# Israel Supporters Asked, He Answered! “Is Israel Defending or Terr*rising?"

- Language: en
- Published: 2026-08-26
- Canonical: https://blog.towardseternity.com/en/blog/israel-supporters-asked-he-answered-is-israel-defending-or-terrrising
- Source video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUzNnmEJKYo
- Channel: Towards Eternity

This is the cleaned transcript of the source video. The speech is unaltered.

---

Israel has the right, indeed the obligation to defend itself. Hamas is ISIS. Israel fits all of the criteria of this idea of terrorism and embarking on terrorism. And this is where we see the link between Netanyahu and ISIS and the similarities between Netanyahu and ISIS in the way that they manipulate the religious verses... Israel, under international law, is considered an occupier. It is occupying the Palestinian territories and an occupier under international law, because it's in an offensive posture, it doesn't have the right to self-defense.

...that the Palestinians in general, when they are fighting against the Israelis, they are the freedom fighters, while Israel is the colonizer and the occupier. As-Salaam-Alaikum brother Sami Hamdi. Thank you for accepting our invitation. As Towards Eternity, we're very happy to have you with us. Regarding the latest conflict that is taking place in Gaza, there are many people in the world who think differently than the Muslims. Not all of them support Palestine of course. We have collected some arguments that people who support Israel use. So I want to start by asking you some questions regarding those claims.

They say, “ Hamas started all these by killing civilians and that's why Israel is attacking, retaliating. It is self-defense. Israel has the right to defend itself.” What do you say to such arguments? Waalaikumsalam warahmatullah. Thank you very much for having me. I think the immediate answer is that Israel, under international law, is considered an occupier. It is occupying the Palestinian territories and an occupier under international law, because it's in an offensive posture, it doesn't have the right to self-defense.

The second point that is worth noting is that you'll remember that one week before the events of October 7th, Netanyahu was in the United Nations holding up a map of his vision of the Middle East. And in this map, he had completely erase Palestine. And in the same breath, he was talking about the prospect of normalization with Saudi Arabia as being the greatest deal since the end of the Cold War. Moreover, the Israeli ambassador to the UN told Kan Television, the Israeli television, one week before the events of October 7th, that normalization with Saudi Arabia would mean the complete Arab abandonment of the Palestinians.

Suggesting that from Netanyahu's perspective and the Israeli ambassador's perspective to the UN, the idea was that the Palestinian cause was dying and it was only a matter of time before they could eradicate the Palestinians, eradicate the Palestinian state, and establish this idea of greater Israel that Netanyahu continuously touts. So the point is that Netanyahu had already signaled an intention to go to war with the Palestinians and intention to eradicate and to erase them. And this is why the events don't begin on October 7th. It is October 7th that is the act of self-defense, not what Israel is doing in the subsequent aftermath of October 7th.

And I think that's important to highlight, particularly given that now what's being touted in Israel is that this is now a golden opportunity to annex Gaza, to take more territories. And not only that, they are not trying to annex territories in Gaza, but also in the West Bank where there is no Hamas, where there are none of these Palestinian factions that launched the attack on October 7th. Israel is now trying to annex those territories in the West Bank. We're seeing an advancing into the Jenin refugee camp, which suggests that the Israelis always had the intention of going after the Palestinians, and it is the Palestinians who are exerting their right to self-defense, not the Israelis.

They also say, “Hamas is the new ISIS.” What do you think about this claim or is that really a liberation group, Mujahideen waging a battle to protect its lands and people? I think that, first of all, the definition of terrorism is the unlawful use of violence against a civilian population in order to enact regime change or political change that is favorable. If you look at what Hamas is doing, it doesn't entirely fulfill this definition. Instead, if you look at what Israel is doing, however, the use of unlawful violence and the international law, it has no right to self-defense. So unlawful violence against who?

Against the civilian population, the children, the elderly, the women and the ordinary men who have nothing to do with Hamas. They are bombing and they are killing them. So the unlawful use of violence against the civilian population to achieve what? Netanyahu has said that the aim is to remove Hamas and replace them with a group that are more favorable to the Israelis. So the third condition to enact political change that is favorable. When you look at this definition of terrorism that is universally recognized, Israel fits all of the criteria of this idea of terrorism and embarking on terrorism.

