Based in Cairo, Egypt, Muhammad Al-Hindi, a senior member of Islamic Jihad, has little patience for Palestinians who speak words promoting reconciliation with Israel. Consider, for instance, his reaction to Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Abu Mazen’s speech at the June 2003 Aqaba peace summit — a speech calling for an end to “the militarization of the Intifada”; the use of “peaceful means in our quest to end the occupation and the suffering of Palestinians and Israelis”; and “a complete end to violence and terrorism.”

In response to these words, Al-Hindi said, “Abu Mazen handed [Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon, for free, the only card that was in the hands of the Palestinian people — legitimate resistance to the occupation — without getting anything in return…. We will not lay down our weapons, because the weapons of the resistance are the weapons of the Palestinian people, and only when the occupation ends and disappears from our land will we be able to talk about that.”

In May 2004, Al-Hindi was the target of an unsuccessful assassination attempt by the Israeli army, in retaliation for two deadly Islamic Jihad attacks that had killed a number of Israeli soldiers the week before.

When Israel withdrew all its settlers from Gaza in August 2005, Al-Hindi declared that this development represented “a victory for the resistance, [and] a victory for the men of the resistance”

Notwithstanding his advocacy of violence against Israel, Al-Hindi describes himself as a “political figure” who bears no responsibility for the actions of Islamic Jihad’s armed wing, Saraya Al-Quds (Battalions of Jerusalem).