Sami Abu Zuhri (سامي أبو زُهْري) is a senior spokesman for the Palestinian organization Hamas. Zuhri gained notoriety on May 19, 2006, before which time he was a relatively unknown member of Hamas, when Palestinian security and customs officials discovered he had 640,000 euros on his person; another report claimed he held a larger sum of 900,000 euros, and confiscated it, after Zuhri dropped a concealed money belt at a routine border crossing from Egypt to the Gaza Strip.[1][2] The news brought competing Hamas and Fatah paramilitary forces to the crossing checkpoint, which Zuhri refused to leave without the banknotes, which had been confiscated as contraband. Abu Zuhri told a reporter from the Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera that the money had been donated privately by individuals he met during a tour of Arab nations.
The European monitors, who took up the station when Israel pulled out of Gaza, are charged with checking for contraband, which sometimes includes weapons and food. Julio De La Guardia, a spokesman for the European Union contingent that monitors the passage, said travelers crossing through Rafah must declare all sums over $2,000.
Abu Zuhri stated his objection to the inclusion of what he referred to as the "so-called Holocaust" in the proposed UNRWA lesson plan for students in Gaza. He continued "we think it's more important to teach Palestinians the crimes of the Israeli occupation."[3]
When the suspected perpetrators of the 2014 kidnapping and murder of Israeli teenagers Marwan Qawasmahi and Amer Abu Aisha were killed by Israel after resisting arrest, he said "Hamas praises the role the martyrs played in chasing down Israeli settlers and we stress that their assassination will not weaken the resistance".[4]
In December 2014, Sami Abu Zuhri reportedly harassed a Gaza-based foreign female reporter and was being investigated by the Islamist group ruling the Gaza Strip.[5][6]
References edit
- ^ Ynet Archived 2006-11-18 at the Wayback Machine 19 May 2006 Hamas spokesman caught smuggling cash by Ali Waked
- ^ BBC Archived 2006-12-18 at the Wayback Machine 19 May 2006 President orders Hamas cash probe
- ^ Hadid, Diaa (August 31, 2009). "Hamas leader denies Nazi genocide of Jews". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on September 4, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
- ^ "Israel says its troops kill Hamas men accused of slaying teens". Reuters. September 23, 2014 – via www.reuters.com.
- ^ "Hamas spokesman said to have harassed female foreign reporter". The Times of Israel. 7 December 2014.
- ^ "Hamas spokesman accused of sexual harassment". i24news. 7 December 2014.
External links edit
- Washington Post[dead link] 14 September 2008 Abbas aims to stay in office to 2010 despite Hamas Reuters article
- Daily Telegraph Israeli minister vows Palestinian "holocaust" By Tim Butcher
- Reuters 15 May 2008 Bush hails Israel's "chosen people" as Arabs lament
- Hamas spokesman Abu Zuhri quoted Archived 2007-08-16 at archive.today 28 June 2004
- Zuhri Interview with Sami Abu Zuhri[permanent dead link], 30 September 2005
- CNN News, Hamas official caught at border with more than $1 million 19 May 2006
- ABC News: "Hamas Official Caught Smuggling $817,000"
- IMEMC Abu Zuhri calls on Abbas to declare the failure of peace talks 26 April 2008
- Ha'aretz 20 April 2008 Report: Hamas rejects Egyptian plan for truce with Israel
- JpostHizbullah's terror chief killed in Damascus bombing By Yaakov Katz
- Washington Post 5 August 2008 Gazans' Access To Care Faulted Israeli Interrogation Criticized in Report By Linda Gradstein