With the result of the Brexit referendum looming ahead, the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas have put their two cents into the debate.
Or so it may seem, as a mock video of a masked Palestinian Hamas militant urging the UK to remain in the EU makes its rounds on the Internet.
In the video, a Hamas official supposedly voices opposition to Brexit. “If you truly hate Isra-hell and the Jews and want to support our struggle, help Britain stay in the EU,” he says.
He goes on to laud a recent EU decision to label goods made in Israeli settlements.
The speech concludes by sending “a special shout-out to our good friend Jeremy Corbyn” — the British Labour Party leader who received criticism over his reference to Hamas and Hezbollah as “our friends.”
“We look forward to taking you up on your kind offer to have tea on the terrace at the houses of Parliament,” the Hamas official adds.
The original video was taken from a Hamas press conference in which the group threatens to attack Israel at the outset of the 2014 conflict in the Gaza Strip, and has been dubbed over in a North London accent.
The subtitled parody was released by Regavim, a right-wing Israeli NGO that supports Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Settlements are widely considered illegal under international law, and a barrier to peace.
The video is part of Regavim’s “Support Israel- Leave Europe” campaign, that hopes to encourage British expats in Israel to vote for Brexit.
Regavim has long been critical of the EU, which is one of several international bodies who regularly donate funds and materials to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Many recipeints of the funds do not receive basic services from the Israeli government, despite living under their jurisdiction.
The results of the referendum will be announced early Friday morning.
AM