Whereas Hamas, when you look at it, even though there is controversy or the like, and I don't focus too much on Hamas here because there was nine other Palestinian factions that engage in the offensive. But Hamas, as is recognized even in public opinion, now, today, forget the governments, but in public opinion, Hamas or indeed the Palestinians in general, because when you consider that those who are defending the Palestinian cause, Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, who's appeared on various media, is not Hamas. He's from the Palestinian Authority. Mustafa Barghouti is in the West Bank. He's not in Gaza. He's not part of Hamas.

He's in the West Bank with another political trend. And we see that all of these voices reflect that this is not a Hamas issue. So if we go beyond Hamas, we see that the Palestinians in general are fighting to restore their rights to lands that were brutally and violently seized from them illegally by Israeli settlers. They are homeowners who have been turfed from their home. And these homeowners are trying to get their land, trying to get their homes back from those who stole their homes from them.

And I think that in this particular context, it becomes abundantly clear that the Palestinians in general, when they are fighting against the Israelis, they are the freedom fighters, while Israel is the colonizer and the occupier. The Israeli government says that Hamas is using civilians in Gaza as human shields and that there's no other way to eliminate them than to cause civilian losses as well. Is there really no other way? I think that the issue with this argument of human shields is that if you consider that Israel told the Palestinians in Gaza they should move from the north to the south and many Palestinians moved from the north to the south.

Israel bombed the road from the north to the south and then went and bombed places in the south where the Palestinians had gathered. If the issue was about human shields, Israel is targeting the areas where it's telling the Palestinians to go. So it's telling Palestinians to go to certain areas such as hospitals or the like, and then bombing those areas en masse and wiping out families. Suggesting the issue is not one of human shields, it’s Israel gathering them up like sheep and then bombing them as if they are expendable? The second point that is worth noting is where are the Palestinians supposed to go?

They are blockaded by Israel on three sides and the Rafah crossing with Egypt is closed and on the other side they are blockaded by the sea. They are blockaded by Israeli ships with nowhere to go. So even if let's suppose that there were human shields being used, there's no way for the Palestinians to go even if they were not being used as human shields.

So that I think the argument of human shields is one that is being used by the Israelis to deflect from criticism that they are targeting civilians, that they are trying to eradicate the Palestinian population, that they are trying to kill the homeowners to make sure that no one or none of them is left alive to come and demand the land that belongs to them, that none of them is left alive to come and demand their rights again, that none of them is left alive in order to go and continue the resistance, in order to restore their rights to the land that was violently taken from them. So the idea of to human shields is exaggerated.

And I actually think that given that the Palestinians have tried to move to other areas and they still bombed by the Israelis, it suggests that Israel is not concerned about the idea of the civilian death toll and is instead trying to massacre as many Palestinians as possible and is using the purpose or the excuse of human shields to justify the carpet bombing and the slaughter and genocide and ethnic cleansing of Gaza. So other people said that Israeli army couldn't enter Gaza for ground operation because they know that they will be failing. And also they cut off the Internet in their last ground offense.

And what do you think was the purpose in doing that, to hide their possible defeat or to hide their war crimes? I think that when it comes to the ground offensive, it's important to highlight that a ground offensive for Israel is not easy in Gaza. They've tried it before and they failed. The first thing that's worth noting is it's important to note that this Israeli army is not the army of 1973 that drove out Egypt and Syria. This is an Israeli army, this generation has mainly been tasked with police duties.

So their duties have mainly been or their combat experience has mainly been the breaking of the arms and legs of little children, the beating up of elderly people and the shooting of unarmed teenagers in the West Bank and in Gaza. This is not an army that is used to ground offensive. This is an army that is used to boarding its planes and bombing from the skies because it knows that the Palestinians don't have the technology in order to be able to shoot down those planes. And the third reason is public opinion. And that's one of the reasons why Israel cut off electricity, why it cut off Internet when it attempted the ground invasion that appears not to have succeeded.

