Jihadist Terrorists Pledge “Day of Rage” & New “Intifada” Against Israel

Anti-Israel jihadists do not want peace. They want death to Israel and “[d]eath to America.”

Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel. Congress has recognized it. The American people have recognized it. And now the President has recognized it in a bold move this week.

Yet, leading up to President Trump’s announcement, the recognized terrorist organization Hamas called for a “day of rage” and for “the Palestinian resistance” to “respond with all means available” to prevent the “desecration” of Jerusalem.

Now Hamas’s leader, Ismail Haniyeh, has gone even further and made their intentions crystal clear.  He called for “launching an intifada . . . in the face of the Zionist enemy” – an all out war on Israel. This anti-Semitic language was not included in their official English statement in which they simply called for “demonstrations.” While Hamas may be able to hide their true intentions from some, their real goal is obvious. Their charter spells it out clearly:

Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine. . . . Its Islamic and Christian holy places belong exclusively to the Palestinian people and to the Arab and Islamic Ummah. Not one stone of Jerusalem can be surrendered or relinquished. The measures undertaken by the occupiers in Jerusalem, such as Judaization . . . are fundamentally null and void.

These statements are not innocent acts of peaceful protest but a call to jihad, terrorism, and violence. Make no mistake: an “intifada” is an armed, violent uprising against the State of Israel. This means the same Hamas that has joined the Palestinian Authority (PA) in a terrorist-led Unity Government is once again calling for violence and terror against Israeli civilians.

In fact, Hezbollah, another recognized terrorist organization in the region, is already joining the call for violence:  According to reports, a Hezbollah spokesman “said the only way for Arabs to restore their rights was now through armed ‘resistance.’”

The use of the term “Intifada” cannot be underestimated. So far, there have been two formally recognized intifadas. Both have included armed violence, terrorist attacks, suicide bombings, rocket attacks on civilians, stabbings, and widespread mayhem. The first intifada began in 1987 and was led by the terrorist Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). It lasted six years, leaving over 1,400 people dead. It only ended with the withdrawal of Israel from the West Bank in 1993 and the creation of the PA, yet another terrorist supporting organization that uses U.S. taxpayer money to reward the murder of Israel and American citizens.

The second intifada, led by Hamas, began in 2000 simply because Israel’s Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited the Temple Mount, the site of Solomon’s Temple, a holy site to both Jews and Muslims. It lasted over four years, leaving over 5,000 dead and 16,000 wounded.

We must not be deterred by these calls for yet another wave of terrorist violence against the State of Israel. As ACLJ Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow stated, “the U.S. will no longer allow dictators and terrorists to determine our foreign policy.”

In the face of relentless terrorist attacks and legal assaults on Israel, we will continue our aggressive advocacy on Israel’s behalf from Washington, D.C., to the U.N., in Europe, and even in Jerusalem itself. Join us today. Stand up for Israel.