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Zaher Jabarin | |
|---|---|
زاهر جبارين | |
 Jabarin in 2024 | |
| Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau | |
Acting | |
| Assumed office 16 October 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Yahya Sinwar |
| Office ofMartyrs, Wounded, andPrisoners | |
| Assumed office 2021 | |
| Constituency | Palestinians in Israeli custody |
| Leader of the Hamas Financial Bureau | |
| Assumed office mid-2010s | |
| Leader of Hamas in the West Bank | |
| Assumed office 2024[1][2][3] | |
| Preceded by | Saleh al-Arouri |
| Constituency | West Bank,Palestine |
| Deputy leader of Hamas in the West Bank (Deputy toSaleh al-Arouri) | |
| In office 2021[4] – January 2024 | |
| Constituency | West Bank,Palestine[4] |
| Member ofHamaspolitburo | |
Incumbent | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1968-09-18)18 September 1968 (age 57)[1][5] |
| Political party | Hamas |
| Residence | Turkey |
| Portfolio | Martyrs, Wounded, andPrisoners |
| Prisoner of Israel |
|
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Palestinian resistance |
| Branch/service | Qassam Brigades (Hamas) |
| Years of service | 1987 to 1993 |
| Battles/wars | First Intifada |
Zaher Jabarin (Arabic:زاهر جبارين; born 18 September 1968)[1][5][7] is a member of thePolitical Bureau of theIslamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).[1][8] and Hamas financial administrator.
He has led the Hamas Financial Bureau since the mid-2010s, managing the group's investment portfolio, estimated to be over $500 million. The financial network Jabarin oversees raises, invests, and launders money destined for Hamas military operations in theWest Bank andGaza Strip via networks in Turkey, Lebanon, and thePersian Gulf.
WithSaleh al-Arouri, Jabarin was one of the co-founders of Hamas' military wing in theWest Bank in the late 1980s. In 1993, Jabarin was arrested and anIsraeli military court sentenced him to life imprisonment plus 35 years for killing Israelis during theFirst Intifada. Jabarin was released as part of theGilad Shalit prisoner exchange in 2011, after which he assumed leadership of the Hamas Financial Bureau from his base in Istanbul, Turkey. He was also head of the Office of Martyrs, Wounded, and Prisoners for Hamas.
During theGaza war, afteral-Arouri was killed inDahieh on 2 January 2024, Jabarin succeeded him as Hamas' leader in theWest Bank. Jabarin was allegedly responsible for the resumption of Hamas' planning and incitement of suicide bombings in48-Israel and the West Bank, including theLehi Street bombing in Tel Aviv on 18 August 2024, as the group's capabilities in Gaza diminished and Hamas leaders were assassinated.
Jabarin was born on 18 September 1968,[5] inSalfit,[6] in the area also known asSamaria,[3] in theWest Bank region ofoccupiedPalestine.[9][6]
Jabarin studied Islamic law,[3][4] atAl-Najah University inNablus.[6][3][5][9] He got involved in politics as a student.[5]
Jabarin's mother died while he was in prison,[5] and his father died while he was in exile.[10] When Jabarin left prison (as part of theGilad Shalit prisoner exchange) he was not allowed to see his father before leaving the country.[11]
Jabarin joined Hamas in 1987 and helped to found theQassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing, leading its expansion into the northern West Bank.[3] During theFirst Intifada, Jabarin led a youth brigade called "The Shooting Squads".[7] He was credited for recruitingYahya Ayyash, an expert inIEDs and one of the planners of theabduction and killing of Nissim Toledano.[12][13]
He has been responsible for attacks that killed Israeli soldiers and police.[1] Jabarin has denied that he and the rest of Hamas' political wing are directly involved with theQassam Brigades, "al-Qassam have their own ties, different from those of the political wing".[14]
He was shot in the leg while throwing stones as a student, and then imprisoned for ten months in 1988.[5]
In 1993, theShin Bet arrested Jabarin and sentenced him to life in prison, plus 35 years, for his involvement in killing Israelis, including an Israeli police officer in 1993.[4]
