The Forward’s interview with Mousa Abu Marzook raises important questions about who currently speaks for the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, while confirming the organization is in no position to be recognized as a legitimate Palestinian interlocutor.

Abu Marzook’s statements are further evidence that Hamas lacks a cohesive voice. While some point to apparent statements of moderation by certain leaders, Hamas’s basic tenets of rejecting the Jewish state, embracing armed conflict, and perpetuating anti-Semitic conspiracy theories remain constant.

Abu Marzook emphatically and proudly asserts that Hamas will “never recognize Israel as a state.” He unabashedly defends Hamas’s acts of violence against Israel and the organization’s policy of targeting innocent civilians. His outrageous equation of Israeli army operations against terrorist elements that result in unintentional and regrettable civilian losses with Hamas’s deliberate targeting of Israeli civilians is a clear demonstration of the lack of morality that pervades the group’s leadership.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

One can only assume that Abu Marzook’s endorsement of a hudna, or ceasefire, with Israel is intended to cloak Hamas’s extremist practices in a false façade of verbal moderation.

Until a clear leadership structure arises within Hamas — one that renounces the organization’s violent and anti-Jewish charter, accepts Israel’s legitimacy and abides by the Middle East Quartet’s principles for negotiating with Israel — the international community must continue to shun Hamas and publicly reject its terrorist interests. More than anything else, the Abu Marzook interview confirms that Hamas is far from interested in moving in that direction, preferring instead to pursue violence and rejection over peace.

Abraham Foxman is the national director of the Anti-Defamation League.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount