Max Blumenthal, the anti-Israel son of longtime Clinton friend Sidney Blumenthal, recently praised the military wing of the terrorist group Hamas for a 2014 attack that killed five Israeli soldiers.
In undercover recordings published Sunday by The (U.K.) Telegraph, Blumenthal, an activist and writer, is heard praising an “incredible” 2014 massacre carried out by “commandos” with Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades against Israeli soldiers stationed at a kibbutz and army base called Nahal Oz.
“With GoPro cameras attached to their helmets, [they] burst into the Israeli base and kill every soldier they encounter in hand-to-hand combat,” Blumenthal said during a March 5 event held at the London School of Economics.
“The message it sent to young Palestinians in the West Bank, in Jerusalem and abroad, was incredible,” he continued. “You see your people in commando uniforms, bursting into a military base and showing up the occupier.”
The al-Qassam attackers infiltrated the kibbutz through a series of underground tunnels connecting Gaza to Israeli soil. One Hamas operative was killed in the onslaught.
Blumenthal has previously praised al-Qassam Brigades’ attack on Nahal Oz.
“They chose not to attack the civilians in the kibbutz,” the writer-activist told The Intercept’s Glenn Greenwald, during an interview last July. “They could have killed dozens of civilians, but that’s not where the orders were. The orders were to attack soldiers.”
Blumenthal and his father Sidney have received renewed attention due to their cameos in Hillary Clinton’s emails. The elder Blumenthal, a former journalist and Bill Clinton White House aide, frequently sent mysterious intelligence reports to then-Sec. of State Clinton.
In other emails, Blumenthal heaped praise on his son’s various books and articles. Clinton often congratulated her friend on his son’s efforts.
In one email two days after the Sept. 11, 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Clinton referred to the younger Blumenthal as a “mitzvah” because of an article of his that appeared in The Guardian.
The article strongly condemned the maker of “Innocence of Muslims,” the Youtube video that the Obama administration falsely blamed for sparking the Benghazi attacks.
Clinton’s relationship with the Blumenthals could pose political problems for the presidential candidate.
During a speech last month at an American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference, Clinton asserted that she is “pro-Israel.” But just outside of the conference, Max Blumenthal was leading anti-Israel protests.
At one point he became involved in an argument with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, a strong supporter of Israel. After the confrontation, Boteach took out a full-page ad in The New York Times slamming Clinton for her relationship with the Blumenthals.
The ad pointed to references Max Blumenthal made in his book “Goliath” to “Judeo-Nazis.” He also compared the Israel military to the Nazi SS.
Clinton has not commented publicly about Max Blumenthal, but she has said since the email scandal broke that she will stand by his dad, who worked at the Clinton Foundation and for other Clinton-connected outfits while she was in office.
According to a Politico report from February, Blumenthal is still providing Clinton with campaign advice. (RELATED: Hillary Is Still Reportedly Taking Advice From Sid Blumenthal)
During his March 5 speech, Blumenthal defended Palestianian violence against Israel.
“There’s often prison revolts which take place everywhere, because people are normal. People are normal in the Gaza Strip, and so they take up arms,” he said.
He also gloated that the attack “[popped] Israel’s security bubble.”