From Tomer Ilan:
Lately, HAMAS has been facing allegations of brutal oppression, arbitrary arrest and torture against their own people even from
anti-Israel NGOs such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
When faced with these allegations, Israel-haters’ turn to one of
their favorite conspiracy theories - “Israel created HAMAS” – and try to use it
blame Israel for HAMAS wrongdoings.
This theory is pushed by the PLO, blaming Israel for the divide
in Palestinian society between PLO and HAMAS. PLO leader Arafat said
"Hamas is a creature of Israel".
In fact, before Hamas came into existence, an non-violent
Islamic charity operated in Gaza. Israel did not object to it nor did it have
legal justification to ban it.
Once the charity morphed into the terrorist organization Hamas,
Israel banned it and arrested and deported its leaders.
Here’s a timeline of events:
1973 - the Islamic charity Mujama al-Islamiya was established
in Gaza by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin
1979 - the organization was recognized by Israel
1984 – Ahmed Yassin and others were jailed by Israel
1985 - Yassin was released as part of the Jibril Agreement
1987 - Yassin co-founded the "paramilitary wing" of
the Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood, becoming its spiritual leader
Aug 1988 – Paramilitary wing is renamed Hamas and Hamas Covenant is published
May 1989 - Yassin was arrested by Israel and sentenced to life
in prison
Oct 1989 - Israel declared Hamas an illegal terrorist
organization
Dec 1992 – After a murder of an Israeli policeman by HAMAS,
Israel arrests 1200 HAMAS activists and deports 415 of them to Lebanon.
The Islamic charity Mujama al-Islamiya was established in Gaza
by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in 1973, and started to offer clinics, blood banks, day
care, medical treatment, meals and youth clubs, playing an important role for
providing social care, particularly those living in refugee camps. It also
extended financial aid and scholarships to young people who wanted to study in
Saudi Arabia and the West. Mujama al-Islamiya was quiescent and
non-confrontational towards Israel. In 1979 it was recognized by Israel and
allowed the organization to build mosques, clubs, schools, and a library in
Gaza.
At this point in time, Israel had no evidence of terrorist
activities that would justify banning the charity organization.
Even those testimonies brought as support for the theory, e.g. Brig. Gen. Yitzhak Segev (Israeli
military governor in Gaza in the early 1980s) and Avner Cohen (former
religious affairs official in Gaza) say that Israel tolerated or even
encouraged the Islamic charity in the 1970’s and early 1980’s before it became
HAMAS. Those same officials who implemented that tolerant policy, think it was
a mistake. Most of them admit they realize that only in retrospect and all
agree that even if Israel didn’t fight the Islamists at that early stage, it
was due to negligence, not an attempt to strengthen them.
- David Hacham, an Arab affairs
expert who worked for the Israeli military in Gaza in the late 1980s and early
’90s, said: “When I look back at the chain of events I think we made a
mistake…But at the time nobody thought about the possible results.”
- Brig. Gen. Shalom Harari, a military intelligence officer,
says that warnings were ignored due to neglect, not a desire to fortify the
Islamists: "Israel never financed Hamas. Israel never armed Hamas."
- Roni Shaked, a former Shin Bet officer and author of a book on
Hamas, says Sheikh Yassin and his followers had a long-term perspective whose
dangers were not understood at the time.
In other words, at worst, Israel may be guilty of negligence, by
failing to predict that the innocent-looking Islamic charity would, several
years later, turn into an Islamist jihadist terrorist organization. At that
stage Israel didn't try to ban it which may or may not have been successful
even if Israel tried to.
That’s a far cry from the false claim that “Israel created
HAMAS”.
History of Hamas:
Reports about Hamas brutality:
Claims that "Israel created Hamas":