Hamas Leader's Son Was Shin Bet Mole

[pak-marine]

not surprised to see the response by international media this one man statement is so highly regarded where as millions in palestine are completly ripped of their rights and land. what a great hipocracy

 

[Solomon2]

'They Need to Be Liberated From Their God'

By MATTHEW KAMINSKI

Nashville, Tenn.

'I absolutely know that in anybody's eyes I was a traitor," says Mosab Hassan Yousef. "To my family, to my nation, to my God. I crossed all the red lines in my society. I didn't leave one that I didn't cross."

Now 32, Mosab is the son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founder and leader of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. Throughout the last decade, from the second Intifada to the current stalemate, he worked alongside his father in the West Bank. During that time the younger Mr. Yousef also secretly embraced Christianity. And as he reveals in his book "Son of Hamas," out this week, he became one of the top spies for Israel's internal security arm, the Shin Bet.

The news of this double conversion has sent ripples through the Middle East. One of Mr. Yousef's handlers at the Shin Bet confirmed his account to the Israeli daily Haaretz. Hamas—already reeling from the assassination of a senior military chief in Dubai in January—calls his claims Zionist propaganda. From the Israeli prison he has occupied since 2005, Sheikh Yousef on Monday issued a statement that he and his family "have completely disowned the man who was our oldest son and who is called Mosab."

For the past two years, Mosab Yousef has lived near San Diego, where he's kept a low profile out of concern for his security. The U.S. is currently weighing his application for political asylum, and until his confession to espionage and the publicity blitz that accompanied it this week, only knew him as the son of a terrorist who sometimes attends evangelical churches in California. The book is intended to launch a new life in America.

Mr. Yousef, whose large, engaging eyes sit prominently on an oval face, says he was confused for many years himself, and realizes many people will be as well. His family has been shamed and old friends refuse to believe him. The book, a Le Carréesque thriller wrapped in a spiritual coming-of-age story, is an attempt to answer what he says "is impossible to imagine"—"how I ended up working for my enemies who hurt me, who hurt my dad, who hurt my people."

"There is a logical explanation," he continues in fairly fluent English. "Simply my enemies of yesterday became my friends. And the friends of yesterday became really my enemies."

The first half of his memoir describes a childhood in Ramallah marked by close familial ties and the Israeli occupation. He describes a kind and unusual Muslim father who cooks dinner, treats his mother well, and cares for his neighbors. An imam trained in Jordan, Sheikh Hassan Yousef rises to prominence in their hometown, and in 1986—along with six other men including the wheelchair-bound cleric from Gaza, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin—forms Hamas at a secret meeting in Hebron. The first Palestinian Intifada—or uprising—breaks out the following year. Mosab did his part, throwing stones at Israeli settlers and army vehicles.

"Most people heard about Hamas after Hamas started carrying out terrorist attacks," he says now, speaking near his agent's home here in Nashville. "Hamas started out as an idea. Let's say a noble idea—resisting occupation." Those early clashes with the Israelis begat worse violence, and the cemetery near his house began to fill up with cadavers. Palestinians also turned on each other. A corrupt and authoritarian Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) sparred with the rising Hamas and other groups. All of them used accusations of "collaboration" as an excuse to torture and kill rivals or the weak.

Mr. Yousef traces his awakening to his first sustained exposure to Hamas cruelty. In 1996, he was arrested by the Israelis for buying weapons. He says he was beaten and tortured badly in custody. It was then that the Shin Bet approached him. He says he thought about becoming a double agent. "I wanted revenge on Israel," he writes. But when he was sent to serve his term at the Megiddo prison in northern Israel, he says he was more shocked by the way the maj'd, Hamas's security wing, dealt with other prisoners.

"Every day, there was screaming; every night, torture. Hamas was torturing its own people!" he writes. The Muslims he met in jail "bore no resemblance to my father" and "were mean and petty . . . bigots and hypocrites."