The reason they're doing so is because they are concerned that the Palestinians, because they are using social media and showing us what is happening and then the likes of me and you are amplifying their voices by retweeting and sharing. And all the other Muslims, 1.9 billion Muslims are amplifying and sharing that, which means that the algorithm is now prioritizing that content and putting it on the home pages of the neutrals. And the neutrals are now seeing those images and they are horrified.

And now they're asking questions, which means that when the Republican candidate, Ron DeSantis, goes to a supermarket to tell them Israel has a right to self-defense, American whites, American citizens are responding to him and saying, “I don't believe you. I've seen the images myself.” When we're starting to see videos of people saying that I supported Israel my whole life. But now when I see the images of Gaza, I can no longer support Israel. Israel will forever lose the global public opinion So there's deep concern that a ground invasion in broad daylight will result in a shift in global public opinion that will permanently alter the course of this entire conflict.

So we have seen in the last weeks that Zionism has a huge political influence on the most developed states of the world, and that Israeli government also acts according to this ideology. What is the eventual goal of this movement? What kind of mindset do these people have? The Zionist project is absolutely clear, the establishment of an Israeli state that spans all of Palestine and beyond, even into some of the Arab states.

The Zionist project argues that as a result of the continuous persecution of the Jews throughout the 1700s and 1800s by the Europeans, as a result of the slaughter of Jews by the Europeans, as a result of the massacre of Jews by the Europeans, as a result of the expulsion of the Jews by the Europeans, as a result of the Holocaust of the Jews by the Europeans, as a result of the Inquisition that for the Jews from Spain by the Europeans, there is a need to establish an independent state that can protect the Jews from this persecution. That's how the Zionists emerge.

It's emerged because of the antisemitism of Europe, because of the violations of Europe, because of the brutality of Europe, and they came to the Muslim lands where the Muslims had a rich history of coexistence. It was the Ottomans who received the Jews who were expelled from Spain. The Muslim world has Andalucia and objectively the greatest historical example of coexistence between the various different faiths. They were kicked out of Europe and they came to the Muslim lands and the Muslim lands welcomed them.

The Zionist project is about establishing an ethnocentric Jewish state, specifically for the Jews to prevent the massacres taking place against them that they have suffered over centuries that have been committed by the Europeans. The problem with the Zionist project and why many Jews object to the Zionist project is because the Zionist project argues that the state should be established by illegally seizing the lands that belong to another person. It's a state that is built on batil (false) and from their concept of batil (falsehood), that concept of what is wrong, which is why there's a difference between the Zionist and between the Jews.

Many Jews do not support the Zionist project, but the ultimate aim of the Zionist project is to build a state where they will no longer be at the mercy of the antisemitic Europeans who committed war crimes and atrocities against the Jewish population. And it is one of the greatest tragedies that the victims of these atrocities are now committing those same atrocities against another people in their bid to establish this particular state. But in thier creed do they see other human beings as not real human beings. “they are here to serve us.” So do they have this kind of mindset?

I think that in order to try to force the idea of or in order to galvanize and win the support of the Jewish population for the Zionist project, it's important to remember that when Zionism emerged, many Jews were not did not resonate with the idea of Zionism. In order to win Jewish support for the idea of Zionism, the Zionist instigators embarked on a PR campaign to dehumanize the other side, to tell the Jews that these Muslims deserve it, that they are savages, that they are animals, that they don't deserve to live. We saw, for example, the former head of intelligence of Israeli intelligence tells Sky News about a week before this recording where he expressed dismay.

He said, “I don't understand why global public opinion is sympathizing with these animals and with these savages.” Because he's been so socially engineered to believe that these are animals and savages. Because that's the only way that you can kill the natural fitrah (disposition) of the ordinary Jewish person and get them to accept the massacre of another people. I think that the push or the idea that the Palestinians are inferior is an idea that was pushed by the Zionists not to convince the world, but to convince Jews themselves that they should support the Zionist project. Because many Jews did not immediately resonate with the idea of Zionism.

