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Last update - 00:00 15/10/2008
Welcome to AqsaTube: Hamas' 'jihad audio-visual' Web site
By DPA
Tags: internet, Al Qaida 

The Palestinian militant group Hamas has launched its own version of the popular YouTube video sharing Web site.

The Hamas version, AqsaTube, features content ranging from relatively conservative Syrian social drama to videos glorifying Al-Qaida.

The website describes itself as, "the first Palestinian website specializing in Islamic and jihad audio-visual productions."
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"This site shows the latest Palestinian and Arab audios and videos about politics, sport, jihad and many things that it would take so long to list here," the site says.

In addition, the site features the popular Syrian television drama, Bab al-Hara, or The Neighborhood Gate, relating to Al-Qaida and its leader Osama bin Laden, and videos of former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, whose Fatah movement is locked in a bitter, and sometimes violent, struggle with Hamas.

According to the site's statistics, 2,143 of its registered members signed in at the same time in the middle of August.

AqsaTube was mostly unknown, except to Hamas supporters, until a few days ago when the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre (ITIC), an Israeli think tank, reported the site's existence, warning that it was dedicated to spreading propaganda and incitement against Israel.

The report also showed that there was a link between AqsaTube and Hamas' Gaza-based satellite channel, Al-Aqsa TV, which "increases the number of its viewers and enables it to bypass restrictions on its broadcasts," ITIC said.

Hamas internet forums have launched a campaign urging their members to show solidarity and sympathy with AqsaTube in the wake of European reports that have accused the website of encouraging terrorism.

"Where is the freedom of expression that the West used to call for?" a member of the Palestinian Dialogue Network, a Hamas forum, wrote. "This exposes the West's blemishes."

Another member, who called himself Mohammed Ali, wrote that the recent European reports about AqsaTube "were part of the war against Islam," after an Italian report accused the website of sponsoring terrorism.

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      1.   No fear 21:22  |  Colin Wright 15/10/08
      2.   I`M GLAD 22:37  |  indrajaya 15/10/08
      3.   "videos glorifying Al-Qaida" 00:30  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 16/10/08
      4.   Hopefully they will stop using YouTube 01:58  |  David Israel 16/10/08
      5.   # 3, CJK 02:33  |  indrajaya 16/10/08
      6.   Terrorism and insanity 02:37  |  x time 16/10/08
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      8.   Hamas is another formof Al Qaida 15:09  |  Abu Yusef 16/10/08
      9.   #3, Cipora Kohn... 20:16  |  Silvienne 16/10/08
      10.   #5, Indrajaya... 20:18  |  Silvienne 16/10/08
      11.   Let them get a server in an Arab state to host it. 23:20  |  Craig 17/10/08
      12.   hamas utube 16:20  |  david 19/10/08
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