After two days during which Hamas and Islamic Jihad fired more than 600 rockets at Israel, Hamas’s official TV channel warned that if Israel does not honor the current ceasefire understandings to the terror organization’s satisfaction, it will disrupt the Eurovision contest to be held next week in Israel.
After praising the performance of the joint war room of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Mu’min Meqdad, the “Hebrew Affairs Editor and Expert” for Hamas’s Al-Aqsa TV, warned that Hamas can disrupt Eurovision: Al-Aqsa TV “Hebrew Affairs Editor and Expert” Mu’min Meqdad: “There is no doubt that the resistance [Hamas] or the negotiator gave the occupation very little time to implement these understandings. I think that the coming days will be a test for the occupation. If the occupation evades [its responsibilities], I believe that the resistance [Hamas] can deprive the occupation the pleasure of a number of the coming opportunities, such as the European Song Contest. There is still room to maneuver in the coming days.” [Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), May 6, 2019] Later in the broadcast, the Al-Aqsa TV editor assured the viewers that Hamas “will have the last word”: Host: “Clearly, there is a decision regarding the siege that it needs to be eased or changed in a clear manner in which the civilians will feel it, because the situation here in Gaza is very difficult.” Mu’min Meqdad: “[Hamas] will monitor ... the implementation of the understandings. ... If the occupation changes its mind or evades these things, there is no doubt that the resistance will have the last word.”
Currently, the “understandings” between Israel and Hamas that ended the rocket fire have not been publicized, but the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations do not only expect a ceasefire from Israel, but also an easing of the blockade on the Gaza Strip, imposed by Israel to prevent smuggling of weapons to the terrorists. If the agreement is not implemented according to the understanding of the terrorist organizations, the implications of this interview are that Hamas always has the option of renewing rocket attacks any time before or during the Eurovision contest, which begins on May 14. The finals take place on May 18.
Eurovision is one of the most important annual European cultural events and is viewed on television by 180 million people. It is being held in Israel this year because Israeli Netta Barzilai won last year’s competition.
