Hassan-Nahoum to Newsmax: Gaza Is Not an 'Open-Air Prison'

Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum refutes claims that Gaza is an open-air prison, highlighting the region's access to recreational facilities and its border with Egypt in an interview with Newsmax.

Hassan-Nahoum told Newsmax on Tuesday that the notion of Gaza being an open-air prison is fundamentally false. "I've never seen an open-air prison with country clubs and beach clubs, and that's exactly what existed in Gaza," she asserted. "I've never seen a prison with three walls. They have a border with Egypt."

Her statement comes amidst growing international scrutiny of Israel's policies in Gaza. Recently, over 500 Democratic Party staffers and alums of President Joe Biden's 2020 campaign signed an open letter urging the Biden administration to do more to protect Palestinians and hold Israel accountable.

The letter, reported by The Guardian, stated, "While Israelis had to spend nights hiding in bomb shelters, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip had nowhere to hide. It is critical to acknowledge this power imbalance – that Israel's highly advanced military occupies the West Bank and East Jerusalem and blockades the Gaza Strip, creating an uninhabitable open-air prison."

Hassan-Nahoum pointed out on "Rob Schmitt Tonight" that Israel had facilitated trade and issued more work permits to Gaza than Egypt. "It was Israel that used to do more trade with Gaza and gave more work permits than Egypt. It had a hermetic border with them. So, first of all, that's a falsity, right? It was never a prison."

She emphasized Israel's strategic presence along the Gaza border, noting the always looming threat posed by the radical Islamic Muslim Brotherhood.

"Israel remained on the border because we knew there was a radical Islamic Muslim Brotherhood organization on the other side. And look what happened. We took our eyes off the ball for five hours, and look what happened."

Referring to the Oct. 7 attack, she remarked, "It was a massacre. They've got hostages there, including one, two, and three-year-old babies. It is radicalism because these people are not rational. What they've done is not rational."

Hassan-Nahoum expanded on the broader implications of radicalism in the region, attributing the escalation to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

"It's not just our problem, that's the thing, and it's all coming from one place. And this is what the world has to understand. The Islamic Republic of Iran is today the Hitler of the 1930s. So, the question is, does the world stop them? Because Israel can't do this on its own against Iran. Does the world stop the Hitler of today, or do we let it continue getting stronger, finding more proxies?"

"They've got Hezbollah, they've got Hamas, they've got the Houthis attacking American servicemen and women. They've got enclaves in Iraq. What does the world do to stop this regional and then global hegemony of the Islamic Republic of Iran that wants the world to go back 500 years?" she asked rhetorically.

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