured as of Sunday in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Israel faced global condemnation after an airstrike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers
In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Joe Biden denounced the deaths and urged Israel to consider the humanitarian suffering.
The president’s position marked an abrupt distraction from his administration’s steadfast support for Israel’s war effort.
On Thursday evening, Israel’s security cabinet approved these three measures to increase humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip.
More than 33,000 Palestinians had been killed and nearly 76,000 injured as of Sunday in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Hamas’ attack on October 7 claimed the lives of 1,139 Israelis, while dozens continued to be held captive.
In a series of interviews with US media in October 2023, Yousef warned that his father and Hamas would not be satisfied with taking territorial Palestine alone.
‘It is a religious movement, everyone doesn’t dare say that. If Hamas were a political movement, we could satisfy their political ambitions,” he told Jake Tapper on CNN.
‘But Hamas is a religious movement that does not believe in political boundaries; they want to establish an Islamic state on the rubble of the State of Israel.’