After his arrest, Jabarin learnedHebrew, earned a degree, and wrote a book, with bySaleh al-Arouri. It was published after his release from prison.[7]
He was released in theGilad Shalit prisoner exchange in 2011.[3][12][5] His mother died while he was in solitary confinement atHadarim Prison.[a]
Jabarin was exiled toDamascus, Syria, and spent years living between Qatar and Turkey, ultimately settling in Istanbul, where he assumed leadership of the Hamas Financial Bureau. In Istanbul, Jabarin was a deputy to Saleh al-Arouri, who lived in Turkey until 2016.[16][needs update]
Jabarin is a member of theHamas Political Bureau.[17][18][19][20] In 2021, Jabarin was elected as the deputy toSaleh al-Arouri as leader of Hamas in theWest Bank.[4] Jabarin was considered al-Arouri's right-hand man;Ynet referred to Arouri as"the West Bank's Mohammed Deif".[12]
At this time he also took on a role in the management ofprisoner affairs within Hamas.[9][12] His position was head of the Office of Martyrs, Wounded, and Prisoners.[21] In 2022 Jabarin said that liberatingPalestinian prisoners in Israel was the most important priority.[21]
InMarch 2023 Jabarin told theShehab News Agency that theresistance would not abandon thePalestinians in Israeli custody to Israel'sextremist national security ministerItamar Ben Gvir and the "Fascist Government" (Arabic:الحكومة الفاشية,romanized: al-hukūmat al-fāshīa,lit. 'fascist government') of Israel.[17] Jabarin called on the Palestinian people to prepare for the battle with the occupier.[17] At the time prominent Israelis and major international news sources were using similar language to refer to Israel's national security ministerItamar Ben Gvir (leader of theultra-nationalistreligious Zionist "Otzma Yehudit" party)[22][23] and theLikud-ledcoalition government of Israel.[24][25]
In the 1980s and 1990s Jabrin and other members ofAl-Qassam's leadership funded attacks from their own pockets,[26] Hebrew media allege that some of the money was borrowed from his mother.[27][7]
But by 2024 Jabarin was the long-time head of Hamas's Financial Bureau, often described as Hamas's CEO,[28][29] and managing the group's investment portfolio estimated at over $500 million,[30] including in Turkish real estate and stock markets, and overseeing revenue streams including private donations that exceed tens of millions of dollars per year. According toThe Wall Street Journal andThe Times of Israel, the financial network Jabarin oversees raises, invests, and launders money destined for Hamas militant activities in the West Bank and Gaza via networks in Turkey, Lebanon, and thePersian Gulf.[16][13]
According to the United StatesOffice of Foreign Assets Control Jabarin oversees Hamas's financial relationship with theIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Qods Force, as the relationship between theQods Force and Hamas focused onincreasing funding from Iran.[31] According toThe Wall Street Journal andThe Times of Israel, Jabarin's financial network operated with the tacit approval of Turkish presidentRecep Erdogan, and Jabarin himself has holdings in Turkish companies.[16][13]
For these activities, the United StatesOffice of Foreign Assets Control designated Jabarin aSpecially Designated Global Terrorist in 2019, prohibiting all dealings with U.S. persons or within the United States.[31] This was announced in a press release on the anniversary of the2001 Al-Qaeda attacks on the United States.[31] The announcement also included sanctions against people with alleged financial connections toISIL,[31] theanti-nationalist[32] cult who declared war on Hamas the previous year,[33][34] and killed two Hamas government border guards in a bombing atRafah Crossing the year before.[35][relevant?] Hamas responded to that bombing with a crackdown on followers of the "deviant ideology".[36][37]
Israeli sources toldReuters that Hamas' military budget was between $100 million to about $350 million per year,[38] 98% to 99% lower than Israel's budget of $19 to $27 billion per year,[39][40][41] which is 4.5% of Israel's GDP.[42]
