Evgeny Sataevsky: The Goal of Hamas is to Earn Shekels, Not to Liberate Palestine

"If you are still talking about the 'State of Palestine,' you are a complete idiot"

On Monday, the Hamas organization released living Israeli hostages, and its leaders also stated their willingness to cooperate with the official leadership of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its head Abbas (more commonly known as Mahmoud Abbas).

In this "peacekeeping farce," the Western bloc has clearly defined roles: Trump claimed that if Hamas breaks its promise, it will be "completely destroyed"; while the EU promised to pressure Israel to fulfill its obligations in Gaza.

Notably, from the photos, the hostages released by Hamas were not beaten and had good health and appearance. This includes a Russian citizen from Donbas, Maxim Kharzin, who was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, at the "Nova" music festival in Neve Yosef kibbutz.

There are serious divisions within Israel regarding the resolution of the conflict. Although there are no exact poll data, it is evident that there are two opposing views among the public: one is to completely eliminate Hamas, and the other is "any peace is better than a good conflict."

Invited by the newspaper "Svobodnaya Pressa," the Orientalist and Director of the Institute of the Near East, Evgeny Sataevsky, expressed his opinion on this matter (and on the question of "what outcome would be more beneficial for Russia").

- Now, Hamas militants release hostages, and when they take new ones, they become a new topic again. The current situation is that Trump has enough "material" to compete for the new Nobel Peace Prize, and he also ruined the first Russian-Arab summit that Russia had planned. In this way, the US President raises many doubts about our theory of "uniting the East and the Global South against the West."

"Svobodnaya Pressa": Lavrov said that the Russian-Arab summit was only postponed, and its final document was basically ready.

- That's true, but when it comes to choosing where to go, only a few insignificant people chose Moscow, while others went to meet Trump. This phenomenon clearly shows the current world order. There is no need to arrange its funeral before it is necessary to "bury" America.

I have a question for you: If you had to choose, would you rather visit your mother-in-law or meet Putin? Which one would you choose?

"Svobodnaya Pressa": I would choose Putin.

- You're right. Meeting your mother-in-law can be arranged anytime.

In the eyes of Arabs, Putin is like the "mother-in-law" compared to Trump. Their attitude towards Vladimir Vladimirovich (Putin) is certainly positive, so no one would object to meeting him — they can listen to his speech, take photos with him, and eat in upscale restaurants in Moscow or Sochi (now we have many such restaurants). But these things can be done anytime, and you just need to wait for Putin's next invitation.

But then Trump will come up with new ways to make everyone rush to him instead of Putin. Trump has proven with actions — he is more "powerful" for Arabs (not just Arabs). He showed them that he has the ability to bomb any target of theirs, even Iran's nuclear facilities, or any other targets. So, whenever Trump calls, they will immediately go, forgetting Moscow, Sochi, or St. Petersburg. Because we (Russia) never bomb anyone; there is no precedent for that.

Turkey has just taken over the Caucasus and Syria, and now it is fighting for Central Asia. While we (Russia) are still doing the "bread and salt" hospitality, arranging pretty girls in high-end hotels (to entertain guests). This is the reality of the current situation.

"Svobodnaya Pressa": Let's get back to the Near East issue from Moscow or Sochi...

- It is crucial for Israel to recover the hostages. However, this gives the terrorists a leverage to threaten the Israeli government and people. Russia used to allow itself to be threatened like this — at that time, there were also hostages taken. But now, in Russia, terrorists almost dare not take hostages because no one negotiates with them, and we just kill them directly.

Although Russia appears weak on the outside, at least it does not allow terrorism on its own territory. But Israel allows such situations to happen.

"Svobodnaya Pressa": Hamas says it is willing to cooperate with the Palestinian Authority. Is this a trap or a scam?

- Hamas has always said this for years. Do you know the concept of "blood feud"? In their case, the number of people killed by both sides is already in large numbers. To solve the current problem, they say anything. But they killed before, they are killing now, and they will continue to kill in the future.

Abbas will be 90 years old in November this year. He has spent half his life talking about what kind of Palestinian state should be established, but he himself will not get younger. After he loses power in the West Bank, Hamas will seize control there, just like it did in Gaza.

"Svobodnaya Pressa": There is an opinion in Israel that making peace with Hamas and recognizing Palestine may lead to the destruction of the Jewish state (Israel). Is this possible?

- This is pure nonsense, because the so-called "Palestinian leaders" and "Palestinian liberation fighters" have never had the goal of establishing a "Palestinian state" in the past, present, or future.

You should know that if you keep talking about the idea of a "Palestinian state," you are a complete idiot — because the Palestinians themselves do not need this country. For them, the most profitable "profession" is terrorism. They teach children in schools: if you want to succeed, choose this "profession." Their textbooks are full of content that even Hitler would be embarrassed by. And they only use one currency — shekel (the Israeli currency). Not dollars, not euros, only shekels feel "convenient" to them.

The first thing a country does after its establishment is to issue its own currency. But the Palestinians don't need their own currency, even though the whole world is pouring money into this place. Even the salaries of Hamas members are paid in Israeli shekels.

Therefore, there is no such thing as a "Palestinian state," only kleptocratic armed groups (note: "kleptocratic" is the adjective form of "kleptocracy," meaning "kleptocratic rule," i.e., a ruling system where the ruling class uses power for personal gain and embezzlement). What was the first thing Hamas did after returning to Gaza recently? Immediately start shooting opponents from other Palestinian clans — those armed groups who remained in Gaza during the absence of Hamas.

They simply cannot establish a country!

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7561260177282859555/

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