A Second Son of Hamas Defects

Back in 2010 a Palestinian named Mosab Hassan Yousef caused a sensation by defecting from Hamas and converting to Christianity. His case was significant, because he was the son of Hassan Yousef, one of the founders of Hamas.

Now a second son of Hassan Yousef has made the news by defecting from Hamas. His name is Suhaib Yousef, and he differs from his brother in that he did not convert to Christianity, nor did he ever work for Israeli intelligence.

Suhaib moved to a South Asian country (it looks like it might be Malaysia or Indonesia) to live in exile, and there he agreed to meet with an Israeli journalist. The resulting documentary is below.

Many thanks to D@rLin|{ for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling:

Video transcript:

00:08   Two short phone calls, some WhatsApp messages,
00:11   and few days later I find myself here, in the heart of one of the South Asian countries.
00:16   How I got here is a good question in and of itself, and I’m telling you — honestly, I have no idea
00:20   what to expect. This story is too almost like science fiction, unreal.
00:24   A son of a high-ranking Hamas member makes contact with me, says he wants to talk,
00:29   and offers to meet. The meaning of such a meeting needs no explanations.
00:42   We scheduled a meeting in one of the mosques of the big Asian city.
00:51   A Hamas member and a Tel Aviv journalist. I have no idea what he looks like.
00:55   I can only assume he is like his father or brother, whom I met quite a few times.
01:01   He refused to say much on the phone, but hinted that until a month ago
01:05   he was part of the Hamas military branch.
01:08   Where did he work or what did he do? — at this stage I still do not know.
01:13   But I was explicitly told that Hamas is after him,
01:16   and here, almost at the end of the world, was the only place he agreed to meet.
01:31   Hamas has been a part of me since I was a baby.
01:35   I grew up in Hamas and I worked for Hamas.
01:39   But when I became aware of the corruption, I left them, disconnected from them.
01:49   I worked for them in Turkey, gathering intelligence.
01:58   It’s a rare testimony, I doubt something like it was ever heard before:
02:01   A Hamas member, who was part of the group’s terror division in Turkey —
02:05   Hamas calls it “state department”, but Suhaib Yousef will tell us that
02:10   the correct term probably should be “military department” —
02:14   functioning as intelligence operation hub on Turkey’s soil.
02:20   Hamas manages military- and security-related organizations in Turkey,
02:29   under the cover of commercial companies. The have security centers,
02:33   where they operate advanced spying equipment
02:36   to spy on people and leaders in Ramallah,
02:40   using advanced hardware and software.
02:44   One can download and install these programs on a computer and work.
02:48   There are people who are specialists in such things.
02:52   Are you listening to Israelis’ phones as well? Yes, but I am not interested in talking about that.
03:00   For years now Turkey has been the home for Hamas’ command.
03:04   They have official and public relations with Turkey’s government,
03:07   but there is also a more secretive collaboration with government officials and local security forces.
03:13   Does Hamas also spy on Arab countries?
03:17   They have the advanced equipment and they use it to promote their foreign relations agenda.
03:21   And this is what I want to bring to light. The Hamas movement
03:24   does not use this information for the Palestinian people’s advantage —
03:27   it sells the intelligence to Iran,
03:33   passes it over to Iran to get financial support.
03:36   The money flows to these hubs through Turkish banks,
03:39   which means Turkish banks finance Hamas.
03:46   All under pretense these are civilian organizations.
03:52   The thing is, Hamas does not limit itself to spying and
03:56   gathering intelligence on Israel and passing it to Iran.
03:59   Suhaib tells me he was a witness to multiple attempts by Hamas’ branch in Turkey
04:04   to carry out terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank.
04:07   What did you see? —How Hamas recruits people in West Bank and how it finances them.
