Yunis Al Astal

Yunis Al Astal
Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council
Constituency	Khan Yunis
Personal details
Born	1956
Nationality	Palestinian
Political party	Hamas
Occupation	Preacher
Military service
Allegiance	Al-Qassam Brigades

Yunis Al Astal (Arabic: يونس الأسطل; born 1956) is a preacher and Hamas member of the Palestinian Legislative Council for the area of Khan Yunis.[1][2] He writes on topics such as Islamic law (fiqh), sociology and politics.

Allegiance

In 2006, he was identified as a member of the Al-Qassam Brigades by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.[2]

Controversial comments

On the occasion of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Jordan and Israel, he stated that Arab governments welcoming the Pope harmed the Prophet Mohammed more than the pontiff's allegedly controversial remarks about the founder of Islam.[3]

In 2009, Al Astal came under controversy for denying the Holocaust, criticizing the UN Reliefs and Works Agency for planning to teach about the genocide in Gaza's school curriculum. Al Astal said that adding the Holocaust would amount to"marketing a lie and spreading it..." and claimed teaching the subject to Palestinian children was a "war crime, because of how it serves the Zionist colonizers and deals with their hypocrisy and lies..."[4][5]

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) translated his sermon and posted the video for paid subscribers on the Internet.[6]

In an interview with Al-Aqsa TV on May 11, 2011 which was translated by MEMRI TV he said:

"The [Jews] are brought in droves to Palestine so that the Palestinians – and the Islamic nation behind them – will have the honor of annihilating the evil of this gang."

"…All the predators, all the birds of prey, all the dangerous reptiles and insects, and all the lethal bacteria are far less dangerous than the Jews."[7]

"…In just a few years, all the Zionists and the settlers will realize that their arrival in Palestine was for the purpose of the great massacre, by means of which Allah wants to relieve humanity of their evil."

"…When Palestine is liberated and its people return to it, and the entire region, with the grace of Allah, will have turned into the United States of Islam, the land of Palestine will become the capital of the Islamic Caliphate, and all these countries will turn into states within the Caliphate."[8]

Banned from the UK

He was named on the list of individuals banned from entering the United Kingdom for "... engaging in unacceptable behaviour by seeking to foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence in furtherance of particular beliefs and to provoke others to terrorist acts".[9]

References

1. Rouse, Beverley (5 May 2009). "Named and shamed: the 16 barred from UK". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
2. Jeroen Gunning; p179; Hamas in Politics: Democracy, Religion, Violence; Columbia University Press, 2008; ISBN 0-231-70044-X
3. "Hamas lawmaker: Arabs welcoming Pope harm Prophet Mohammed | TopNews". topnews.in. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
4. "Hamas leader denies Nazi genocide of Jews". NBC News. 2009-08-31. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
5. "Hamas spiritual leader rejects teaching kids about Holocaust". The Denver Post. 2009-08-31. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
6. "MEMRI TV". MEMRI. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
7. "More Than 100 Members of This Gaza Clan Have Been Killed in War". nytimes.
8. "YouTube". www.youtube.com.
9. "Home Office name hate promoters excluded from the UK". Press Release. UK Home Office. 5 May 2009. Archived from the original on 8 May 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2009.