Netanyahu’s Convenient Lies About ISIS and Hamas

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In The Media

Netanyahu’s Convenient Lies About ISIS and Hamas

Israel argues that all forms of terrorism are different sides of the same coin and have civilization as their target. But lumping Hamas and the Islamic State together may be counterproductive for Israel in the long run.

By Nathan J. Brown

Published on Sep 30, 2014

Source: Forward

Speaking at the General Assembly this week, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu repeated a refrain he has sounded for three decades (since his days as Israeli ambassador to the U.N.) — that all forms of terrorism are different sides of the same coin and have civilization as their target:

So when it comes to their ultimate goals, Hamas is ISIS and ISIS is Hamas. And what they share in common all militant Islamists share in common. Boko Haram in Nigeria, Al-Shabab in Somalia, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Al-Nusra in Syria, the Mahdi army in Iraq, and the Al-Qaida branches in Yemen, Libya, the Philippines, India and elsewhere.

Read the full text of this article on Forward.

About the Author

Nathan J. Brown

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Middle East Program

Nathan J. Brown, a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, is a distinguished scholar and author of nine books on Arab politics and governance, as well as editor of five books.

Recent Work

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Political Reform Security Middle East Israel Iraq Palestine Syria Levant Gulf

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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