Jerusalem – Haaretz: American Hamas Founder’s Son Worked for Shin Bet For Years

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    'I wish I were in Gaza now' Yousef said by phone from California, 'I would put on an army uniform and join Israel's special forces in order to liberate Gilad Shalit.Jerusalem – The son of a leading Hamas figure, who famously converted to Christianity, served for over a decade as the Shin Bet security service’s most valuable source in the militant organization’s leadership, Haaretz has learned.

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    Mosab Hassan Yousef is the son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a Hamas founder and one of its leaders in the West Bank. The intelligence he supplied Israel led to the exposure of a number of terrorist cells, and to the prevention of dozens of suicide bombings and assassination attempts on Israeli figures.

    The exclusive story will appear in this Friday’s Haaretz Magazine, and Yousef’s memoir, “Son of Hamas” (written with Ron Brackin) will be released next week in the United States. Yousef, 32, became a devout Christian 10 years ago and now lives in California after fleeing the West Bank in 2007 and going public with his conversion.

    Yousef was considered the Shin Bet’s most reliable source in the Hamas leadership, earning himself the nickname “the Green Prince” – using the color of the Islamist group’s flag, and “prince” because of his pedigree as the son of one of the movement’s founders.

    During the second intifada, intelligence Yousef supplied led to the arrests of a number of high-ranking Palestinian figures responsible for planning deadly suicide bombings. These included Ibrahim Hamid (a Hamas military commander in the West Bank, Marwan Barghouti (founder of the Fatah-linked Tanzim militia) and Abdullah Barghouti (a Hamas bomb-maker with no close relation to the Fatah figure). Yousef was also responsible for thwarting Israel’s plan to assassinate his father.

    “I wish I were in Gaza now,” Yousef said by phone from California, “I would put on an army uniform and join Israel’s special forces in order to liberate Gilad Shalit. If I were there, I could help. We wasted so many years with investigations and arrests to capture the very terrorists that they now want to release in return for Shalit. That must not be done.”

    The story of Yousef’s spiritual transformation appeared in Haaretz Magazine in August 2008. Only now, however, is Yousef exposing the secret he kept since 1996, when he was first held by Shin Bet agents seeking to enlist him in infiltrating the upper echelon of Hamas.

    Their efforts proved successful, and Yousef was released from prison in 1997. His former handler, who no longer serves with the security service, says Yousef collaborated with Israel because he wanted to save lives.

    “So many people owe him their life and don’t even know it,” said the handler, named in Yousef’s book as Captain Loai. “People who did a lot less were awarded the Israel Security Prize. He certainly deserves it.”

    Loai makes no secret of his admiration for his former source. “The amazing thing is that none of his actions were done for money,” he says. “He did things he believed in. He wanted to save lives. His grasp of intelligence matters was just as good as ours – the ideas, the insights. One insight of his was worth 1,000 hours of thought by top experts.”

    Loai recalled one time when the Shin Bet received information that a suicide bomber was going to be picked up at Manara Square in Ramallah and be given an explosives belt.

    “We didn’t know his name or what he looked like – only that he was in his 20s and would be wearing a red shirt,” he said. “We sent the Green Prince to the square and with his acute sense, he located the target within minutes. He saw who picked him up, followed the car and made it possible for us to arrest the suicide bomber and the man who was supposed to give him the belt. So another attack was thwarted, though no one knows about it. No one opens Champagne bottles or bursts into song and dance. This was an almost daily thing for the Prince. He displayed courage, had sharp antennae and an ability to cope with danger. We knew he was one of those who in any situation – rain, snow, summer – give their all.”

    With his memoir, Yousef hopes to send a message of peace to Israelis. Still, he admits he is pessimistic over the prospect of Israel signing a peace agreement with the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority, let alone Hamas.

    “Hamas cannot make peace with the Israelis. That is against what their God tells them. It is impossible to make peace with infidels, only a cease-fire, and no one knows that better than I. The Hamas leadership is responsible for the killing of Palestinians, not Israelis,” he said. “Palestinians! They do not hesitate to massacre people in a mosque or to throw people from the 15th or 17th floor of a building, as they did during the coup in Gaza. The Israelis would never do such things. I tell you with certainty that the Israelis care about the Palestinians far more than the Hamas or Fatah leadership does.”


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    22 Comments
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    selective hearing
    selective hearing
    14 years ago

    Will the world HEAR him? Will they realize that the greatest threat to “palestinians” is their OWN leadership? I’m not holding my breath…

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Fact or fiction ?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    the descendants of haman are learning in bnei brak. A freilichin purim.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    sounds fishy — if he was for real he would not want anyone to know because now that they do know, he’s prime target for a bullet.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    He might as well paint a target on his back and go to gaza screaming that allah is crazy. He’s crazy

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    ‘moiradik’

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    this story is fascinating. but i agree with the others, this man is suicidal to publish this info.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Possibly ,calculated to minimize the fiasco in Dubai .

    sick n tired
    sick n tired
    14 years ago

    For all your doubters he was profiled by CNN or FOX a few years ago…it was amazingly interesting, google it I’m sure its easy to find

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Yes I saw it on fox news it was something grt its was like an hur

    jake
    jake
    14 years ago

    Thank you very much for saving countless innocent lives he should be commended for his bravery and is a leader by example he sounds like one of the chasidey umos halom I don’t know what his intentions are by going public but we should express are appreciation for him risking his life to save yiddin thank you and I have all the respect in the world for his servi
    ce to the state of israel

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    I’m sure he’s a great guy and all, but please please get new glasses

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    I saw it also on Fox. I believe I taped it. It was fascinating!! I believe they said they have a contract on him!!

    wow
    wow
    14 years ago

    This guy needs some kind of int’l witness protection. The world needs to hear this ad nauseum- till infinity just like holocaust survivors need to have their stories documented. Let this light dispel the darkness of apathy and ignorance.

    thinking
    thinking
    14 years ago

    he is going public now since he has a book to sell…he seemed to put in his time, so let him reap the financial rewards…better than the candian mossad guy from the 90’s…

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    He needs to go into the witness protection program.

    The Truth
    The Truth
    14 years ago

    He knows he is a wanted man. I am sure he has a full Israeli security team with him 24/7 wherever he goes!!!