The Character Israel Might Have To Negotiate With

Can you imagine negotiating with this man if you were Israel? We would not and cannot see why anyone except complete air heads would think that he would be honorable. Oh darn, we forget, that is what Obama and Kerry are. Me bad!

Conservative Tom

Fathi Hamad, minister of the interior of the defacto Hamas administration, responsible for enforcing the lull in the Gaza Strip, also handles terrorist squads and promotes terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria

Unknown - http://www.terrorism-info.org.il,  April 7th, 2013

Left: Fathi Hamad, minister of the interior of the de-facto Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip (IDF spokesman, March 13, 2013).

Overview

1. Since the end of Operation Pillar of Defense (November 2012) Hamas operatives in the Gaza Strip led by Fathi Hamad, minister of the interior of the Hamas administration, have increased their efforts to establish terrorist squads in Judea and Samaria to carry out attacks against Israel. Among the planned attacks were suicide bombing attacks, the abduction of IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians, and killing attacks. On the other hand, since the end of Operation Pillar of Defense Hamas has been careful to preserve the lull in the fighting, and has made an effort to enforce its policy on the rogue terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip. Fathi Hamad plays a role in both aspects of Hamas policy as he is in change of the security services of the de facto Hamas administration.

2. Early in 2013 the Israeli security services exposed a Hamas squad from the Silwad and Ras Karkar regions in Judea (north and west of Ramallah). They were planning a variety of terrorist attacks, including detonating IEDs, abducting an IDF soldier or Israeli resident of Judea or Samaria, and firing improvised rockets. They maintained contact with the Gaza Strip via the Internet and telephone, and received instructions for making weapons. Regarding the abduction of an Israeli soldier, they were specifically instructed to take his weapon, cell phone and ID for purposes of identification during negotiations, and then to kill him and hide his body. At the time of their capture, they had completed their plans and had informed the Gaza Strip that they were prepared to carry out an attack within a number of days (Israel Security Agency website, March 2013).

3. The terrorist network exposed in Judea and Samaria was in contact with close aides of Fathi Hamad, minister of the interior in the de-facto Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip. Since the end of Operation Pillar of Defense Fathi Hamad has been involved in attempts to carry out particularly brazen terrorist attacks from Judea and Samaria through his aides, Hamas operatives and a terrorist organization calling itself “The Defenders of Al-Aqsa,” which operates under his patronage (Israel Security Agency website, March 2013).

4. As minister of the interior, Fathi Hamad is responsible for the security services which enforce the lull in the fighting achieved at the end of Operation Pillar of Defense. The exposure of his involvement in directing terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria again reveals his double role as both a handler of terrorist squads and enforcer of Hamas' policy of restraint. In addition, for years there has been close collaboration between the security services he heads and the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military-terrorist wing.

Left: “[Fathi] Hamad: We are collaborating with the resistance factions [i.e., the terrorist organizations] to make it easier for them to carry out their missions.” Caption: Hamad says that his ministry coordinates with all the factions of the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip. [His ministry] seeks to protect them and make their jihad missions easier to carry out” (Safa News Agency website, October 28, 2009).
Role of Fathi Hamad and the Hamas Security Services in Lull Enforcement and Terrorist Activity

5. After Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in June 2007 it established an extensive network of internal security services loyal to the de facto administration. The security services are responsible for implementing Hamas' internal policies and enforcing its control over the Gaza Strip. The various security services repress political opposition, deal with hostility from the local population, enforce Hamas' growing Islamization of the Gaza Strip and preserve public order. While the Hamas administration's ministry of the interior and national security controls internal security, it is also an integral part of Hamas' military apparatus. It maintains close operational collaboration with the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military-terrorist wing, a situation clearly manifested during Operation Cast Lead.

6. Since Operation Pillar of Defense the internal security services headed by Fathi Hamad have been responsible for enforcing the lull in the fighting and preventing the rogue terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip from attacking Israel. At the same time he initiates covert military-terrorist activity. One of his terrorist proxies is a front organization established by Hamas called “The Defenders of Al-Aqsa,” which has initiated low-signature attacks against Israel. For example, the organization was responsible for the February 21, 2012 placing of an IED on the Israeli-Egyptian border in the region between Kerem Shalom and Nitzana.[1] Moreover, Fathi Hamad handles terrorist squads in Judea and Samaria, as revealed by the interrogation of the Hamas operatives from the Silwad- Ras Karkar area (west and north of Ramallah).

7.In addition for years there has been close cooperation between the Hamas police and other internal security services on the one hand, and Hamas' military-terrorist wing (the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades) on the other. The cooperation has been manifested by mutual deployment and training, sharing logistics and intelligence, carrying out joint ambushes and surveillance, and integrating the internal security services into the fighting against the IDF in emergency situations.[2]

8. One manifestation of the collaboration between the security services and the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades is the custom of having both groups issue death notices when an operative dies as a shaheed in an anti-Israeli activity. For example, during Operation Cast Lead and Operation Pillar of Defense obituaries of operatives were posted by both the Hamas police force and other internal security services and Hamas' military-terrorist wing. Fathi Hamad boasted that his ministry made efforts to protect the various terrorist organizations and to “make it easier for them to carry out jihad missions” (See below) (Safa News Agency, October 28, 2009). Fathi Hamad also noted the “achievements” of his predecessor, Said Siyam, saying that “one of his greatest achievements was initiating the collaboration between the present security services and the Palestinian resistance [i.e., terrorist organizations]…against the Zionist enemy…and that was why [the Zionist enemy] bombed the security services' headquarters [during Operation Cast Lead] (Website of the Hamas police, May 7, 2009).
“The Defenders of Al-Aqsa”

9. Most of the information about “The Defenders of Al-Aqsa” comes from the interrogation of Ayub Azzam Ahmed, aka Abu Karim, a Hamas military-terrorist operative from the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, who was involved in dozens of terrorist attacks against Israel. During interrogation he revealed that “The Defenders of Al-Aqsa” was a front organization handled by Hamas and its objective was to carry out low-signature terrorist attacks against Israel (i.e., attacks in which Hamas involvement would not be apparent). He said the organization was headed by Muhammad Subhi Abd al-Rahim Tamraz, from the Jabaliya refugee camp (Israel Security Agency, May 4, 2011).

10. The interrogation of Ayub Azzam Ahmed also revealed that the organization was established and funded by Fathi Hamad. He said that the organization's leadership received all its instructions for military actions directly from Hamas. One of its attacks was the shooting at motorcade of the Israeli minister of internal security near the Israeli village of Nir Am in April 2008.[3] The interrogation also revealed that the main goal in establishing the organization was to carry out terrorist attacks against Israel. That would provide Hamas with cover and operational flexibility to act against Israel while responsibility for the attacks would be claimed by a “rogue” organization (Israel Security Agency website, May 4, 2011).