Nationally syndicated talk show host Rusty Humphries conducted an exclusive interview in the West Bank's Balata refugee camp this week with seven gun-toting leaders of the terror group Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
Klein and the popular radio host were escorted with a translator into the refugee camp by Ala Sanakreh, the Al Aqsa leader in the area. They met and had tea in a private apartment with six other Al Aqsa leaders, including senior Al Aqsa leader Abu Aziz, who the day before took credit for planting a roadside bomb that injured an Israeli soldier this week. Sanakreh is wanted by Israel for orchestrating suicide bombings and coordinating attacks with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia.
Following are excerpts from Humphries' conversation with the terrorists, which covered everything from the 72 virgins terrorists say await suicide bombers in heaven to the Al Aqsa leaders' belief Monica Lewinsky was an undercover Israeli agent.
Allah selects suicide bombers
Humphries: Do you not believe it would help matters by not using suicide bombs? I think that's one thing that is very frightening to the world and, by stopping, could that bring more peace to the world?
Aziz: We wanted to stop our suicide attacks. Actually we declared a cease fire but the Israelis don't help us maintain our cease fire. They are daily killing Palestinians and daily coming into our cities and villages. The last time was a few hours ago when they came into our camp and we went against them, four hours of clashes and blood. They came to our camps. We did not go to their camps.
Humphries: Why did they come here?
Aziz: They came because they still want to persecute the wanted members of the organizations.
Humphries: What would you expect them to do, just leave you alone and move on?
Aziz: As a part of the cease fire we are supposed to be free to move freely in our cities and villages. This was the condition of the cease fire, but unfortunately the Israelis are still persecuting us and are still coming to our houses and villages. Let me ask you a question, if I came to you with my gun towards you making danger how would you react?
(Aziz points his gun toward Humphries)
Humphries: I would try to defend myself.
Aziz: That is what we are doing. We are trying to defend ourselves.
Humphries: How do you choose to send someone on a so-called martyr mission? Is that what you call the mission? How do you get somebody to do that?
Aziz: We are all martyrs in potential. It is not us that choose who the guy is who goes on a suicide attack, he is a martyr and he is chosen by God. The name martyr in Arabic is Shaheed, which is one of the 99 names of God and God chooses this guy to be a martyr. And being a martyr is part of our fight, of our activities.
'Old and New Testaments were falsified'
Humphries: I think one of the big things Christians are concerned about is when Muslims take over the Holy sites they don't let anyone visit. Do you think that is okay? For example, I can't go to the Temple Mount and pray.
Aziz: Israelis don't allow us to pray in their synagogues. Everyone has their religion and faith.
Humphries: But the difference is while I don't necessarily need to go and pray in a mosque, there are certain religious sites that I would like to go to, but I am not allowed. I am not allowed to go to where Jesus was baptized on the Jordan River for example.
Aziz: Here in the middle of the camp we have a church, a daily Christian camp to pray and no one aggressed them and in Bethlehem the Christians have full liberty of cults and faith. On Christmas day Muslims participate with the Christians and the holy day activities that they make.
Humphries: I have studied history and the Temple Mount ... was that not built by King Herod for the Jews?
Unnamed Terrorist #1: In what period of history?
Humphries: You had the first temple built by King Solomon, the second temple built by King Herod ...
Unnamed Terrorist #1: We would rather not enter into this religious debate because we can't hurt one's religion. Some Jews say that they were promised by God to have the state of Israel - this is nonsense, and God never promised them. They falsified history.
Humphries: So the Bible is not correct then?
Unnamed Terrorist #1: I have historical proof the Bible and the New Testament were falsified.
Humphries: I was in the City of David yesterday and went down to the water and the tunnels but does that not prove that King David existed?
Unnamed Terrorist #1: I do not know the answer, I do not know the answer.
Monica Lewinsky an Israeli agent? AIDS/homosexuality killed Arafat?
Humphries: I have heard this rumor: Jews sent Monica Lewinsky to Bill Clinton so they could run the country? True or false?
Sanakreh: Of course.
Humphries: That is true?
Sanakreh: Yes. Okay.
Humphries: Did Jews send the planes to the World Trade Center to start that war against Muslims in America?
Unnamed Terrorist #2: 5,000 Israelis that were in the World Trade Center were evacuated.
Humphries: Okay, so the answer to that is yes?
Unnamed Terrorist #2: Yes, and we heard that the Israelis told the U.S. that something will take place in a few hours the day of the attacks.
Humphries: Yasser Arafat died because of poisoning or natural causes?
Sanakreh: The president died of poison.
Humphries: Now I have heard that it is possible, it's one of those things that people said, that he died of homosexuality and AIDS.
Sanakreh: This is not true! If someone says this we will cut his head!
