Musab Hassan Yousef, the American pro-Israel activist known as the “Son of Hamas,” criticized U.S. pressure on Israel and said President Donald Trump “does not understand war” during a speech today at the JNS International Policy Conference. He argued that Trump forced Israel to follow Washington’s timetable, rushed the campaign, and cut off an opportunity when Israel had a major advantage.
Yousef said the operation he referred to as “With the Lion” was not “100% an Israeli plan” and that Israel had simply gone along with events. In his view, the campaign should have been carried through to its objectives a year earlier, and later stopped six months before, when “the whole world and our allies were on our side.” He said that by halting then, Israel lost its edge.
Speaking about Trump, Yousef stressed that he was talking only for himself and did not represent any organization. He said he had opposed Trump’s involvement in the war from the beginning, calling it a disadvantage. “He forced Israel to act according to his schedule,” Yousef said, adding that Trump wanted to end the fighting too quickly and accelerated the process “when we were not ready.”
Yousef, who is the son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef Khalil, one of Hamas’ leaders in Judea and Samaria, defected and served as a Shin Bet informant from 1999 to 2007 under the codename “The Green Prince.” He is now a writer and public advocate in the United States, and his nickname “Son of Hamas” comes from his book. He also said war cannot be approached with a five-week deadline, and that victory is not the only possible outcome, since defeat and death must also be considered.
