The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the leading political figure of the militant group Hamas, has been met with praise from anti-Israel activists in the United States.
Haniyeh, 62, was killed in an airstrike in Tehran, Iran, an act for which the terrorist organization has pointed the finger at Israel.
According to The Daily Signal, Haniyeh was a significant player in hostage negotiations with Israel following a deadly invasion by Hamas into the Jewish state. This assault, which took place on October 7, resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals and the capture of hundreds more. Following the attack, Haniyeh became a prime target for the Israeli military, a status he seemed to relish, describing the invasion as an earthquake that struck the heart of the Zionist entity and has made major changes at the world level.
In the wake of Haniyeh's death, pro-Palestinian activists in the U.S., similar to their counterparts in Iran, China, Russia, and other nations adversarial to America, publicly mourned his loss and lauded his leadership. Samidoun, an organization that identifies itself as the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, released a statement on Haniyeh, hailing him as a martyr and labeling his assassination a crime. Western intelligence agencies have linked Samidoun to the terrorist group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which claimed partial responsibility for the October 7 attacks.
Several other groups, including Writers Against the War on Gaza, Jewish Voice for Peace, and the Columbia University chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, echoed these sentiments on social media, referring to Haniyeh as a martyr or a peace advocate. These organizations are all associated with Shut it Down for Palestine, a movement that has organized pro-Hamas demonstrations in Washington, D.C., some of which have involved the defacement of public monuments.
Zahra Billoo, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in San Francisco, also paid tribute to Haniyeh on social media, asserting that his martyrdom is not in vain. Billoo is known to have donated nearly $1,000 to the political campaigns of pro-Palestinian Representative Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., as reported by Fox News.
Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow at The Heritage Foundation's Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy, has criticized these groups for their pro-Hamas messaging, describing them as fundamentally anti-West. Gonzalez argues that these organizations praise Haniyeh because "the guys a killer, and this is what they like." He further contends that many of these groups are opportunistic, Marxist entities that oppose America, democracy, and capitalism.
Gonzalez disputes the notion that Haniyeh's assassination will impede progress towards a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. He maintains that the Islamist group is to blame for the recent outbreak of war and "has to be destroyed." He asserts that a cease-fire could be achieved at any time if Hamas were to surrender.
The Israeli military has confirmed the deaths of 44 of Hamas hostages since the October 7 attack, and estimates that over a hundred remain in captivity.
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