Over a week and a half ago, Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov was released from Hamas captivity as part of the first phase of the hostages-for-terrorists exchange.
Since then, the social media accounts of Israel-haters and antisemites have been pushing the claim that he came out with a very pro Hamas statement that “shocked” Israel and the world:
This claim is only being “reported” by such accounts, and appears nowhere in the Israeli media or the mainstream media. So the claim that it has “shocked Israel and the world” is nonsense.
In fact, the entire claim is nonsense.
The first clue should be these accounts could not even spell Alexander’s name correctly. They call him Alexander Turbanov, yet his name is Alexander Trufanov. While I am sure they wish he was wearing a turban, the fact they get this detail wrong is an indication that we are not dealing with people dedicated to the truth.
Of course, this is not proof the claim is bogus, but it does hint to it.
Then there’s the fact that the terrorists not only captured Sasha, but also his grandmother, mother, and girlfriend (before releasing them). So there is no way he would want to praise them at all, let alone with things like “Your kindness is engraved in my conscience” and “During the 498 days I lived among you, despite the aggression and crimes you have been subjected to, I learned the true meaning of manhood, pure heroism, and respect for humanity and values.” And even had he done so, after his release he learned they murdered his father Vitaly, so he would definitely not be feeling that way at all.
Not surprisingly, there are no legitimate media reports that he made the purported statement. Had he done so, the Israeli media certainly would have covered it; it is not like they hide anything, and Ha’aretz would love nothing more than to be the harbingers of such news. Yet nothing. Zilch. Nada about it.
In fact, since his release, Sasha was seen at hostage Square in Tel Aviv, wearing the yellow hostage pin.
He was there expressing his wish for the release of the other hostages, and made no statements of protest against the government, which you woud expect from someone who wrote “despite being in the hands of men fighting for their stolen lands and rights, and despite my own country’s government committing the most heinous genocide against a besieged people” and “I have understood that you are not only the rightful owners of the land but also of the principles and the just cause.”
And the guy who they allege wrote “What a great religion this must be, that it elevates you to such a noble stature” – after his release he put on tefillin (Jewish phylacteries) and prayed.
Meanwhile, this tweet by antisemite Susan Abulhawa (who has been mainstreamed by many) suggests that the purported statements by Alexander were in a letter to Hamas:
In other words, the source of the claim is Hamas. Got it.
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