By agreeing to work with the Shin Bet, he got out of prison early. He says he was curious about the Israelis and fast abandoned his idea to become a double agent. Though he took money from Shin Bet and stayed on their payroll for a decade, his handlers in the early years didn't ask much of him. They encouraged him to study and be a model son. His code name was the Green Prince: green as in the color of the Islamist Hamas flag, and prince as the offspring to Hamas royalty.

During those quiet years he met a British cabbie in Jerusalem who gave him an English-Arabic copy of the New Testament and invited him to attend a bible study session at their hotel. "I found that I was really drawn to the grace, love and humility that Jesus talked about," he says in "Son of Hamas."

As a spy, Mr. Yousef wasn't fully activated until the outbreak of the second Intifada in September 2000. A few months before at Camp David, the late PLO chief Yasser Arafat had turned down the Israeli offer of statehood on 90% of the West Bank with East Jerusalem as the capital. According to Mr. Yousef, Arafat decided he needed another uprising to win back international attention. So he sought out Hamas's support through Sheikh Yousef, writes his son, who accompanied him to Arafat's compound. Those meetings took place before the Palestinian authorities found a pretext for the second Intifada. It came when future Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Mr. Yousef's account helps to set straight the historical record that the uprising was premeditated by Arafat.

Mr. Yousef tells me that he was horrified by the pointless violence unleashed by politicians willing to climb "on the shoulders of poor, religious people." He says Palestinians who heeded the call "were going like a cow to the slaughterhouse, and they thought they were going to heaven." So, as he writes in the book, "At the age of twenty-two, I became the Shin Bet's only Hamas insider who could infiltrate Hamas's military and political wings, as well as other Palestinian factions."

Mr. Yousef claims some significant intelligence coups for himself, and he says he isn't telling the world everything. Early on, he was first to discover that the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a terrorist group born during the second Intifada, was made up of Arafat's guards, who were directly funded by international donors. He says he found the most lethal Palestinian bomb maker and foiled assassination plots against President Shimon Peres, then foreign minister, as well as a prominent rabbi. He says he broke up cells of suicide bombers about to attack Israel. And he helped convince his father to be the first prominent Hamas leader to offer a truce with Israel.

His handler—a "Captain Loai," now retired from the Shin Bet—corroborated many of these stories to Haaretz. The paper said the Shin Bet considered Mr. Yousef "the most reliable and most senior agent."

Mr. Yousef strains to justify himself, but ultimately "the question is whether I was a traitor or a hero in my own eyes."

So we're back to why?

The motivation, he says, was to save lives.

"I'd seen enough killing. I was a witness to lots of death . . . Saving a human life was something really, really beautiful . . . no matter who they are. Not only Israeli people owe me their lives. I guarantee many terrorists, many Palestinian leaders, owe me their lives—or in other words they owe my Lord their lives."

He says he used his influence at Shin Bet to get the Israelis to try to arrest Hamas and other Palestinian figures rather than blow them up with missile strikes. He says he saved his father from the fate of Sheikh Yassin and other Hamas leaders whom the Israelis killed by secretly arranging to have him arrested. "I know for sure that my father is alive today, he still breathes, because I was involved in this thing," he says.

Mr. Yousef has some of the evangelist in him, even as he insists he is not a particularly devoted Christian and is still learning about his new religion. He wants Palestinians and Israelis to learn what he did from the Christian God.

"I converted to Christianity because I was convinced by Jesus Christ as a character, as a personality. I loved him, his wisdom, his love, his unconditional love. I didn't leave [the Islamic] religion to put myself in another box of religion. At the same time it's a beautiful thing to see my God exist in my life and see the change in my life. I see that when he does exist in other Middle Easterners there will be a change.

"I'm not trying to convert the entire nation of Israel and the entire nation of Palestine to Christianity. But at least if you can educate them about the ideology of love, the ideology of forgiveness, the ideology of grace. Those principles are great regardless, but we can't deny they came from Christianity as well."

