• Tiger666@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      4 days ago

      Who funded Hamas? Why was Hamas created? Bet you won’t answer my questions.

      • abc@suppo.fi
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        3 days ago

        Who funded Hamas?

        Great question! Before October 7th terror strikes, Hamas had been funded by

        • Iran (principal military sponsor)
        • Qatar
        • Multiple private donors all over the world
        • Taxes from Gaza (since they were the primary government there)
        • Overseas investments

        You are alluding to the borderline antisemitic conspiracy theory that Israel was funding Hamas, which is almost true, since they allowed Qatari money to flow in their hands. Israel has not funded Hamas directly, however. Still a bad decision by Benjamin Netanjahu though, in retrospect.

        Why was Hamas created?

        Hamas grew out of the Muslim Brotherhood, as an uprising to the Israeli occupation of Gaza. Its primary reason of being was to compete against the more secular Fatah/PLO. In contrast, Hamas is explicitly Islamist. Israel again allowed this to happen, which in retrospect was perhaps a mistake. This is also the basis of another rather crazy conspiracy theory, namely that of Israel creating Hamas for some convoluted plot that would allow them eventually to conquer all of Gaza, or something.

        Bet you won’t answer my questions.

        Hope you didn’t bet more than you can afford.