Do people fully support Palestine?

[Dawk]

I read this article and the scales fell from my eyes a bit: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/11/amid-the-ceasefire-wrangling-how-popular-is-hamas-in-gaza-now

I hadn’t realised that a majority of Gazans want a conservative Islamist state and the complete destruction of Israel to create an Islamic state covering the whole country (from the river to the sea I guess). They also support violence and even the sacrifice of their own lives.

I am appalled by the destruction and loss of life in Gaza, but having read this article I can’t understand why support for Palestine isn’t more caveated. Why are people waving flags and supporting Gaza so unconditionally? When you look at the polling described in the article it seems fairly clear that many/most don’t actually want peace unless it follows the complete destruction of Israel.

For me it’s a bit like supporting Iran. I would never wave the Iranian flag around because of what the country stands for. In this case I am horrified by the scale of destruction wrought by the IDF so support Palestine completely in that respect but I’d never wave the flag or chant the slogans.

If you consider yourself ‘pro-Palestine’, what do you think of the ideology described in the article?

It's appalling that their leadership started this new phase of war against Israel without making some kind of provision for the innocents they were putting in harm's way.

True, but isn’t it appalling the types of weapons Israel used on the civilians they occupy causing mass casualties and deaths.

Yes, and it's appalling that Israel commits war crimes prolifically, killing these children.

💯

I think Israel has actually done quite a good job of protecting their enemy's citizens in an urban warzone. The casualties of civilians are far less than any other similar war and warning people as they did just demonstrates the gulf between them and Hamas.

💯

I'll repeat again for hard of understanding

"Mohab Hassan Yousef, son of one of the Hamas founders, has spoken at length on this. In fear of his own life as he has had many death threats.
Who are any of us to disbelieve someone who grew up in and lived with firsthand experience?
He calls it child abuse as well."

He knows better than us the circumstances of his childhood.

No they have most certainly not. It is well known that Israel includes civilians in their Hamas count. Its not been called a genocide by organisations around the world for nothing.

Even the most staunchest of Israel's supporters will often admit (albeit grudgingly) that there has been far too many civilian casualties.

Followed up with but blame it all on X y and z. Even though it's Israel that are dropping 2000lb bombs on safe zones that they herded civilians In to.

I've heard it all now.

He is a racist and an open islamophobe and at one point an undercover Israeli agent (on Israel's payroll) so il give it a pass.

Israel has not protected civilians, even Netanyahu admitted that. As for former spy Morgan Yousef, this has been discussed before. He seems deeply troubled individual. It is not normal to say these things about your own people. I suspect whilst there may have been child hood trauma. The Israel process of choosing and getting Palestinian spys could well have caused a lot of psychological damage. If he had not lived under a brutal occupation this would never have been something he would have to face.

His actual lived experience growing up with Hamas is more realistic than a poster on MN opinion rather than experience.

Ummm 😂

Exactly.

You are referring to a former undercover Israeli agent who has previously said:

"If I have to choose between 1.6 billion Muslims and a cow, I will choose the cow." and "I have zero respect for any individual who identifies as a Muslim.

I sincerely hope you don't share his views. If you weren't previously aware then I hope you can see why most people don't take him very seriously.

Exactly...he is an amazingly person brave enough to speak out despite people trying to smear him ( as you can see above)

"Why do Pro-Palestine supporters disregard Mosab Yousef ? (son of Hamas founder)
The son of a founding Hamas leader broke his silence on his decision to denounce the terrorist group after he turned on his own family and converted to Christianity when he saw the horrors of the group's reign firsthand.

Mosab Hassan Yousef, who sought asylum in the U.S., spoke out on his decision to leave the life of terror. "I was born at the heart of Hamas leadership… and I know them very well. They don't care for the Palestinian people. They do not regard the human life," Yousef told Brian Kilmeade Thursday.

"I saw their brutality firsthand back in 1996 when I spent about a year and a half in Megiddo Prison… They killed so many Palestinian people at that point, and this is when I decided that I cannot be together with this movement.""

He makes a lot of sense in the bit above

It's not a smear if it's quoted word to word exactly what he said. I'm shocked that you are defending this to be honest. Really shocked.

Have you seen the film 'The Green Prince'?

I've not defended the quote you attribute to him.

I've said his lived experience of Hamas is worth listening to rather than posters on mn. He knows his lived experience. He knows what he was taught as a child, the hatred he was taught, he's spoken about it, written about it, it's not lies.

He is first and foremost a Palestinian, born into a Palestinian family (although he said they had Jordanian birth certificates), grew up in Ramallah. spent time in Israeli prisons, and his father is a Hamas founder. He grew up in Hamas. THEN he decided to work for counter terrorism for Israel at the age of 18 due to what he was witnessing. Although iirc he said they paid for him to go through university first and it was some years before he did any undercover work for them.

I have no doubt his views of Islam have been coloured by the extremist ideology he grew up in and what he witnessed, similarly to, as is often said on here, Palestinians support Hamas due to their experience and/or indoctrination against Israel. Do you have no understanding of that @Adropinthepond?

He is vehemently against the indoctrination and abuse of Palestinian children. I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t take him seriously as he has lived it himself unlike most who are against him seemingly for having the courage to speak out about uncomfortable truths.

He’s also been on both sides. He’s been invited to speak at the UN. Have you?

This thread is madness. Has Putin been invited to speak at the UN? Does that make him credible now?

To answer the thread title, do I support Palestine? Yes I do, yesterday, today and always 🇵🇸

SleekBlackCat , have you seen what he says about Muslims on Wikipedia, this is not a normal person with normal person views ( I hope so anyway!) . Personally he sounds like some right wing extremists to be honest which isn’t surprising really. His views aren’t neutral or consider both sides. He only gives the Israeli right wing viewpoint, which makes me think he has been manipulated considerably by the occupier.
Another thing is the power imbalance. There are only Palestinian informers, but not the other way round. This is because Israel is the occupier and is able to ‘select’ and ‘encourage’ Palestinians to spy on their own people because it has to power and means to do that.

There's so much utterly unhinged here.

It comes down to this. He is the son of a founder of Hamas. He's Palestinian. He was bought up Palestinian in the West Bank. He's spent time in an Israeli jail. And despite all this utterly relevant experience you think he's not worth listening to because he doesn't hate Israel.

There's none so blind as those who chose not to see.