Following are excerpts from an interview on the flotilla clash with Egyptian cleric Salem Abu Al-Futouh, which aired on Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV on May 31, 2010:
Salem Abu Al-Futouh: "I salute those mujahideen, who met their death in support of the Palestinian people. I wish that I could have been among them. I wish I were among their martyrs today. [...]
"This foundling entity, which was planted in the midst of the Islamic nation, came into being with the blessing of England and France, as well as Russia, which was the first country to recognize that foundling entity. The United Nations also [gave its blessing]. Israel could not have come into being without the aid coming from Europe, and especially from the U.S. – economic aid, weapons, and so on.
"This foundling entity was planted here in order to humiliate the Islamic nation. Therefore, Muslims all over the world must return to the Koran, in order to learn the true nature of this foundling entity. [The Jews] conspired against the prophets, slayed them, and mutilated their bodies. They even sawed one prophet into two.
"Those prophet slayers do not hesitate to kill women and children, as the whole world could see on the TV screens. Cruelty nestles in these people’s hearts. Allah ripped all mercy, pity, and compassion from their hearts, so they have compassion for no one. [...]
"Those Zionists, who were defeated in Lebanon and in Gaza, wanted to send a message to the Islamic peoples that they want to fight only the weak. If they encountered strong and steadfast mujahideen...
"Our response does not even match that of a fly or even an ant. Not even an ant! [The Koran reads]: 'An ant said...' When an ant senses danger, it begins to talk. Our response does not match that of an ant or a fly. There are four million Jews in occupied Palestine. If the one billion Muslims in the rest of the world merely buzzed like flies, the strength of the Jews would be sapped, and they would flee from occupied Palestine. If we were like mosquitoes and gave every Jew just one mosquito bite, they would be weakened. [...]
"We must lift the siege from Gaza, even if it means shedding our blood in Sinai and in Palestine. We must make sacrifices. We must do something. We should not make do with clucking our tongues or crying like women.
"We are a nation created by Allah for greatness. We are a nation created by Allah for death, not for life. We are a nation that used to humiliate those [Jews], but today, we are the ones living in humiliation and weakness. [...]"
