Hamas denies Clinton remark that ISIS visited Gaza
Spokesperson for Islamist group said that Clinton’s remarks were a sign of "complete bias in favor of the Zionist occupation."
By KHALED ABU TOAMEHA Palestinian woman covering her face with her national flag takes part in an anti-Israel rally in Gaza City(photo credit: AFP PHOTO)
Hamas on Monday condemned Hilary Clinton, the front-runner for the nomination of the Democratic Party, for saying that an Islamic State (ISIS) commander had visited the Gaza Strip.“This talk is untrue,” said Hamas representative Ismail Radwan. “We reject these hostile remarks.”In a speech at the Saban Forum, an annual gathering at the Brookings Institution in Washington, Clinton said, “Israel is no stranger to terrorism. Today Israel faces growing threats in its own neighborhood. An ISIS affiliate across the border in Sinai is becoming more aggressive and sophisticated. It is responsible for the destruction of a Russian airliner. And Israeli media reported last week that an ISIS commander from the Sinai visited the Gaza Strip, raising the stakes even higher.”Radwan said that Clinton’s remarks were a sign of “complete bias in favor of the Zionist occupation and an attempt to cause confusion, appease the occupation and win the votes of American Jews” in the next US presidential election.The Hamas leader warned Clinton and other US politicians not to involve the Palestinian issue in the election campaign. “These remarks constitute a deviation from values and morals and a cover-up for all Zionist crimes against our people,” he added.Clinton was referring to a report on Israel’s Channel 2 from last week that claimed that Shadi al-Menei, the commander of ISIS in the Sinai, had met with Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip. The report said that the two sides discussed ways that the terrorist groups could increase cooperation and coordinate attacks. Hamas has denied the report.