Funding of Hamas'civilian government in the Gaza Strip was unstable due to the three-way conflict between Israel, Hamas (in Gaza), and Fatah (led byPresident Abbas inRamallah).[43] For example, in 2017President Abbas withheldtaxes collected in the Gaza Strip and pressured Israel to further reduce the already limited electricity supply.[44][43] During theHamas government in the Gaza Strip many government employee salaries in the Gaza Strip still came via thePalestinian Authority controlled by the Abbas-led Fatah government in Ramallah,[45][46] and theFatah–Hamas conflict also caused instability in this funding, and in provision of basic services such as electricity.[45]
After theassassination of Saleh al-Arouri inDahieh on 2 January 2024,[47][48][49][50] Jabarin succeeded him as Hamas's commander[verification needed] in the West Bank.[1][2][3] Jabarin was considered a potential successor to Hamas leaderIsmail Haniyeh after Haniyeh's assassination in July due to his role in managing the group's finances and his relationship with Iran, Hamas's chief patron.[29] Compared toYahya Sinwar and al-Arouri, Jabarin is less-known publicly due to his location inIstanbul, Turkey. On addition he is not particularly sophisticated or charismatic, according to analysts and academics.[16]
WhenArouni was assassinated, Jabarin called on all factions in all locations to take revenge, particularly in the "48 areas" (referring to Israeli territory within theGreen Line) and theWest Bank region.[51]
As of early 2024, Jabarin managed Hamas's prisoner portfolio and was involved in indirect negotiations over theGaza war hostage crisis.[12][9]
In a May 2024 interview withThe New Arab, when asked about the role of the United States in negotiations, Jabarin said that the goals of the United States conflicted withNetanyahu's goals.[9] Jabarin said that the United States wanted to avoid a regional war whileNetanyahu's goal was to stay in power. He accused Netanyahu of obstructing United States' proposals to serve his own personal goals.[9] Jabarin also said that Hamas had not yet used up all their options and that the West Bank would "surprise the enemy soon".[52]
In late August 2023 Jabarin threatenedIsraeli extremistMinister for National SecurityItamar Ben-Gvir.[53] He was angry about Ben-Gvir's allegedly provocative behaviour atAl-Aqsa.[53][54][55][56] Hamas, theUnited States Government, and the United Nations have all called for Ben-Gvir to stay away fromAl-Aqsa.[57] The Israeli opposition said that Ben-Gvir (then Israeli National Security Minister) risked the nation's security and the safety of its citizens.[57] In late 2022 and late 2023 Israeli journalistAmos Harel, the military reporter forHaaretz, speculated that these provocations could trigger a "thirdintifada" (Palestinian Uprising).[58][59] Hamas andAl-Qassam specifically cited these provocations, and Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, which was also exacerbated by Ben-Gvir, as motives for the 7 October attacks.[57][60]
According to theTimes of Israel, Jabarin was to blame for the resurgence of Hamas' use of suicide bombings in late August 2023, and Jabrin was responsible for dispatching the perpetrator of theLehi Street bombing fromNablus toTel Aviv.[16]
Israeli sources from his trial say that Jabarin, in collaboration withYahya Ayyash, was one of the original developers ofHamas' suicide bombing campaign using bothcar bombs andhuman bombs.[5] Early Hamas suicide bombers often aimed their attacks at bus loads of Palestinian workers travelling to Israel, because the saw them as traitors against the Palestinian nation.[61]
According to theTimes of Israel, Jabarin was to blame for the resurgence of Hamas'use of suicide bombings in late August 2023 as the group's capabilities in Gaza diminished.[16]
Israeli officials believe that Jabarin was responsible for dispatching the perpetrator of theLehi Street bombing fromNablus to Tel Aviv.[16]ZAKA volunteers at the scene said the event was unusual, and that it reminded them of the 1990s when suicide bombings in Israel were more common.[62] People in nearby buildings also did not expect that the explosion was a suicide bomber because those attacks were more typical of twenty years ago.[63]