Mr. Yousef says he felt burned out and decided to stop working for the Shin Bet in 2006, against their wishes. He made his way to friends in southern California whom he'd met through bible study.

As the son of a Muslim cleric, he says he had reached the conclusion that terrorism can't be defeated without a new understanding of Islam. Here he echoes other defectors from Islam such as the former Dutch parliamentarian and writer Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

Do you consider your father a fanatic? "He's not a fanatic," says Mr. Yousef. "He's a very moderate, logical person. What matters is not whether my father is a fanatic or not, he's doing the will of a fanatic God. It doesn't matter if he's a terrorist or a traditional Muslim. At the end of the day a traditional Muslim is doing the will of a fanatic, fundamentalist, terrorist God. I know this is harsh to say. Most governments avoid this subject. They don't want to admit this is an ideological war.

"The problem is not in Muslims," he continues. "The problem is with their God. They need to be liberated from their God. He is their biggest enemy. It has been 1,400 years they have been lied to."

These are all dangerous words. Of the threats issued to his life by Islamists, he says, "That's not the worst thing that can happen to you. I'm OK with it, I'm not afraid. . . . Palestinians have reason to kill me. Some Israelis may want to kill me. My goal is not to defeat my enemy. It is to win over my enemy."

Mr. Kaminski is a member of the Journal's editorial board.

H/T: Richard Fernandez

 

[Solomon2]

This guy is seriously delusional, and what he said about Islam is unforgivable. No one should be allowed to degrade another religion like he did to Islam.

I'd rather have freedom to blaspheme than have criticism of my religion outlawed.

absolutely disgusting.I hope they find him.

Why are "they"? And once he's found, then what do you hope will happen?

this one man statement is so highly regarded where as millions in palestine are completly ripped of their rights and land. what a great hipocracy

Have you ever considered that those whom you criticize may have a point, and you are merely poorly informed?

 

[Wounded Healer]

I'd rather have freedom to blaspheme than have criticism of my religion outlawed.

Why are "they"? And once he's found, then what do you hope will happen?

Have you ever considered that those whom you criticize may have a point, and you are merely poorly informed?

Sir,
With all due respect, it is not about criticism of any religion being outlawed, rather, what i meant was that no one should use such derogatory words/terms for any religion, be it Islam, Chrisianity, or whatever. Its all about basic human decency, which in my opinion, this Mosab Yousuf person clearly lacks.

Criticism about any religion is justified,provided we critisize maturely and sensibly.........U can freely critisize my religion, and in return, i should bear your criticism with an open heart and try to convince you about the misconception that you may have about my religion.

Similarly, i have the right to criticize your religion, and you have the right to clearify my mis-understandings.

But what Mosab Yusuf said was not criticizm, he was abusing my religion, openly, and every sensible person, be he of any faith, should condemn it.

regards,

 

[Luftwaffe]

ah he been reading Talmudic scripts lol..what a waste of sper.

 

[Solomon2]

...But what Mosab Yusuf said was not criticizm, he was abusing my religion, openly, and every sensible person, be he of any faith, should condemn it.

We have people in the U.S. who fill a beaker with urine, dump a cross in it, call it art, and display it in a museum. I don't doubt it is abuse, but some would also call it an expression of criticism.

I am not sure where to draw the line. Are you?

 

[Wounded Healer]

We have people in the U.S. who fill a beaker with urine, dump a cross in it, call it art, and display it in a museum. I don't doubt it is abuse, but some would also call it an expression of criticism.

I am not sure where to draw the line. Are you?

Those who call that an expression of criticism are mentally retarded and psycologically even unfit to call human.

I am not sure where to draw the line. Are you?[/

Of course I am, it all comes down to basic human decency and common sense my friend. Some people have it, and many don't..........but thats the way of the world in which we live.

regards,

 

[Solomon2]

In America we have decided to accept and deal with the pain instead. Freedom of speech is permitted, intrusive freedom of expression is not. Outlaw too much and people who think they are being decent may unknowingly commit evil, and common sense may go wildly astray.

