President Isaac Herzog on Saturday evening revealed a book shedding light on Hamas’ antisemitic ideology and the Islamist movements’ practice of spreading hatred toward Jews.
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Addressing the Munich Security Conference in Germany, Herzog presented a book entitled “The End of the Jews” authored by Mahmoud al-Zahar, a co-founder of Hamas and former foreign minister of the Palestinian Authority.
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President Isaac Herzog presents a Hamas book replete with incitement against Jews
(Photo: GPO)
The cover of the book, which was found by Israeli forces in a home in the al-Furqan neighborhood in the northern Gaza Strip, depicts swords and daggers piercing through Stars of David, and Jews drowning in a sea of blood.
The book glorifies the persecution of Jews in Europe and praises the Nazis, featuring chapters titled "The World's Burning Hatred for the Jews," "The General Corruption of the Jews," and "Reasons to Expel the Jews."
It perpetuates age-old blood libels, accusing Jews of using the blood of Christian children in rituals, and promotes antisemitic stereotypes about Jewish greed and efforts to suppress non-Jewish communities.
The president said that the book serves as further evidence of the terrorist group's deep-seated hatred aimed at annihilating the Jewish people which was manifested in its actions on October 7 and throughout the subsequent war.
"This book was written by Dr. Mahmoud al-Zahar, one of the founders of Hamas, a well-known political figure of Hamas," Herzog said at the Munich conference.
"This book, first of all, says we should not recognize the fact that there are Jews and Jewish people, but most predominantly it hails the Holocaust. It hails what the Nazis have done, and calls for nations to follow what the Nazis have done. Now we're in Munich. On the outskirts of Munich, there's the Dachau Concentration Camp. Tens of thousands of our nation of Jews were slaughtered in Dachau.
"And that's the problem, meaning, we have to have a coalition of all the moderate forces in the world, fighting this ideology, and the moderate forces in the world include many Sunni countries because they will be attacked by the same jihadists as well."
In an interview at the conference, Herzog also discussed his secret meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Thani, where they discussed a potential deal to release Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip.
"I met with the Prime Minister of Qatar yesterday," Herzog said. "It was a good discussion. And I think he's doing major efforts. He's taken major efforts and devoting an enormous focus on this issue."
President Isaac Herzog addressing the Munich Security Conference
(Photo: MSC)
However, Herzog raised concerns over the lack of medical supplies reaching the hostages and their general well-being. He stressed the urgency of comprehending the severity of the situation prompted by Hamas' extreme brutality, described as the gravest atrocity against Jews since the Second World War, involving acts of rape, murder, burning and kidnapping. Herzog advocated for prioritizing the resolution of the hostage situation to ensure their safe return home at the earliest opportunity.
Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that there is "an extraordinary opportunity" in the coming months for Israel to normalize ties with its Arab neighbors, while also emphasizing the need for the creation of a Palestinian state.
"Virtually every Arab country now genuinely wants to integrate Israel into the region to normalize relations...to provide security commitments and assurances so that Israel can feel more safe," Blinken said during a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference.
In a later meeting with Blinken, Herzog stressed the necessity of eradicating Hamas before such a plan can be pursued. “I heard your remarks today, and I think that I find them very interesting. I think there are opportunities; they need to be studied in depth. However, first and foremost, Israel’s security must be preserved, and for this, we have to complete the work of undermining and eradicating the basic infrastructure of Hamas,” he said.