An official statement from the Hamas terrorist organization and comments from a former Hamas leader—both calling for global mobilization against Israel this Friday, Oct. 13—are raising alarm at Jewish organizations and among those who monitor the Middle East.
“The real threat here is that there is no way of knowing who, if anyone, will take up the call or if there are pre-planned actions already staged elsewhere in the world just waiting for the greenlight,” according to James Carafano, a fellow at the Heritage Foundation and senior counselor to its president.
Carafano cited the Biden administration’s “open door” immigration policies and said that the U.S. president has “thrown virtually every post 9/11 caution to the wind.”
“Given that preparations and attention for dealing with global terrorism in the West have lapsed in recent years, who knows if anyone has been paying attention to this threat?” Carafano told JNS.
On Oct. 10, Hamas called for an “Al-Aqsa Flood Friday” on Oct. 13, according to a translation from the Middle East Media Research Institute. In the statement, the terror organization sought reinforcements from “our Palestinian people, the masses of the Arab and Islamic world, and free people worldwide” in its “declaration of mobilization.”
Also on Oct. 10, the Qatar-based Khaled Mashal, who led Hamas from 2014-2017, called for Muslims to “take to the streets” on Friday in a global protest against Israel. “To all scholars who teach jihad,” he said, “to all who teach and learn, this is a moment for the application [of jihad].”
“It is an unambiguous global call to arms,” Robert Greenway, director of the Center for National Defense at the Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Signal. “It will be heeded. There will be blood.”
Melissa Lantsman, the deputy Canadian opposition leader, stated that the “dangerous and hateful rhetoric from Hamas terrorists inciting violence this Friday around the world must be taken seriously.”
“They have already inspired large protests in support of their evil acts. All levels of government must ensure adequate security and protective measures are in place for Jewish schools, synagogues and community centers across the country,” she said.
The UJA Federation of Greater Toronto said that it was monitoring the situation, but there was no known specific threat.
