Israel Matzav

'Kinder, gentler' Hamas hires female spokesperson who wants to live in Britain

Hamas has hired Egyptian-born 23-year old Isra Almodallal to be its spokesperson. Almodallal spent five years living in Britain - to which she would eventually like to return - and speaks fluent English.

She is not a member of the Islamist group. She wears a traditional headscarf along with a touch of makeup, listens to non-Islamic music and will on occasion shake hands with members of the opposite sex, behaviour usually frowned on by Hamas.

Modallal, who was born in Egypt but has Palestinian nationality and lives in Rafah refugee camp in southern Gaza, took up her post earlier this month.

She said she planned eventually to return to Britain, where she lived for three years in the northern city of Bradford with her brother, a British national.

"It is a period of my life ... then I am going to complete my (law) study ... in Bradford or Scotland or London University," Modallal told Reuters.

...

Modallal said however she would not take calls from Israeli journalists.

That's not all she won't do. 

She will not discuss Hamas suicide bombings and other attacks, which have killed hundreds of Israelis over the years. Nor will she be handling the sensitive reconciliation attempts with the rival Palestinian government in the West Bank. Spokesmen for the Hamas movement, as opposed to the Gaza government, deal with those subjects.

"I am not Hamas. I am a Palestinian activist who loves her country," Almodallal said.

When asked her opinion on Hamas' history of suicide bombings against Israelis, she did not answer directly but said Israel's unfair media coverage had given Hamas a bad reputation.

"This is because of the Israeli media, which is a smart media. They change the truth and show the opposite picture of Palestine and the Palestinians," she said.

If only it was.

Almodallal is not a Hamas loyalist and says that she would be equally willing to work for the Fatah terror organization. She is 23-years old and the divorced mother of a 4-year old daughter.

I hope she returns permanently to Britain soon.

Labels: Gaza, Hamas, Islamic treatment of women

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:06 PM