green prince 2
1
1986 the son relates in his book, Sheikh You;ef met in Hebron with Sheikh - Ahmed Yassin, Mohammed Jamal al , Natshe Mohammed Musleh and others and together planned the creation of the - new organization. Hamas officially an . 1987 nounced its existence in December ln September 2000, when Ariel Sharon visited the Temple Mount, Mosab Yousef was naturally accompanying his father to meetings. On September 27, the night before Sharon's visit, Sheikh Hassan met with Marwan Barghouti, commander of the Tanzim militia in the West Bank, and . leaders of other groups Yousef recalls: "1 drove them to the meeting, and when we returned he told me that they had agreed that the next , day after Sharon's visit to the mount they would foment demonstrations and in the end an intifada. Their plan was to - stir up riots that would continue for two . three weeks They planned the intifada, and don't " ~~~ ," let anyone tel1 you anything different he continues. "[However,] the Hamas leadership in Hebron and Gaza did not want to take part in the riots, because ] they said [palestinian leader Yasser Arafat did not deserve to be helped after - he persecuted the organization so harsh ly. And the truth is that Hamas in Gaza did not take part in the demonstrations at the start of the intifada. But my father ]." was in favor [of participating yau mean by "planned"? Did d What ? Arajat ask them ta da it 1 can't tel1 you for certain that he " gave an order. But he did give them his blessing. Listen, man, what do you , think? Barghouti, Hussein al-Sheikh - all those who organized the demonstra . tions - they met with Arafat every day So what did they talk about? But that is not the worst thing 1 discovered at the - time about Arafat. 1 was the one who re vealed that the first squad of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade was actually a group from Arafat's Presidential Guard, Force 17, which got money from Barghouti, who got it from Arafat." According to Yousef, it was he who led the Shin Bet to Force 17 man Muhanad Abu Halaweh. "Abu Halaweh sent more and more people to perpetrate terror- ist attacks," he says. "He was a dubious type who walked around with a heavy machine gun and opened fire at every opportunity. The Shin Bet wanted to liq- uidate him and 1told Loai that 1agreed to the mission, even if it meant he would be killed. 1felt there was no choice, because otherwise Muhanad would go on killing innocent people. "On August 4"2001; 1waited outside the office of Marwan Barghouti until 1 saw Abu Halaweh go inside. A few hours later he came out and got into his gold VW Golf. 1informed the Shin Bet that he was in the car, alone; it was important for them not to hurt Barghouti. The Israelis waited a What were yaur gaals when yau agreed ta warkjar them? Yousef: "1 saw torture, killing, a war over land. For me, human life and saving human lives is the most important thing, more important than any piece of land or real estate. 1wanted to save - and did save - human lives, Israeli and Palestinian. 1 did not do it because the Shin Bet pres- sured me, or for money. 1 did it because 1 understood what Hamas really is and 1 had to make a change. For my sake and for the sake of others. 1thought tQ myself that even if people claim 1 am a-traitor, let them say it. People will not believe it, - ~ they will think 1did it for money, but they have no idea. 1was happy, delighted when 1stopped a suicide bomber." Hamas is born lt's striking, throughout the interview, that Yousef uses the first person plural in talking about Shin Bet activity. ln California, he says, he has a T-shirt say- ing, "1 do secret work but 1 don't know what it is - the Shin Bet." "1 also have an Israel Defense Forces T-shirt - olive colored, with the symbol- which 1really love," he adds, laughing. By 1999 he had penetrated the heart of Hamas in the West Bank and was accom- panying his father everywhere. As the book reveals for the first time, Sheikh Yousef conceived the idea of establishing Hamas in the West Bank a year before the organization's formal creation. ln ~ i'; ~ ~ ~ e. Marwan Barghouti: "Even though the Shin Bet hated him, they did not want to turn him into a martyr:' ----~~------~~ - burned them, jabbed them with nee : ." dles, put out cigarettes on them , 1997 After his release from prison in , Yousef started to meet with Captain Loai and says, "1had no plans to kill anyone or to be a spy, 1 was just curious." Already in their second meeting, he relates, the . Shin Bet man managed to surprise him 1 Yousef: "He explained to me that if wanted to work for the Shin Bet, 1 had - to respect a few rules. 'You must not be - friend loose women or behave immoral ly,' he told me. 