It's a comparison that Hamas's leadership can't stand, but Jewish-American rapper Ari Lesser has released a new single comparing Hamas - the Islamist terrorist organization which rules the Gaza Strip - to Al Qaeda, the Taliban and other jihadi groups.
The song, which is simply entitled "Hamas," focuses significantly on the group's cynical use of human shields in Gaza, with the chorus implicitly questioning western support for a fundamentalist organization whose actions in any other context would be condemned as inhumane.
"So you want to criticize Israel that’s cool / But if you support Hamas, you’re a fool / Unless you want radical Islamic rule / And stockpiles of rockets at your kids school / Remember they send their own people out strapped / With suicide bombs blowing up in their lap / You think they seek peace, that’s a bunch of crap / They just want to wipe Israel off the map
The song also includes the words:
"Let me start off slow so you don’t get lost / Palestinians are not the same as Hamas / Though they may live in the same location / Hamas is a terrorist organization.
"They may call themselves freedom fighters / But they’re just like the Taliban and Al-Qaeda / Using lethal force on Arabs, Jews / And anyone else who disagrees with their views
Continuing with the theme of Hamas's mistreatment of the civilians under its control the song's video features infamous photos of Hamas's public execution of dozens of rivals in Gaza during the recent war with Israel:
"Israel uses weapons when it’s people are threatened \ But Hamas uses people to protect their weapons / If I was from Gaza I would be pissed / But to be honest I wouldn’t resist / Cause Hamas’s rivals all wind up dead / Tortured before they get shot in the head."