And we always know that when it comes to genocide or attacking a people, dehumanization is the first stage in order to facilitate the killing and massacre of another people by convincing them that the other people are rats or cockroaches or the like. The way the Nazis used to talk about the Jews, the way the Zionists are now talking about the Muslims, the way that the right wing BJP in India are talking about the Muslims, where Modi is persecuting the Muslims. I think that it's in this context that they are dehumanizing the other in that while it's true that they are trying to convince the world that they have a right as a Zionist project.

I argue that the dehumanization is first and foremost targeted for the Jewish population who remain uncomfortable with the Zionist project. But on the other hand, recently we saw that Netanyahu is giving statements that include references to their sacred text “Remember Ameliketes”. I think that when Netanyahu quotes the Jewish holy books to justify what he's doing, I think here is where we see the similarities with ISIS, where they use the Qur’anic Ayat (verses of Qur’an) and the wrong interpretations of the Qur’anic Ayat (verses of Qur’an) to justify things that Islam expressly forbids.

And this is where we see the link between Netanyahu and ISIS and the similarities between Netanyahu and ISIS in the way that they manipulate the religious verses in order to justify what their religion forbid and what their religions condemn. So on that note, we are 2 billion Muslims approximately in the world and Israel's population is less than 10 million. So why can't Muslim countries take concrete ups against Israel? Why are Muslims living in these countries are in a state of uproar? Why don't we see anything but condemnation and reaction from these countries? why are they hesitant or are these things easier said than done?

I think that this is a tragic question, a very difficult question, Muslim states have the power to pressure the Americans to force the Israelis to back down, but they choose not to do so because of two reasons. One faction of the Muslim world believes that it's not worth it because they have more immediate priorities and that they need the Americans because they want to NATO's style agreements to push back against Iran. They want to help with Vision 2030. They want American companies to help build cities that will look like Miami, not like Shanghai or Moscow, but they look like Miami, in the words of the Saudis themselves.

And they believe that the Palestinians are not worth compromising this amazing Vision 2030 or relations with the Americans who are the only state that can help this country to achieve its Vision 2030. And there are other nations such as Türkiye and the like, who wish they could do something, who have the power to do something, but are concerned that if they do something, they will be betrayed and abandoned by the world. They will suffer sanctions There is a concern that if they stand up for the Palestinians, the knives will come from the Muslim world and be stuck into the back of the nation that turns around and tries to defend the Palestinian cause.

So the direct answer to your question is there's a faction that doesn't want to be drawn into the Palestinian state and a faction that believes that it's simply too costly to do so. So could we say they prioritize worldly life over Akhira? Certainly and that's why I think that it's a failure to prioritize what should be prioritized. It's this idea that they have put the dunya as the main priority, economic prosperity and the like.

Even though I argue that anybody who opens Surah Hud, they will see that when the prophets went to some of these civilizations, these civilizations that Allah (swt) describes them as very strong civilizations for example, when he talks about Ād and Thamud that they were a mighty people economic prosperous, they had power and the like. But Allah (swt) still destroyed them because they were unjust. Because they didn't uphold the values that they should have upheld. They didn't uphold the justice that they should have upheld. They didn't uphold the principles that they should have upheld.

And this is why I think that the prioritization of economic development at the expense of justice and values is a recipe for disaster. And the proof is what we see and read in the Qur’an every single day when we open these Surahs. And that's why I think that while these states believe that their interests or national interests prevent them from getting involved, I think then refuse to get involved is what will eventually jeopardize their national interests as they find that the absence of justice and values means that economic prosperity will not come about. And even if it does come about, it will still result in chaos and instability.

Because, as Ibn Khaldun says, “Justice is the foundation of all civilization.” “Oppression is what destroys a civilization.” Oppression is what destroys an economy and destroys a political state. I think that's the reality of what we're facing. As Muslims, unfortunately, we are watching these events at home feeling weak. What would you say to a muslim who asks, What can I do as an individual other than sharing social media posts I think that the first thing is the question is framed as if social media posts are not making a huge impact. They are. And even if that's all you can do, keep doing that. It's making a huge impact.

