pro-Israel group demands Hamas tweet ban

A Christian pro-Israel group has kicked off an online campaign demanding that microblogging site Twitter ban members of Hamas from using the service. The group, Christians United for Israel (CUFI), hoped to drum up support from more than its 1 million members amid an ongoing deadly conflict between Israel and Palestinians. The latest violence has claimed more than 100 lives in Gaza. Israel launched a massive air campaign on the Strip since last Wednesday with the declared goal of deterring Hamas’ rocket attacks. CUFI, the largest pro-Israel group in America, begun placing their names on a letter to Twitter that demands the company “observe both the United States law and your own Terms of Service by immediately banning Hamas, the Izzadeen Al-Qassam Brigades and any related entities from operating Twitter accounts (e.g. @AlqassamBrigade),” reported the U.S.-based WND news website. Both the Israeli army spokesperson (@IDFspokesperson) and @AlqassamBrigade began trading insults over Twitter over the past week. On Wednesday, the IDF announced its attacks on Hamas via Twitter: “We recommend no Hamas operatives, whether low level or senior leaders, show their faces above ground in the days ahead.” The message prompted a response from Hamas, with the @AlqassamBrigade tweeting: “Our blessed hands will reach your leaders and soldiers wherever they are (You Opened Hell Gates on Yourselves).” The tweet was reposted (retweeted) on the microblogging network over 600 times. Meanwhile, CUFI warns that such messages should be prohibited, pointing at the U.S. designation of Hamas as foreign terror group, which they argue should make it illegal for any U.S. corporation to provide “material support.” “By allowing Hamas to have a Twitter account, you are providing it with an important ‘service’ and extremely effective ‘communications equipment’ which are central to its primary mission of terrorizing the Israeli people and using civilian deaths to score political points,” the CUFI said in the letter to Twitter which will also be sent to the local office of the United States Attorney, the report states. The letter also notes that Twitter’s own Terms of Service limits the operations to those who “are not a person barred from receiving services under the laws of the United States.” AL ARABIYA .