According to the alternative universe of Iqbal Jassat, Yahya Sinwar is lamented as an “Iconic leader martyred by Zionist colonialists” ( Politicsweb 21 October2024). Mr Sinwar was far better known in his part of the world as the Butcher of Khan Yunus. A well-deserved epithet, as will be seen.
Yahya Sinwar was a brutal and ruthless murderer and mostly of fellow Palestinians. He was born and brought up n Khan Younis in Gaza. In 1988 he was arrested and convicted by Israel of murdering four suspected collaborators among other crimes against Israeli soldiers. He was given 4 life sentences. He admitted to killing one of them with his bare hands. He continued to take upon himself to punish suspected informers. According to his interrogator he expressed his preference for the machete as weapon of choice to kill Jews.
In 2004 he developed a brain tumour, Israeli surgeons at Soroka Medical Center removed what would have been a fatal tumour. Israeli doctors saved his life. Sinwar acknowledged his debt to Dr Yuval Bitton the prison medical officer who enabled Sinwar to receive medical attention. However his nephew Tamir died defending Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7.
Tamir had been seriously wounded while attempting to fight off five terrorists, eventually losing the battle and being taken to Gaza. Only hours after his abduction, Tamir died of his wounds in Gaza.
According to Mr Jassat “For millions of Muslims and millions of more supporters across the world of Palestine’s freedom struggle, Sinwar’s martyrdom may mark the end of a legendary anti-colonial warrior, but not the end of the Resistance”. Resounding words as disingenuous as they are false.
Martyrdom is understood to be laying down one’s life for something of great value for a principle or cause. Sinwar was a fervent adherent of the ideology of Hamas that Israel should be destroyed and replaced by a Moslem state. For this goal he was prepared to sacrifice the lives of Palestinians.
At the time of his death Sinwar was holed up in a building in Gaza armed with a false UNHRWA passport and lots of cash. It would appear that he was not warrioring at all but was preparing an escape. He masterminded his armed terrorists to invade a sovereign country under ceasefire with Hamas. There they performed with glee the burning of babies, mutilation and rape of women, the murder of 1 200 civilians, and the abduction of 240 civilians to languish in Gaza.
About 100 hostages are still being held in captivity one year later. No resistance or anti -colonial movement in human history has contemplated or carried out such barbarous acts. Can one seriously infer that mass atrocities are of value to the cause of Palestine by the millions of Muslims and their supporters across the world?
There is no equivalence between the price paid by the fallen heroes and heroines in the struggle against apartheid and Sinwar. He was no hero. His killers exultantly attacked and slaughtered unarmed peaceful youngsters at the Nova music festival. Not exactly a heroic way to secure the freedom of Palestine.
Sinwar was a coward who died on the run from Gaza. He did not stand defiant at all. He was found seated in a chair, trapped in a building which had been shelled.
Martyrdom is associated with passivity and honourableness rather than cruelty and aggression. It is an insult to the memory of the South African heroes and heroines who fought apartheid to place Sinwar in their company. Israeli government officials who knew him well during his 22 years of imprisonment described his character as cruel, authoritative, manipulative, having endurance, influential, brutal and even psychopathic.
Accusations are made about apartheid-like Israeli laws permitting detention without trial, horrific torture without recourse to legal representation. There is rule of law in Israel and even Palestinians have access to the courts to redress unlawful conduct by the authorities. Something which does not exist in Palestine, where dissident journalists are beaten up and even killed. Homosexuals are killed too.
Hamas under the leadership of Mr Sinwar was no haven of democracy: No elections since 2007 the first and only elections held in Gaza. Ismail Haniyeh led Hamas in Gaza until February 2017 when Yahya Sinwar succeeded him until present. There was no independent judiciary and no rule of law. Freedom House an international research institute which ranks civil liberties and political rights in countries and territories of the world rated Gaza with a score of 7% compared to Israel with a score of 74%.
The Prime Minister of Israel is accused of having “ a terrorist track record steeped in hatred and murder of Palestinians”. This, despite the repeated offers of friendship, coexistence and peace with Israel’s neighbours made by Mr Netanyahu at the UN and before the US Congress recently.
No such sentiments have been forthcoming from Hamas or the Palestinians. Mr Netanyahu is described as a Polish immigrant Miliekowky. Mr Netanyahu was born in 1949 in Tel Aviv, a citizen of the State of Israel. His father was indeed a Polish immigrant who Hebraicized his name to Netanyahu (meaning given by God) after his immigration to Palestine in 1922, some 100 years ago. Some fact checking would benefit the writer of such false information.
No saint was Sinwar.
