Senior Hamas official encourages U.S. students to 'escalate' anti-Israel protests on campuses
Hamas official Khaled Mashal urged pro-Palestine students in the U.S. to intensify their protests against Israel and support efforts to disrupt its actions, advocating for continued financial support and increased confrontation.
Mashal praised these students for their efforts since the October 7 attacks, calling for the escalation of the conflict against Israel.
A senior Hamas official recently told pro-Palestine students in the U.S. to continue their disruptive demonstrations to demand divestment from the state of Israel and force administrations to oppose Israel’s counteroffensive.
The statements were made on Wednesday in a video call at an event in Istanbul, Turkey, according to The Palestine Chronicle.
“In a few days, the academic year will start again at universities worldwide,” Hamas operative Khaled Mashal said. “I call upon the student leaders in our Arab and Islamic countries, as well as in the East and the West, to renew the student movement in the broadest scope, in order to stop this criminal aggression.”
“You should be proud of yourselves, oh youths of our nation and the free people of the world,” Mashal added.
Mashal continued to advocate “all-out confrontation” and “escalation of this conflict” with regards to the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel.
“Today, in the West Bank, within the 1948 borders, and in the diaspora, the escalation of this conflict is required … We want to go back to the martyrdom operations,” Mashal concluded. “We should have an all-out confrontation. We should reignite this spirit in the West Bank and the 1948 borders. Otherwise, Israel will fight us piece by piece,” Meshaal stressed.
As Campus Reform has reported, this is not the first time that Mashal has praised the pro-Palestine protests that have rocked American colleges and universities since the Oct. 7 attack against Israel.
Previously, Mashal directly thanked the student protesters, declaring his hope that Hamas would “defeat” the state of Israel and “dismantle” what he called the “Zionist enterprise.”
”We thank the great student flood which emerged from the American, European, and Western universities,” Mashal said. “We have an opportunity to defeat Israel, Allah willing. We have an opportunity to dismantle the Zionist enterprise. We have an opportunity to change the world.”
Mashal explicitly praised the protesters for the “activities” and “programs” that they had executed since Hamas’ attack against Israel, urging the anti-Israel student demonstrators to continue their “financial Jihad.”
”The activities and the programs that you have held throughout the past 8 months - you should continue them,” Mashal stated. “Continue your financial Jihad. We want a continuous financial Flood, in support of Gaza, to provide the people shelter, aid, and food, in support of the mujahideen, and in order to buy weapons for them.”
Campus Reform reported earlier this month that the anti-Israel student movement has resumed its pace from the spring semester. c
Recently, for example, anti-Israel students at the University of Michigan threatened to withhold student government funding for various student groups until and unless the university administration divests from the state of Israel.