'Do not sleep with women or behave like a wise guy - especially you, the son of a sheikh. You have to find work and get along.' One time, Captain Loai stopped the meeting and asked me if . 1had already recited the midday prayers Surprised, 1 said 1 hadn't. He then asked , me to purify myself [by washing hands and pray, and then said we נface and feet . would continue 1 lt was important for them that " , would continue to be the person 1 was for me not to change, to be serious. They wanted respectable people, who were respected in their society, not those with a poor reputation. 1 became even more curious and wanted to learn more about ' them. My handlers told me time and again, 'You must respect your father and your mother and not do anything bad to - anyone.' They did not yet ask for infor 1 mation about anything or anyone, and became more and more serious in regard - to them. My handlers, for their part, re spected me and treated me very wel1 .· and even helped me with my studies 1 was stunned by their behavior. They did not want to take action against the - Palestinians as such, only against the ex tremists. 1 looked at these people, whom , in the past 1 had so much wanted to kill and discovered that everything 1 knew . about them was incorrect lt was also in this period that Yousef began to be drawn to Christianity and read the New Testament. "1 remember encountering the sentence, 'Love your - enemies.' That made me think: These en , emies of yours, the Shin Bet, the soldiers are only trying to do their job. 1 thought to myself how Hamas would behave in a - reverse situation: Would they show mer cy to J ews? And 1 thought: 'Who are you trying to kid? Hamas and Fatah would - behave more humanely?' 1 couldn't de . fine who my enemy was anymore - True, the Shin Bet made horrible mis " takes and killed innocent people, but its main goal, like Israel's, was to preserve . the principles of a democratic country - There are 1.2 million Palestinians liv , ing inside Israel, within the Green Line who enjoy rights and benefit more from Israel's prosperity and welfare than in any Arab state. Still, those soldiers took my father away before my eyes and shot , people before my eyes, and believe me it was no smal1 thing for me to work for ." those people. lt was a real turnaround
Transcript of green prince 2
1986 the son relates in his book, SheikhYou;ef met in Hebron with Sheikh
-Ahmed Yassin, Mohammed Jamal al,Natshe Mohammed Musleh and others
and together planned the creation of the-new organization. Hamas officially an.1987nounced its existence in December
ln September 2000, when Ariel Sharonvisited the Temple Mount, Mosab Yousefwas naturally accompanying his fatherto meetings. On September 27, the nightbefore Sharon's visit, Sheikh Hassan metwith Marwan Barghouti, commander ofthe Tanzim militia in the West Bank, and
.leaders of other groupsYousef recalls: "1 drove them to the
meeting, and when we returned he toldme that they had agreed that the next
,day after Sharon's visit to the mountthey would foment demonstrations andin the end an intifada. Their plan was to
-stir up riots that would continue for two.three weeks
They planned the intifada, and don't"~~~
,"let anyone tel1 you anything differenthe continues. "[However,] the Hamasleadership in Hebron and Gaza did notwant to take part in the riots, because
]they said [palestinian leader YasserArafat did not deserve to be helped after
-he persecuted the organization so harshly. And the truth is that Hamas in Gazadid not take part in the demonstrationsat the start of the intifada. But my father
]."was in favor [of participatingyau mean by "planned"? DiddWhat
?Arajat ask them ta da it1 can't tel1 you for certain that he"
gave an order. But he did give themhis blessing. Listen, man, what do you
,think? Barghouti, Hussein al-Sheikh-all those who organized the demonstra.tions - they met with Arafat every day
So what did they talk about? But that isnot the worst thing 1 discovered at the
-time about Arafat. 1was the one who revealed that the first squad of the Al-Aqsa
Martyrs Brigade was actually a groupfrom Arafat's Presidential Guard, Force17, which got money from Barghouti,who got it from Arafat."
According to Yousef, it was he who ledthe Shin Bet to Force 17 man MuhanadAbu Halaweh. "Abu Halaweh sent moreand more people to perpetrate terror-ist attacks," he says. "He was a dubioustype who walked around with a heavymachine gun and opened fire at everyopportunity. The Shin Bet wanted to liq-uidate him and 1told Loai that 1agreed tothe mission, even if it meant he would bekilled. 1 felt there was no choice, becauseotherwise Muhanad would go on killinginnocent people.
