MK from Ra'am Yasser Hujirat: "Hamas is a charity organization"

MK Yasser Hujirat (Ra'am) sparked controversy in an interview with I24 when he refrained from defining Hamas as a terrorist organization and claimed that it is partly a charity organization. The Likud party harshly criticized him and warned against forming a government with the Arab parties. The remarks come three years after the October 7 massacre.

MK Yasser Hujirat from the Ra'am party sparked controversy in an interview with I24 when he was explicitly asked whether he defines Hamas as a terrorist organization and avoided giving a direct answer. Instead, he claimed that Hamas is partly a "charity organization" and partly seeks recognition and statehood, even questioning the difference when there are casualties. The Likud party harshly attacked: "A member of the Ra'am party, the partner of Eisenkot, Lieberman, and Bennett, says Hamas is a charity organization." The party emphasized that the upcoming elections are a choice "between right and Palestine" and warned against forming a government with the Arab parties. The remarks come three years after the October 7 massacre. A C14 check of Ra'am and the Joint List accounts found no memorial posts for the victims. MK Yoav Segalovich, who joined Ra'am, did not publish a response. The Joint List chose to focus on Gaza and called to stop the "genocide."