Exploiting Palestinian Suffering… How the Muslim Brotherhood Capitalized on the Gaza War
While the Muslim Brotherhood and other political Islamist movements continue to exploit the Gaza war and the Palestinian cause, Tarek Abu Al-Saad, a defector from the Muslim Brotherhood, confirms that the group only cares about the Palestinian cause to the extent that it benefits them, whether in terms of media, finances, politics, or organization. He notes that the Brotherhood currently does not fight Israel or expose its crimes as much as they heap accusations on the Egyptian state.
In exclusive statements to “Al-Bawaba,” Abu Al-Saad said that the Palestinian cause has always been a focal point for various Islamist movements, although each approaches the issue in its own way and from its own perspective. He pointed out that the Brotherhood‘s policy towards the Gaza war is to exploit the issue for recruitment and mobilization by presenting itself as the group striving to liberate Al-Aqsa Mosque.
During Mubarak’s era, the Brotherhood organized activities in the streets, universities, and schools that appeared to support the Palestinian cause, but in reality, these were used for strategic gains such as holding seminars, organizing demonstrations, strengthening their ranks, connecting with people and Brotherhood families, organizing meetings, and renewing the organizational movement. They also organized musical events and used the opportunity to write about the issue.
In every Brotherhood narrative, Hassan al-Banna and the Brotherhood’s role in the 1948 war were mentioned to distort the consciousness of generations who had not witnessed those events and did not know the extent of the fabrications in the Brotherhood’s history with the Palestinian cause, according to “Al-Bawaba News.”
After the 2011 revolution, the Brotherhood presented itself as the only party capable of negotiating with Israel and achieving gains for the Palestinians, contrary to the truth. They were neither negotiators nor anything more than puppets in the hands of the United States and British intelligence, which gave them some favors during the Hamas crisis with Israel in 2013, according to Tarek.
With the escalating crisis between the Muslim Brotherhood and the Egyptian state, Hamas aligned with the parent organization and acted hostilely against Egypt and its ruling regime, leading to a somewhat strained relationship in the media.
Hisham Al-Najjar, a researcher on extremist groups, says that the Muslim Brotherhood viewed the Gaza war as a second opportunity to compensate for the failure and loss of the Arab Spring opportunity. They aimed to mobilize the Arab street against rulers and regimes.
-
A “Complex Operation”: How Israel rescued four hostages from central Gaza
-
Non-Licensed Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan Completes Formation of Its Executive Office
Additionally, they sought to stir chaos and unrest within the Arab world, positioning themselves as an alternative to regimes they describe as traitors to the Palestinian cause. They also accuse these regimes of being partners with Israel in the occupation and siege, confirming that the Brotherhood contributed to diverting the attack and incitement against Arab countries, especially the frontline states, according to the same source.