When Elon Musk is under pressure from the Europeans to impose restrictions on Twitter is because your voice is making a difference. And what we are seeing today, Ahmet, is that the Ummah is mobilizing, it's shouting, it's roaring. When the BBC presenter apologizes for falling short of journalistic standards, she didn't apologize because the Israelis asked her. The Israelis were happy with the coverage. She apologized because the Ummah wrote on social media, it showed the Palestinian content, it convinced the neutral that the Palestinians are the ones who have the just cause. And BBC receives so much complaints and so much pressure from social media that they apologized. CNN apologized.

Sky News apologized. When the MP is go to visit the mosques to try to calm down public anger. It's because of the ordinary Muslim who's roaring on social media. When Israel meets with the heads of social media to ask them to shadow ban accounts, to ask them to limit the reach of hashtag Palestine. They're doing it not because they're worried that the governments are spreading that information. They're worried because the ordinary Muslim is doing it. You might feel insignificant, indallahu azim, in Allah's eyes, it's significant. It is making the difference. Don't underestimate that.

The answer to that question, the reason why it's not clear cut is because it depends on the powers that you have. I was speaking at the hackathon, watching many Muslims trying to create apps where they could identify and help the ordinary Muslim download an app where they could scan the barcode of a product and they would know that if it is coming from the Israelis or not so that they know whether they should boycott it or not. There are other people who are making apps in terms of showing them a list of where protests are organized so that they can easily identify which protests are near them, that they can go and join in order to raise awareness.

These are tech experts who are using their tech capabilities, using their tech skills in order to contribute to the cause. I'm not a tech expert. That's not in my power, but it's in their power and they are promoting that. My power may perhaps in front of the camera or the like. I'm using that power. Your power might be, for example, in your workplace. I remember I received the message from one sister who said that she was feeling helpless and then she watched some videos that that tried to encourage people to do more. She went to her job place and now they are no longer calling it Hamas vs Israel.

They are talking about Palestine vs Israel and they are holding sessions to learn more about the conflict. They are trying to open their eyes. She is giving Da’wah. She is opening their eyes and breaking Israel's monopoly on the narrative. So the answer or the short answer to the question is this You know your environment, you know your powers, you know where you are in society. You know what you are capable of. Deploy those capabilities and don't underestimate what you think to be insignificant for in the eyes of Allah (swt) it can be significant. Remember when Abu Sofian stood in front of Heraclius? Heraclius said to Abu Sufian, Who are the people who follow the Prophet Muhammad (saw)?

And Heraclius said, “It's the lower class of society.” It's Bilal ibn Rabah (ra) the former slave. It’s Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (ra) the shepherd. It was these people who today you might look at you might look at as lower in society. But they were the ones who delivered Islam so effectively. They were the backbone of Islam. They were the backbone of the entire cause that the Prophet Muhammad (saw) came to deliver. They were the mubashirin with Jannah (promised paradise). They were the ones who Allah gave them glad tidings of Jannah. Don't underestimate the powers that you have. Don't look at your place and think I am low in society or I don't have power. I can't do anything.

Everybody can do something. Everybody knows theirself. They know their powers. Everything makes a difference. Because what you'll find is you'll find that even if in your striving somebody might be inspired by that who is in a greater power and they will mobilize not because they suddenly woke up and chose to, but because they saw you have less power, choose to mobilize. And they felt ashamed. And they said if he or she is mobilizing, I should mobilize too. We are one Ummah. When the right hand goes up and everybody sees the right hand, the left hand comes up with it and then the head starts moving with it and then the body starts moving it.

When we're seeing each other on social media and the efforts that everybody is going to, people are doing bake sales to raise money for charity. People are going out for protests. People are talking on social media. People are building apps. People are going... All of these things when I see it on social media, I feel the juices running through the body because I think span of the Ummah is mobilizing from Malaysia to the US. I need to move as well and try to do something to and this is how we encourage each other, encourage each other in that which is right and that which is just. That's my answer. Do what you can within the environment that you have. Nothing is insignificant.

Everything has a value. Everything has a significance. Let's move like one body, Inshallah. Inshallah . So, last questions. do you think that these recent events could have a similar effect to 911 in terms of increasing the world's interest and inclination towards Islam? We see on social media that people who had nothing to do with Islam before have started researching our religion and ordering Qur’ans at a time when Israel and Western countries, especially Sweden, are trying to denigrate Islam and the Quran. could the opposite result emerge?