The bombing inTel Aviv occurred less than three weeks after theassassination of Hamas' top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh.[64][65]Haniyeh was a relative moderate within Hamas and had repeatedly offered a place deal in exchange for a fully sovereign Palestinian state on the land that Israel did not occupy until 1967.[66]
Suicide bombings were always a controversial tactic that many Palestinians object to, even members of Hamas disagreed with each other about suicide bombings.[67] In 2006, while Jabarin was still in Prison,[5] Hamas won the2006 Palestinian legislative election andIsmail Haniyeh becamePrime Minister of Palestine,[68] Hamas announced that they planned to stop suicide bombings.[67] Hamas politicianYihiyeh Musa toldthe Guardian that suicide operations had been a strategy of desperation and he claimed they were conducted in response to Israeli attacks on Palestinians.[67]
In recent years, Hamas in the Gaza Strip have been the target of suicide bombings. In 2017 twoHamas government border guards were killed by an ISIS suicide bomber atRafah Crossing,[33] one guard died immediately and the other died of his wounds later.[35] ISIS are ananti-nationalist cult with an ideology that is fundamentally incompatible with thePalestinian nationalism of Hamas and their allies, ISIS particularly object to Hamas' internationalShia Islamist allies.[32] Hamas responded to that bombing with a crackdown on followers of the "deviant ideology" (their term forISIS andsimilar extremist groups).[36][69] The first guard who died was a 28-year-old man from the Gaza Strip.[70] Palestinian defectors who had joinedISIS in the Sinai declared war on Hamas the following year, demanding Hamas release ISIS militants held inGaza's prisons.[34] Then in 2019, another suicide attack – also attributed to ISIS – directly targetedGaza Strip police.[71][72][73] Three police officers were killed,[74][75][76] allegedly all three of whom were members of Hamas,[73] and Gaza's Security forces responded by arresting ten people whom they suspected were members of the cell who arranged the attack.[77][72]
After a speech on 29 August by former Hamas leaderKhaled Meshaal declaring the group's intention to revive the use ofsuicide bombings, Hamas conducted four bombings againstIsraeli settlements in theWest Bank andJerusalem.[16][78]The Times of Israel said that Hamas' return to bombings came amid perceptions within themilitant group thatPalestinians in theWest Bank had not joined the fight against Israel.[16] But theBBC reported that there had already been an increase inviolence in the West Bank region since October 2023.[79] In the propaganda video in whichMohammed Deif – the leader of theQassam Brigades, based in the Gaza Strip – announced the 7 October attacks he called for others outside Gaza to join the attack against Israel, he gave a long list of suggestions that did not include explosives, and the speech did not directly encourage intentionally suicidal attacks.[80] In 2014, left wing UK news outletNovara Media attributed theQassam Brigades' pausing suicide attacks toMohammed Deif's leadership,[81] but many of the earlier suicide bombings were attributed to Deif by pro-Israel sources.[82]
On September 9, 2025, it was reported that Jabarin was present in the Hamas headquarters building inDoha, Qatar when it wasstruck by Israeli air strikes.[83][84] Hamas stated that its entire leadership survived the attack.[85]
Holocaust historian Daniel Blatman says he is astounded at how quickly Israel is hurtling toward fascism. 'The moment the judicial reform passes, we will be in another reality,' he says.
WASHINGTON, DC: Last week, Ismail Haniyeh, a senior political leader of Hamas, publicly announced his movement's commitment to respecting "any peace deal" with Israel approved by Palestinian referendum. Stating Hamas's desire to be "part of the solution, not the problem," Haniyeh went on to proclaim Hamas's commitment to "establishing a viable Palestinian state with full sovereignty on the land… occupied in 1967".