Humphries: I am not saying, I am just asking.
72 virgins for suicide bombers? Prove it!
Humphries: So do you believe honestly that somebody that dies in a martyr operation will get 72 virgins?
Sanakreh: Of course we believe that. It's mentioned in the Koran.
Humphries: Look it up for me, because the Muslims in America say it is not true.
Sanakreh: Of course it is true! It is mentioned in the Koran. In your religion you have the book.
Humphries: I just want you to tell me chapter and verse where it is. And also many moderate Muslims, they call them moderate in America, believe that Islam is a religion of peace and that there should be no violence.
Sanakreh: There is not violence. This is Jihad for God. I don't bring a soldier and slaughter him.
Humphries: In America, the moderates say this - that Jihad is a battle against Satan, against the devil, it's a personal thing not a military thing.
Unnamed Terrorist #1: Yes this is right, but also in Koran it says, "Aggress those who aggress you, use violence against those who use violence against you."
Humphries: How does it stop? We have you guys saying Israel is the aggressor, they say we are trying to stop and defend ourselves, you are saying you are trying to defend yourselves ... How do we just say, dammit, stop? Hey! Has anybody found the chapter and verse of the 72 virgins yet?
(Mumbling amongst the terrorists, but still no answer)
(After about two minutes)
Aziz: The Koran says, "Fight those who fight against you, and never be the one who aggresses."
Humphries: What verse is that?
Aziz: Verse 1-8-9
Humphries: Ok, but still no virgins. Still looking for the 72 virgin thing?
(After about five minutes of conversation, a terrorist says he has found the Koranic verse)
Humphries: Okay, we have 72 virgins in the Koran, let's pull it out. Okay, we found the 72 virgins thing.
Aziz: Okay, this is Al Amran verse 1-6-8, which says that those who get killed in favor of God are not considered dead people [but are] alive people between God's hands.
Humphries: Where is 72 virgins?
Aziz: The virgins are mentioned in the Koran but the experts [who] interpret it considered 72 virgins. Virgins are mentioned in the Koran but not the number of 72.
Unnamed Terrorist #1: Do you believe in the next world?
Humphries: Yes, I am a Christian.
Unnamed Terrorist #1: Everything we do is because we know one day we will be in front of God and he will be asking us the same as your boss will be asking you - "How is your job, how is he doing?" God will ask us what we did on earth. Did we make a good thing, a bad thing. If we do a good thing he will give us what we deserve, if we do the bad things he will punish us. We make what God asks.
Klein and the popular radio host were escorted with a translator into the refugee camp by Ala Sanakreh, the Al Aqsa leader in the area. They met and had tea in a private apartment with six other Al Aqsa leaders, including senior Al Aqsa leader Abu Aziz, who the day before took credit for planting a roadside bomb that injured an Israeli soldier this week. Sanakreh is wanted by Israel for orchestrating suicide bombings and coordinating attacks with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia.
Following are excerpts from Humphries' conversation with the terrorists, which covered everything from the 72 virgins terrorists say await suicide bombers in heaven to the Al Aqsa leaders' belief Monica Lewinsky was an undercover Israeli agent.
Allah selects suicide bombers
Humphries: Do you not believe it would help matters by not using suicide bombs? I think that's one thing that is very frightening to the world and, by stopping, could that bring more peace to the world?
Aziz: We wanted to stop our suicide attacks. Actually we declared a cease fire but the Israelis don't help us maintain our cease fire. They are daily killing Palestinians and daily coming into our cities and villages. The last time was a few hours ago when they came into our camp and we went against them, four hours of clashes and blood. They came to our camps. We did not go to their camps.
Humphries: Why did they come here?
Aziz: They came because they still want to persecute the wanted members of the organizations.
Humphries: What would you expect them to do, just leave you alone and move on?
Aziz: As a part of the cease fire we are supposed to be free to move freely in our cities and villages. This was the condition of the cease fire, but unfortunately the Israelis are still persecuting us and are still coming to our houses and villages. Let me ask you a question, if I came to you with my gun towards you making danger how would you react?
(Aziz points his gun toward Humphries)
Humphries: I would try to defend myself.
Aziz: That is what we are doing. We are trying to defend ourselves.
Humphries: How do you choose to send someone on a so-called martyr mission? Is that what you call the mission? How do you get somebody to do that?
Aziz: We are all martyrs in potential. It is not us that choose who the guy is who goes on a suicide attack, he is a martyr and he is chosen by God. The name martyr in Arabic is Shaheed, which is one of the 99 names of God and God chooses this guy to be a martyr. And being a martyr is part of our fight, of our activities.
'Old and New Testaments were falsified'
Humphries: I think one of the big things Christians are concerned about is when Muslims take over the Holy sites they don't let anyone visit. Do you think that is okay? For example, I can't go to the Temple Mount and pray.
