Terrorism Denial – Why Hamas Attempts to Deny

Due to the 7/10 terror attack by Palestinian and Hamas terrorists on the people of Israel, I ask to introduce a new term – Terrorism Denial. I believe that understanding this term will help in the global effort against terrorism and extremism.

What is “Terrorism Denial?”

Terrorism Denial is the act of denying, actively, passively, directly, or indirectly, terrorism. Just like Holocaust Denial, it comes in various shapes and manners but, generally, the terrorists or their sympathizers, deny terrorist actions, downgrade them or whitewash them. If Holocaust Denial is the attempt to deny, negate, distort facts about the Nazi Genocide – the Holocaust, then Terrorism Denial is the attempt to deny, negate, distort facts about a terrorism act. Terrorism denial is being done now, after the horrible 7/10 terrorist attack by Palestinian and Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip and elsewhere on the people of Israel. During the 7/10 terrorist attack, Palestinian and Hamas terrorists have murdered thousands of Israelis, mainly Jews, and foreign visitors, they have injured even more, and they have mutilated bodies, from all genders and ages and raped many of them. There are hundreds of hostages held by these Palestinian and Hamas terrorists.

Palestinian and Hamas terrorists and their sympathizers in the Gaza Strip, in many Middle Eastern countries and Iran and in many American and European states and cities, are actively attempting to whitewash and explain this horrible terrorism act, as if to find sense and logic in this attack. Of course, the 7/10 terrorism attack has no other sense but the request of Palestinian and Hamas terrorists to murder and rape Jews, and to open a large-scale war on Jews and on the state of Israel under the pressure of global and regional powers like Russia and Iran. No other explanation is feasible.

After the attack, and after the footage of the violence and murders was spread to all using social media like WhatsApp, Facebook livestreams from devices of victims, Telegram channels, Twitter and so on, Hamas denied it has murdered, mutilated, beheaded and raped civilians and soldiers. Hamas leaders understood that such brutalities portray them for what they really are, and this harms their global support. Now, not only that some members of the Hamas terrorist organization, Iran’s government, and others are denying the actions, more are following. For instance, the internet “influencers” Simi and Haze which usually model and present beauty brands have published posts which deny the accusations made on Hamas. Simi and Haze have 1.7 million followers. In the disinformation channel of “Global Resistance News” on Telegram, it was claimed that Israel is in charge of the terror attack, as well as other previous terror attacks and wars, not Hamas, Islamists and anti-Western powers.

Further, terrorism denial can be divided, like Holocaust denial, into hard denial and soft denial. In hard terrorism denial, terrorists and their sympathizers deny the whole atrocity, claiming it was all fabricated and manipulated by the victims which in this case are mainly Jewish. In soft terrorism denial, terrorists and their sympathizers do acknowledge the attack but claim that the most horrific acts were fabricated by the victims or by a third party which in this case are Jews and the West. For instance, Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the suffering of “both sides” on the West and on the United States. Now, for instance, Hamas and extreme Palestinians claim they had not murdered civilians, not raped women and young girls, and not beheaded people. Sadly, they have done all of these and more.

Why does Hamas and extreme Palestinians in general wish to deny, negate, distort facts and footages from the 7/10 terrorism attack?

First, they wish to whitewash their murderous actions and hide away evidence that show their true nature – the nature of murderers, in order to get or keep their support from the global radical left. Second, they wish to propose a claim that Israel faked these atrocities in order to gain public support and to downgrade Hamas and the Palestinians. The latter resembles classical antisemitic ideas which blame Jews for manipulating public opinion through the media, the accusations by the “Global Resistance News” disinformation channel, which were mentioned above, also follow this antisemitic narrative. Many radical leftists and radical Islamists worldwide also follow this antisemitic narrative, just as they have done in the case of the 9/11 terror attack or the 7/7 terror attack, blaming Jews, Israel and of course, the Mossad.

Lastly, the term “Terrorism Denial” is not common, and I ask my fellow policy researchers, academic researchers, and reporters to use it in order to describe the whitewashing attempt by Hamas and other radical Palestinian organizations and their sympathizers.