We Jews recognize that this is possible for it is one of the things we beg G-d's forgiveness for every year on Yom Kippur. But while that may excuse us for such offenses against G-d, it does not excuse us for such sins carried out against people. Hence the drive to discover and assert truth, despite pain.

 

[Wounded Healer]

To each his own my friend, to each his own.

We Jews recognize that this is possible for it is one of the things we beg G-d's forgiveness for every year on Yom Kippur. But while that may excuse us for such offenses against G-d, it does not excuse us for such sins carried out against people. Hence the drive to discover and assert truth, despite pain.

Ah, the drive to discover truth is the noblest of all causes and one should try to find all the answers about everything, be he from any religion..........but asserting the truth part, well am not too sure about that.

You see, the world is full of people of different cultures and thinking norms........no-one can assert the truth on anyone else, because what he finds out to be true, may be false in the other persons belief, and am not talking about religious belief but rather his principles, and the sense he has made out of this mucked up world. As is said in the Quran,

"to you be your religion, to me be mine".

That is what i believe in.

regards,

 

[Canaan]

so my God is a terrorist God according to this scumbag?
Well if the guy was a bit brighter he would know that we worship the same God. On top of that, people fighting in the name of the Christian God, are responsible for the majority of killing throughout human history .
I don't care if this guy converted or not, what disgusts me is the act of treason committed against, his God, religion and people.
In most countries such an act would result in a death penalty against such traitors.

 

[s90]

I saw his interview, he was saying that Israelis wanted to kill his father and he stopped them from doing so, what the heck?why would Shin Bet let this idiot know matters of national importance to him?, he is exaggerating some things in his book.

 

[Doctor09]

he should be hanged simple solution because he is traitor.

 

[Martian]

In a conflict, finding such people who collaborate with enemy is not unusual. Money and other incentives can buy anything.

What un-usual is out of size publicity is given to this person by CNN and other western media. It is really disgusting on the part of western media to promote people whose only ability is their venom against Islam and muslims.

This story is being promoted to distract focus on murder in dubai.

 

[Solomon2]

...no-one can assert the truth on anyone else, because what he finds out to be true, may be false in the other persons belief, and am not talking about religious belief but rather his principles, and the sense he has made out of this mucked up world.

A great American politician, Daniel Patrick Moynahan, a man who often had to sit and judge people testifying before him in committee, put it this way:

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts.

Religious "truth" is belief, not fact. If a person's principle is to reject facts whenever they don't fall in his or her favor, that strikes me as selfish amoralism, not religion, and I see no reason to respect them as much as I did before, nor to spare their feelings if they refuse correction (unless they are demonstrably insane, of course.)

...no-one can assert the truth on anyone else, because what he finds out to be true, may be false in the other persons belief -

Sometimes fact and religion do conflict. It was Buzz Aldrin or Michael Collins who recounted, in his memoirs, that their moon landing sparked one or two deadly riots among people who held, as a religious principle, that such a thing was impossible. The astronauts found that rather depressing.

Yet I don't think the feelings of people should be spared from fact. Where would we be today if we continued to teach that the world was flat?

 

[Solomon2]

In a conflict, finding such people who collaborate with enemy is not unusual. Money and other incentives can buy anything.

In the Cold War the Soviet spymasters (ref: Viktor Suvorov) claimed that their agents were always motivated by money, whereas their American counterparts (ref: Floyd Paseman) report that their agents almost always were motivated by ideology.

What un-usual is out of size publicity is given to this person by CNN and other western media.

Not unusual for any "sensational" book promotion.

This story is being promoted to distract focus on murder in dubai.

I'm sure the Mossad would like nothing better than for people to focus on the mysterious Dubai stuff rather than a book that purports to reveal their agents and techniques, don't you?