Former Hamas Member Says the Land of Israel Belongs to the Jews

Iehab Omar, a former Hamas member from Bethlehem, says a years-long personal transformation led him to reject the ideology he was raised on and publicly acknowledge Jewish historical claims to the land. In an exclusive interview with Srugim, he says Arabs are guests in the Jews’ country, Israel, and describes that view as history, not invention.

Omar says he once fit the stereotype of a terrorist indoctrinated with hatred of Jews, dreaming of martyrdom and killing Israelis. He says he served four years in prison for those actions. According to him, prison and university triggered a process of questioning, reading and opening his mind, and after 13 years of internal change he became, in his words, completely transformed.

During the interview, Omar says, “I admit that I am an occupier. Archaeology and the findings prove that this land is the land of the Jews, not the Arabs.” He also argues that the hatred of Jews and political Islam make his society ignorant, and says Israel is a beacon of justice, democracy and progress that others should learn from.

Omar says the change came at a personal cost. He says he fled to Germany because he understood he would not be allowed to live safely in Bethlehem, where his family and former Hamas associates now see him as a traitor and apostate and are waiting to kill him if he returns. He says Germany has rejected his asylum request and wants to deport him back to the West Bank, where he believes he would likely face certain death. He ends by appealing to Israel and its leaders for help, saying, “I long for a humane state that looks at me with a humane perspective.”