04:16   They execute suspicious operations, among them sending innocent children
04:20   from West Bank to carry out terror attacks.
04:25   The aim of the terror acts in the West Bank is to kill civilians —
04:31   Not for the resistance, not for Jerusalem,
04:35   not for the liberation of Palestine,
04:38   and not even because they hate Jews,
04:41   They send these innocents to export the Gaza crisis
04:46   to the West Bank.
04:53   A month ago he decided to leave Hamas. He got on a plane in Turkey without telling anyone,
04:59   and ran away from the country and the movement
05:03   to which he had belonged since he was born. —I am from Palestine.
05:09   I am a Palestinian, from Palestine. Praise the Lord.
05:14   What’s going there? I heard there are problems in Gaza.
05:17   Hamas is the problem.
05:20   As for the blockade, Hamas is the problem.
05:25   It holds power by force.
05:28   If Hamas gave up power, there would not be a problem in Gaza.
05:32   Hamas is the problem. With God’s help, peace be upon you.
05:40   All throughout the interview, Suhaib Yousef says over and over again
05:43   that he is a Palestinian patriot and not a traitor.
05:46   When asked why he decided to openly speak against Hamas,
05:51   he answers that his goal is to wake Palestinians up,
05:55   and make them aware of the true nature of the rulers of Gaza.
05:59   The top Hamas officials stay at luxury hotels in Turkey;
06:03   they live in expensive apartment buildings.
06:08   Their children go to private schools,
06:13   and they receive a lot of money from Hamas.
06:18   The amount is between four and five thousand dollars per operative.
06:23   They have security, swimming pools, sports clubs.
06:27   When I was in Turkey I was amazed at their spending —
06:33   they eat at the best restaurants;
06:38   they live where the wealthiest Turks live.
06:44   They eat in gourmet restaurants in Turkey where a meal costs a thousand liras,
06:51   about $200 for a dish for one person.
06:55   And did you see Hamas leaders there? I saw Hamas leaders who
06:58   go specifically to such restaurants and eat there.
07:01   They brag about it and invite each other to these restaurants.
07:10   A family in Gaza lives on a hundred dollars a month,
07:14   and you eat a dish for $200.
07:19   Does that sound reasonable to you?
07:26   We left the mosque and went for a walk in local markets,
07:32   so different from what we are used to back home, in the country we share.
07:38   Do you want to try a grasshopper?
07:41   I think it’s permitted in Islam. Would you like to try?
07:45   Don’t know, to try and eat grasshopper? Is it hot?
07:50   We spend two days together. All the time I am preoccupied with the thought:
07:54   where did he find the strength to speak out publicly against his old world?
08:02   Can I invite you to a watermelon? We’ll eat it together?
08:07   Try it, eat. Is this like in Ramallah?
08:11   It’s tastier than in Ramallah Really? Yes, its very sweet.
08:14   You need to understand: Suhaib is not just a Hamas operative.
08:18   This 38-year-old man was part of the elite.
08:33   1988 — A disabled imam from Gaza arrives in Hebron
08:38   and has a secret meeting with six other religious leaders.
08:41   In this meeting they decide to create the same organization in the West Bank
08:44   that was created just now in Gaza, and which will change the conflict and the region.
08:50   The disabled imam was Ahmad Yaseen. One of the six founding fathers in the West Bank was this man,
08:56   Hassan Yousef, Suhaib’s father.
09:02   My father spent 22 years of his life in an Israeli prison
09:07   because of his political views.
09:10   Hamas hitched a ride on the backs of these fighters, and it uses them.
09:15   Hamas used your father? Yes, it exploited my father, and other leaders in the Hamas movement.
09:20   My father was one of the people whom Hamas fooled.
09:24   I am calling from this place to all honored Hamas leaders,
09:27   and my father Hassan Yousef among them —
09:30   I call them to leave the corrupt Hamas movement.
09:35   I am sure my father also knows about this sickness of Hamas.
09:41   I am worried my father will suffer because of the things I am saying.
09:47   But all I want to do is to tell the truth.