Aziz: Israelis don't allow us to pray in their synagogues. Everyone has their religion and faith.
Humphries: But the difference is while I don't necessarily need to go and pray in a mosque, there are certain religious sites that I would like to go to, but I am not allowed. I am not allowed to go to where Jesus was baptized on the Jordan River for example.
Aziz: Here in the middle of the camp we have a church, a daily Christian camp to pray and no one aggressed them and in Bethlehem the Christians have full liberty of cults and faith. On Christmas day Muslims participate with the Christians and the holy day activities that they make.
Humphries: I have studied history and the Temple Mount ... was that not built by King Herod for the Jews?
Unnamed Terrorist #1: In what period of history?
Humphries: You had the first temple built by King Solomon, the second temple built by King Herod ...
Unnamed Terrorist #1: We would rather not enter into this religious debate because we can't hurt one's religion. Some Jews say that they were promised by God to have the state of Israel - this is nonsense, and God never promised them. They falsified history.
Humphries: So the Bible is not correct then?
Unnamed Terrorist #1: I have historical proof the Bible and the New Testament were falsified.
Humphries: I was in the City of David yesterday and went down to the water and the tunnels but does that not prove that King David existed?
Unnamed Terrorist #1: I do not know the answer, I do not know the answer.
Monica Lewinsky an Israeli agent? AIDS/homosexuality killed Arafat?
Humphries: I have heard this rumor: Jews sent Monica Lewinsky to Bill Clinton so they could run the country? True or false?
Sanakreh: Of course.
Humphries: That is true?
Sanakreh: Yes. Okay.
Humphries: Did Jews send the planes to the World Trade Center to start that war against Muslims in America?
Unnamed Terrorist #2: 5,000 Israelis that were in the World Trade Center were evacuated.
Humphries: Okay, so the answer to that is yes?
Unnamed Terrorist #2: Yes, and we heard that the Israelis told the U.S. that something will take place in a few hours the day of the attacks.
Humphries: Yasser Arafat died because of poisoning or natural causes?
Sanakreh: The president died of poison.
Humphries: Now I have heard that it is possible, it's one of those things that people said, that he died of homosexuality and AIDS.
Sanakreh: This is not true! If someone says this we will cut his head!
Humphries: I am not saying, I am just asking.
72 virgins for suicide bombers? Prove it!
Humphries: So do you believe honestly that somebody that dies in a martyr operation will get 72 virgins?
Sanakreh: Of course we believe that. It's mentioned in the Koran.
Humphries: Look it up for me, because the Muslims in America say it is not true.
Sanakreh: Of course it is true! It is mentioned in the Koran. In your religion you have the book.
Humphries: I just want you to tell me chapter and verse where it is. And also many moderate Muslims, they call them moderate in America, believe that Islam is a religion of peace and that there should be no violence.
Sanakreh: There is not violence. This is Jihad for God. I don't bring a soldier and slaughter him.
Humphries: In America, the moderates say this - that Jihad is a battle against Satan, against the devil, it's a personal thing not a military thing.
Unnamed Terrorist #1: Yes this is right, but also in Koran it says, "Aggress those who aggress you, use violence against those who use violence against you."
Humphries: How does it stop? We have you guys saying Israel is the aggressor, they say we are trying to stop and defend ourselves, you are saying you are trying to defend yourselves ... How do we just say, dammit, stop? Hey! Has anybody found the chapter and verse of the 72 virgins yet?
(Mumbling amongst the terrorists, but still no answer)
(After about two minutes)
Aziz: The Koran says, "Fight those who fight against you, and never be the one who aggresses."
Humphries: What verse is that?
Aziz: Verse 1-8-9
Humphries: Ok, but still no virgins. Still looking for the 72 virgin thing?
(After about five minutes of conversation, a terrorist says he has found the Koranic verse)
Humphries: Okay, we have 72 virgins in the Koran, let's pull it out. Okay, we found the 72 virgins thing.
Aziz: Okay, this is Al Amran verse 1-6-8, which says that those who get killed in favor of God are not considered dead people [but are] alive people between God's hands.
Humphries: Where is 72 virgins?
Aziz: The virgins are mentioned in the Koran but the experts [who] interpret it considered 72 virgins. Virgins are mentioned in the Koran but not the number of 72.
Unnamed Terrorist #1: Do you believe in the next world?
Humphries: Yes, I am a Christian.
Unnamed Terrorist #1: Everything we do is because we know one day we will be in front of God and he will be asking us the same as your boss will be asking you - "How is your job, how is he doing?" God will ask us what we did on earth. Did we make a good thing, a bad thing. If we do a good thing he will give us what we deserve, if we do the bad things he will punish us. We make what God asks.
