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Fact check: Israeli government funding for hamas over the PLO, the reasoning behind it, and whether trying to prevent Palestinian statehood is a reasonable security justification.

Checked on January 17, 2025

1. Summary of the results

The evidence strongly indicates that the Israeli government did provide strategic support to Hamas, with multiple high-level confirmations:

  • Multiple Israeli officials, including Brigadier General Yitzhak Segev and former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, have acknowledged providing direct support to Hamas [1]
  • Netanyahu explicitly stated at a 2019 Likud party conference that "Anyone who wants to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state has to support bolstering Hamas and transferring money to Hamas" [1]
  • The support included direct financial assistance to Ahmed Yassin's network and licensing of his organizations [1]
  • More recently, Netanyahu's government actively encouraged and facilitated Qatari payments to Hamas [2]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements need to be considered:

  • The PLO and Hamas represent fundamentally different approaches - while the PLO showed pragmatic tendencies, Hamas is characterized as a jihadist organization unlikely to change its core ideology [3]
  • The support for Hamas was part of a broader strategy that included:
    • Keeping Hamas focused on governance rather than fighting [2]
    • Maintaining what Israeli leadership viewed as "peace in Gaza" through Qatari payments [2]

  • This strategy has been publicly acknowledged by international leaders, with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stating that Israel had financed Hamas specifically to weaken the Palestinian Authority [1]
  • 3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

    The question of whether preventing Palestinian statehood is a "reasonable security justification" requires examining who benefits from different narratives:

    • The Israeli government's strategy was a "calculated political gamble" that ultimately failed, as demonstrated by the October 7th attacks [2]
    • The policy benefited specific political interests:
      • Netanyahu's government used it to maintain political control and prevent Palestinian statehood [1]
      • Hamas benefited through direct financial support and legitimacy [1]

    • The strategy involved multiple mechanisms beyond direct funding:
      • Issuing work permits that kept money flowing
      • Facilitating Qatari transfers
      • Providing institutional support through licensing [1]

    It's crucial to note that this wasn't just a security strategy but a political one with significant consequences for both Israeli and Palestinian civilians.

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