WK13

WK13 Hamas and Palestinian

National Movement
21 May 2020
Topic
• Defining Hamas

• Hamas’ predecessor: the Muslim Brotherhood

• Hamas as opposition to PLO and PA (1987-2006)

• When Hamas won the PLC election in early 2006…

• Evaluation
Defining Hamas: Palestinian Nationalism and the
branch of the Muslim Brotherhood
• Palestinian Nationalism
• Article Twelve of the Hamas’ charter (1987)
• Nationalism, from the point of view of the Islamic Resistance
Movement, is part of the religious creed. Nothing in nationalism is
more significant or deeper than in the case when an enemy should
tread Moslem land. Resisting and quelling the enemy become the
individual duty of every Moslem, male or female. A woman can go out
to fight the enemy without her husband's permission, and so does the
slave: without his master's permission.
• Article Twenty-Five:

• The Movement assures all the nationalist trends operating

in the Palestinian arena for the liberation of Palestine, that it
is there for their support and assistance. It will never be
more than that, both in words and deeds, now and in the
future. It is there to bring together and not to divide, to
preserve and not to squander, to unify and not to throw
asunder. It evaluates every good word, sincere effort and
good offices. It closes the door in the face of side
disagreements and does not lend an ear to rumours and
slanders, while at the same time fully realising the right for
self-defence.
A branch of the Muslim Brotherhood
• Article Two:
• The Islamic Resistance Movement is one of the wings of Moslem
Brotherhood in Palestine. Moslem Brotherhood Movement is a
universal organization which constitutes the largest Islamic movement
in modern times. It is characterised by its deep understanding, accurate
comprehension and its complete embrace of all Islamic concepts of all
aspects of life, culture, creed, politics, economics, education, society,
justice and judgement, the spreading of Islam, education, art,
information, science of the occult and conversion to Islam.
Muslim Brotherhood and Palestine (1930s-1967)
• Hassan al-Banna found the MB in Egypt in 1928.

• al-Banna paid attention to Palestine in 1930s and was against

Zionism.

• A branch of the MB was organized in Palestine in 1945.

• Volunteers from the MB went to Palestine during the 1948 war

• The MB in Gaza was under the Egyptian military rule (1950-

1967)
 Muslim Brotherhood and Palestine
(1967-1980s)

• The MB in Gaza did not fight

with Israel from 1967 to 1980.

• Ahmed Yassin established the

Islamic center and the society
of Islam, providing education,
medical and social assistance
to Palestinian refugees.
The Gazan MB’s tactics

• Preparation of resistance:

• The Gazan MB raised the Islamic awareness to Palestinians through

education and social services.

• Cadres of the Gazan MB: most of them were refugees. They received
modern educations in Egypt.

• Islamic University of Gaza (1978-)

Turning to resistance (armed struggle) in 1980s
• The Gazan MB considered the possibility of armed struggle against
Israel in 1980.
• Why? Iranian Revolution in 1979, and Israel invaded Lebanon
expelling PLO in 1982.

• Ahmad Yassin was jailed for secretly stockpiling weapons in 1984.

• The Gazan MB created the organization of Jihad and Da’wa. This

organisaiton punished collaborators with Israel, drug dealers, and
prostitutes.
Hamas as opposition to PLO and PA (1987-
2006)

• The Gazan MB created Hamas for resisting the Israeli

occupation in the outbreak of Intifada in 1987
• Hamas released the charter in 1988, defining itself a
branch of the MB
• Hamas’ tactics against Israel includes stone throwing,
knife attacks, suicide bombings, and rocket attacks.
• Debate on Hamas’s violence: terrorism vs. resistance
Hamas and Intifada (1987-1993)
• Hamas members conducted the first violent attacks on
two Israeli soldiers in April 1989
• al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, targeted at
Israeli soldiers during December 1992, causing 7
deaths at least.
• Israel arrested nearly two thousand Palestinians and
expelled 415 Palestinians who affiliated to Hamas and
the Islamic Jihad to a mountain in Lebanon.
Hamas and The Oslo Peace Process, 1993-2000
• Hamas opposed to the Oslo Peace Process.

• Hamas changed its tactics from knife attacks to suicide bombings,

causing huge numbers of deaths of Israeli civilians and military.

• Why Hamas adopted the tactic of the suicide bombings?

• Massacre of Ibrahim Mosque in February 1994: a Jewish settler killed
26 Palestinians and wounded a hundred.

• Hamas’s suicide bombings was not supported by the majority of

Palestinians.
• Poll: 6% supported Hamas in 1996
Hamas and the al-Aqsa
Intifada (2000-2006)
• Hamas restored to the tactic of the
suicide bombings (2001-2003) with
over 60% Palestinians support.

• Ariel Sharon’s retaliation.

• Israeli Disengagement Plan, 2003-

2005 and its impacts on Hamas

• Four rounds of Municipal elections

(2004-2005)
• PLC election, 25 January: Hamas
won the election.
When Hamas won the PLC election…
• US and other Western countries pushed Hamas to recognise the
legitimacy of Israel, renounce terrorism and accept the Oslo
accords
• Hamas invited Fatah to form a coalition government but Fatah
refused.
• Hamas-led Palestinian government (2006.3-2007.6)
• International sanctions
• Quarrels between Hamas and Fatah on Israel and security reform.
• Hamas’ military preemptive attacks in Gaza in June 2007, expelling
Fatah forces.
Hamas as an administrator in Gaza (2007-)
• Hamas’ dilemma: Israel and Egypt closed borders of Gaza.
Abbas-led PA arrested Hamas members in the West Bank

• Hamas built Gaza as a resistance site.

• Security reform
• Media: disseminate messages of resistance
• Economy: tunnel economy

• War between Hamas and Israel: December 2008-January

2009, November 2012, July-August 2014
• Hamas’ rockets and Israeli collective punishments
Evaluation

• Hamas and Palestinian national movement

• Controversy of suicide bombings.

• Hamas’ limitation and sustainabulity.