Over the weekend, the leader of the terrorist group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, called the Taliban’s Mullah Baradar to congratulate him on the “defeat of the US occupation” in Afghanistan, reportedly saying, ‘The demise of the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan is a prelude to the demise of the Israeli occupation of the land of Palestine.”
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh called Taliban's Mullah Baradar and congratulated him on the 'defeat of the US occupation' in Afghanistan. Haniyeh: 'The demise of the US occupation of Afghanistan is a prelude to the demise of the Israeli occupation of the land of Palestine.' pic.twitter.com/6VDQAxAecg
— Khaled Abu Toameh (@KhaledAbuToameh) August 17, 2021
“Top Hamas officials met with Taliban leaders several weeks ago to congratulate the radicals who were then rolling through Afghanistan, according to Palestinian media outlets affiliated with Hamas that released photos of the meeting this week,” Israel Hayom reported on Tuesday, adding, “In the meeting, Baradar reportedly praised Hamas and its leaders ‘for their steadfast opposition to the Zionist enemy and the long-awaited victory.’ A senior Hamas official also said that, at the time, Hamas kept the meeting secret, but decided to confirm it after Taliban took over Kabul.”
The Times of Israel reported on Monday:
The Hamas terror group praised the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan on Monday, calling it “a victory that came as the culmination of more than 20 years of struggle.”In a statement, the terror group said it “congratulates the Afghani Muslim nation for the downfall of the American occupation in all Afghani territory.”
Hamas was declared a terrorist organization by the State Department in 1997; the Taliban has not been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) but interacts with terror groups, including al-Qaeda.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another group listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, congratulated the Taliban, calling their success the “liberation of [Afghani] land from the Western and American occupation. It has been the Muslim people which has performed the greatest jihadist heroics against all invaders over the course of their honorable history. We pray to God Almighty to grant the Afghan people security, safety, might and peace, and to make them one, as they declare God’s oneness, under the banner of Islam.”
In 2001, after the 9/11 attacks in which thousands of Americans were murdered, Palestinians danced in the streets and passed out candy. Fox News’ Brit Hume reported, “The V-sign for victory being displayed in East Jerusalem today among jubilant Palestinians that the United States had been subject to this attack. … Look at this. We’re seeing people applauding, clapping, smiling, happy to know that thousands of Americans have died in this sneak attack. And there you see a V for victory sign held up to the camera.”
The BBC reported one Palestinian youth, holding one of the sweets passed out during the celebration, said, “This is a sweet from Osama Bin-Laden.” An MSNBC host reported, “We have some video tape that I am going to show you from the West Bank. These are Palestinian celebrations in the wake of Tuesday’s terror attacks in the United States. Apparently, Palestinians took to the streets, chanting, ‘God is great.’ People were throwing candy, distributing candy to passers-by.”