09:51   From the movie “The Green Prince”
10:02   There is another reason this family is under a bright spotlight.
10:12   Another son of Hassan Yousef, Suhaib’s older brother,
10:15   is none other than “Green Prince”, Mosab Yousef, who was a Shabak
10:19   (Israeli Internal Intelligence Agency) agent for almost ten years.
10:22   After his exposure, his family broke all ties with him
10:26   He left the West Bank, converted to Christianity and currently lives in the US.
10:29   When I met with Suhaib, he stressed the following:
10:33   “Unlike my brother, I never worked for Israel.”
10:37   After the story about your brother, “The Green Prince”, broke,
10:40   wasn’t Hamas suspicious of you, afraid of you?
10:43   My brother’s matter did not affect me at all. I have nothing to do with him.
10:48   I passed all field tests Hamas gave me,
10:54   and after that I worked for them. I did not betray them, I was loyal to them.
11:07   This is for you. —Thanks. —We don’t have enmity towards Jews.
11:12   You are the people of the book; we are Muslims;
11:15   we do not hold anything against you. —To your health. —Cheers.
11:19   Thanks. I want Hamas to give me one quote from Koran
11:25   that incites murdering Jews. Just one quote. —I know the Koran
11:29   better than Ismail Haniya and Khaled Mashal.
11:32   I know most of the Koran very well.
11:37   I could not find a single verse which says to kill the Jews.
11:46   The conversations with him are peppered with Koran verses and other religious texts,
11:50   and this man, who talked to each of the Hamas leaders,
11:54   now personally speaks out against them.
12:00   I ask Hamas leaders to send their children, or even better, go themselves
12:07   to carry out the terror attacks.
12:10   Why doesn’t Ismail Haniya go out to throw stones?
12:15   What does Hamas achieve with these terror acts? Nothing.
12:19   How do you personally envision Hamas’ future?
12:24   Does it have a future in your opinion? —No, it does not.
12:27   The majority found out the truth about the Hamas movement. If they held elections,
12:34   Palestinians would not vote for Hamas.
12:37   Hamas knows that through research they do.
12:46   It’s a racist terror organization; it is dangerous for the Palestinian people.
12:53   This is what the son of a Hamas leader says… Yes, that’s what he says. I love my father,
12:57   but Hamas abused his trust.
13:01   What do you think he’ll say when he sees this interview?
13:06   I expect my father to respect my political opinion,
13:10   just as I respect his political views.
13:14   I respected his worldview for forty years,
13:20   so I hope he will respect mine this time.
13:25   As someone who was there, Suhaib understands well the meaning of the step he took
13:29   and the things he said.
13:32   He hopes Palestinians in Gaza will overthrow Hamas’ rule,
13:35   and the West Bank will not support Hamas any longer.
13:39   That’s why he decided to stop hiding and expose himself,
13:42   ready to pay the highest personal price.
13:46   After this interview airs, aren’t you afraid that Hamas will try to kill you?
13:55   Aren’t you afraid for your life? —Even before this interview there were murder threats,
13:59   but I am not afraid of them.
14:02   If Hamas wants to turn me into a martyr ,
14:08   I will be a martyr.
14:12   I prefer to be a fool rather than a murderer.
14:15   Hamas does not have a problem with killing people. They kill in cold blood, no problem there.
 

3 thoughts on “A Second Son of Hamas Defects

  1. As Charlie Wilson War zen master has said, many times, “we’ll see”. If he is real, and has genuinely rejected islam with a hearty “Lan Astaslem”, no ulterior motives, than wonderful, a God Bless, fair thee well is in order. We’ll see…

  2. Hadn’t read as far prior, clearly an interesting development. I expect him on list of IRG, more. Funny, I seem to know the koran far, far, better, as a devout Christian, and I know the Bible and our Lord, very well. I had listened to his older bro. Mosab, shortly after he converted, and he did seem genuine. But with what I know of islam, it always is we’ll see!!!!!! As Patton famously said of Rommel, “I read your book, you filthy bastard!!!!!” Or something to that effect!

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