Are good days Islam near I think that one of the things that is worth noting is when Muslims tend to say that, you know, the Ummah looks bleak or the future looks bleak, the reality is that Islam remains and continues to be the fastest growing religion in the world. For all of the talk crack down on Muslims in Europe, more and more Europeans are becoming Muslims. For all of the talk of crack down on Muslims in the US, more and more Americans are turning to Islam. The reality is that Allah is preserving his religion on his own. Allah does not need us to help preserve his religion. Allah is doing it on his own.

We're seeing the likes of, for example, Paul Williams, an English revert to Islam who is now listed in the top 500 Top 500 influential Muslims in the world. We're seeing Allah (swt) provide these examples for us to remind us that the Noor of Islam continues to spread regardless of the crackdown and the repression that we see the global order impose upon the Ummah, or indeed oppose upon the Muslims. We saw that as a result of Modi's crackdown on Muslims in India.

We saw many Hindus who supported Modi become Muslim and take photos themselves near the Kaaba and saying, “I never thought that the persecution of Muslims would lead me to get the Qur’an and allow me to enter into Islam.” The reason there's so much concern about what's happening in the Muslim world is because no matter how much repression there is, Islam continues to thrive. I remember a French journalists saying that in France we have an issue. And I said, What issue? He said, Our heroes are the Muslims. Paul Pogba, the Muslim N'golo Kante, the Muslim Zinedine Zidane. They are all of these people who are not blond haired, blue eyed French people.

And in his words, I fear for a generation that will see these Muslims as the heroes that they should be emulating, that they should be following. The reason there's so much repression against Muslims today is not because the Muslims are losing, but because more and more people are entering Islam and becoming Muslims. Because Allah is preserving it. Because Allah is in control. Because Allah is opening the hearts. And that's why I think that when it comes to the issue of the state of Islam and people entering Islam, it doesn't matter the age and it doesn't matter what happens in the age. More and more people enter Islam because it is Allah’s word. It is Allah's message.

And that is what resonates with the heart at all times, in all periods until the end of time, until the Day of Judgment, Inshallah. So last question. What do you think about Towards Eternity and its role in spreading the message of Islam in eight languages? Bismillahi Mashallah. To be honest, I make no secret of the fact that I am a fan of Towards Eternity.

Primarily because, one, they engage in content within which they show young Muslims enjoying Islam, enjoying their identity, proud of it, enjoying their knowledge of Islam, deploying it in a way in an environment in which it's relatable and enables somebody to emulate it, even within their own family, to emulate it, even within own environment. The ability to show Islam in a way that somebody can feel is relevant to their daily lives, that they can show games and activities that can be deployed in their daily lives. I think that Towards Eternity is very unique in its approach in this regard.

The fact that it's spanning in eight different shows that it's able to reach the Ummah and social media is also a credit to social media in that it allows us to build those bridges with the other sections of the Ummah in that one video can spread to all corners of the Ummah. We're all receiving the same message. We're all reestablishing those bridges and we're all reconnecting the memories of the Ummah to one another in that I, who originally hail from North Africa but was born and raised in London, I’m resonating deeply with those who are filming in Türkiye and the ones in Pakistan are resonating deeply with the both of us and the ones in Malaysia resonate in Africa, resonating deeply.

I think that Towards Eternity is part of a very small group of organizations that are very unique in transcending those national boundaries and reviving the Ummahtic identity and restoring those bridges and elevating the Ummahtic identity in terms of priority over our national identities and its ability to evoke the resonance. So may Alah (swt) preserved this platform. May He give it every resource it needs and may He give it greater heights and make it heavy on your scales on the Day of Judgment. I'm somebody who's personally benefited from it. My family have personally benefited from it. My society has benefited from it. And long may it continue Inshallah. Jazakallah khair brother Sami.

We benefited a lot from your experience and knowledge and jazakallah khair. May Allah preserve you. May Allah accept from you. And Inshallah we hope to meet you in Istanbul and in a much better place in the heaven, Inshallah. Inshallah, jazakallah khair And thank you very much for having me. Jazakallah khair