"On August 4"2001; 1waited outside theoffice of Marwan Barghouti until 1 sawAbu Halaweh go inside. A few hours laterhe came out and got into his gold VWGolf.1informed the Shin Bet that he was in thecar, alone; it was important for them notto hurt Barghouti. The Israelis waited a
What were yaur gaals when yau agreedta warkjar them?
Yousef: "1 saw torture, killing, a warover land. For me, human life and savinghuman lives is the most important thing,more important than any piece of land orreal estate. 1wanted to save - and did save- human lives, Israeli and Palestinian. 1did not do it because the Shin Bet pres-sured me, or for money. 1 did it because1 understood what Hamas really is and 1had to make a change. For my sake andfor the sake of others. 1thought tQ myselfthat even if people claim 1 am a-traitor,let them say it. People will not believe it,
- ~
they will think 1did it for money, but theyhave no idea. 1was happy, delighted when1stopped a suicide bomber."
Hamas is bornlt's striking, throughout the interview,
that Yousef uses the first person pluralin talking about Shin Bet activity. lnCalifornia, he says, he has a T-shirt say-ing, "1 do secret work but 1 don't knowwhat it is - the Shin Bet." "1 also havean Israel Defense Forces T-shirt - olivecolored, with the symbol- which 1reallylove," he adds, laughing.
By 1999 he had penetrated the heart ofHamas in the West Bank and was accom-panying his father everywhere. As thebook reveals for the first time, SheikhYousef conceived the idea of establishingHamas in the West Bank a year beforethe organization's formal creation. ln
~i';~~~e.
Marwan Barghouti: "Even though the ShinBet hated him, they did not want to turnhim into a martyr:'
----~~------~~
-burned them, jabbed them with nee:."dles, put out cigarettes on them
,1997After his release from prison in,Yousef started to meet with Captain Loai
and says, "1had no plans to kill anyone orto be a spy, 1 was just curious." Alreadyin their second meeting, he relates, the
.Shin Bet man managed to surprise him1Yousef: "He explained to me that if
wanted to work for the Shin Bet, 1 had-to respect a few rules. 'You must not be-friend loose women or behave immoral
ly,' he told me. 'Do not sleep with womenor behave like a wise guy - especiallyyou, the son of a sheikh. You have to findwork and get along.' One time, CaptainLoai stopped the meeting and asked me if
.1had already recited the midday prayersSurprised, 1 said 1 hadn't. He then asked
,me to purify myself [by washing handsand pray, and then said weנface and feet.would continue
1lt was important for them that",would continue to be the person 1 was
for me not to change, to be serious. Theywanted respectable people, who wererespected in their society, not those witha poor reputation. 1 became even morecurious and wanted to learn more about'them. My handlers told me time andagain, 'You must respect your father andyour mother and not do anything bad to
-anyone.' They did not yet ask for infor1mation about anything or anyone, and
became more and more serious in regard-to them. My handlers, for their part, re
spected me and treated me very wel1.·and even helped me with my studies
1 was stunned by their behavior. Theydid not want to take action against the
-Palestinians as such, only against the extremists. 1 looked at these people, whom
,in the past 1 had so much wanted to killand discovered that everything 1 knew
.about them was incorrectlt was also in this period that Yousef
began to be drawn to Christianity andread the New Testament. "1 rememberencountering the sentence, 'Love your
-enemies.' That made me think: These en,emies of yours, the Shin Bet, the soldiers
are only trying to do their job. 1 thoughtto myself how Hamas would behave in a
-reverse situation: Would they show mercy to J ews? And 1 thought: 'Who are youtrying to kid? Hamas and Fatah would
-behave more humanely?' 1 couldn't de.fine who my enemy was anymore
-True, the Shin Bet made horrible mis"takes and killed innocent people, but itsmain goal, like Israel's, was to preserve
.the principles of a democratic country-There are 1.2 million Palestinians liv,ing inside Israel, within the Green Line
who enjoy rights and benefit more fromIsrael's prosperity and welfare than inany Arab state. Still, those soldiers tookmy father away before my eyes and shot
,people before my eyes, and believe meit was no smal1 thing for me to work for
."those people. lt was a real turnaround
