Hamas

1
Hamas

• by Malgorzata Rajab

2
Background

• From the beginning history has created many
  issues between Palestinians and Israelis
• Judea, home of the Jews in ancient times, was
  conquered by the Romans and renamed Palestine
• Palestine was later conquered and inhabited by
  Arabs for over a thousand years
• The Zionist movement arose to restore the Jews to
  Israel, largely ignoring the existing Arab
  population
• Following the Balfour Declaration in 1917,
  Palestine was granted to Britain as a League of
  Nations mandate to build a national home for the
  Jewish people.
• In result, Arabs resented the Jews coming in to
  take their land.
• Britain desperately tried to stop Jewish
  immigration to Palestine.

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History/continued

• Following the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews
  were killed by the Nazis, Britain was pressured
  to allow Jewish immigration to Palestine.
• In 1947, the UN partitioned the land into Arab
  and Jewish states.
• The Arabs did not accept the partition and the
  first war broke out.
• The Jews won in a overwhelming victory, expanded
  their state and created several hundred thousand
  of Palestinian refugees.
• Most of the Arab states refused to recognize
  Israel or make peace with it. Wars broke out in
  1956, 1967, 1973 and 1982, and there were many
  terror raids and Israeli reprisals. Each side
  believes different versions of the same history.
  Each side views the conflict as the fault of the
  other.

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What is Hamas?

• Hamas is an acronym (from Arabic) for Harakat
  al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (also called Islamic
  Resistance Movement)
• Hamas is the Palestinian Muslims fundamentalist
  movement
• It is perhaps the largest and the most
  influential group operating on the
  Palestinian-Israeli Territory
• It has an extensive social service network,
  including a terrorist branch that carries out
  suicide bombing and attacks against the Israelis
• Hamas operate in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as
  well as inside the Israeli borders

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Origins

• The origins of the Hamas are closely linked to
  the historical development of the Palestinian
  national movement.
• Palestinian nationalism emerged as a result of
  British colonialism, coupled with the Zionist
  movement, creation of the state of Israel, and
  interaction with the neighboring Arab states.

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Origins cont.

• Hamas has its roots from the Muslim Brotherhood,
  a religious and political group founded in Egypt
  in 1928.
• Sheikh Ahmed Yassin is the founder and spiritual
  leader of Hamas
• Hamas emerged during the outbreak of the first
  intifada (shaking off from Arabic), a
  Palestinian uprising against Israelis in December
  1987.
• The first Hamas suicide bombing took place in
  1993.
• Originally a militant organization later it
  transformed into a political party

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Leaders

• Sheik Yassin was the leader until he was
  assassinated in March 2004
• Replaced by Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi , who was
  assassinated a month later
• Other members (on most part killed by Israelis)
• Mahmoud Abu Hanoud (2001)
  
• Sheikh Salah Shehada
  (2002)
• Sheikh Khalid Meshal (who
  is believed to currently
• direct the organization
  from Damascus, Syria)

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Where do they operate?

• In Gaza, the West Bank, and inside Israel, of
  course!
• Some of the Hamas leaders live in Syria, Lebanon,
  Iran, and other Gulf States

9
Ideology, believes goals

• Hamas reflects the deep frustration of the
  Palestinian Arabs with the ongoing Israeli
  occupation, claiming that as long as
  Palestinians live under the occupation they are
  obliged to oppose it through a jihad (holy war),
  that is, an uncompromising armed insurrection
  against Israel. (http//www.intelligence.org.il/e
  ng/sib/8_04/pto.htm)
• Hamas continue to assert that Israel has no right
  to exist
• Hamas is against all peaceful attempts to resolve
  the Arab-Israeli conflict
• Hamas wants the destruction of the State of
  Israel as their main goal and perpetrates acts of
  terrorism against Israel as the primary tool for
  advancing that goal.(http//www.intelligence.org.
  il/eng/sib/8_04/pto.htm)

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Ideology continued

• According to Hamas ideology, the Palestinian
  problem is basically religious and therefore
  cannot be solved by any political compromise .
  Hamas claims that the land of Palestinian, from
  the Jordan river to the Mediterranean sea is
  consecrated to Islam and none of it can be given
  up, especially Jerusalem. Thus Hamas denies the
  possibility of any political settlement with
  Israel and objects to any and all agreements
  between the PA/PLO and Israel, and totally
  rejects the Oslo accords. For that reason, Hamas
  has refused to accept the authority of and to
  join the PA. (Intelligence and Terrorism
  Information Center)

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Is Hamas an average terrorist group?

• Not really. Hamas, besides its military wing, the
  Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigade, has organized an
  extensive social services network. They fund
  schools, mosques, doctor clinics, orphanages,
  food kitchens and sport events. This is what
  makes them different from PA, and other
  organizations.

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• Training and Recruitment of the Bombers
• The potential candidates are selectively chosen
  and undergo intensive training
• Shortly before the sacred explosion the bomber
  records a video testament
• After the bombing the family of the suicide
  bomber is given about 5000
• As one of the Palestinian suicide bombers said
  "It's as if a very high, impenetrable wall
  separated you from Paradise or HellAllah has
  promised one or the other to his creatures. So,
  by pressing the detonator, you can immediately
  open the door to Paradiseit is the shortest path
  to Heaven. (The New Yorker)

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Some of Hamas's major attacks

•  
• The kidnapping and murder of Israeli soldiers Avi
  Sasportas (February 16, 1989), Ilan Sa'adon (May
  3, 1989) and Nissim Toledano (December 13, 1992).
  
• The kidnapping of Corporal Nachshon Waxman
  (October 9-14, 1994). Waxman and Captain Nir
  Poraz were killed in an exchange of gunfire.
• A suicide bombing attack on the Number 5 bus in
  Tel Aviv (October 19, 1994) 22 Israeli civilians
  murdered.
• Two suicide bombing attacks on the Number 18 bus
  in Jerusalem (February 25 and March 3, 1996) a
  total of 47 Israeli civilians murdered.
• A suicide bombing attack at the Dolphinarium in
  Tel Aviv (June 1, 2001) 21 Israeli civilians
  murdered, most of them teenagers.
• A suicide bombing attack at the Sbarro Restaurant
  in Jerusalem (August 9, 2001) 15 Israeli
  civilians murdered.
• A suicide bombing attack at the Park Hotel in
  Netanya during the Passover Seder (March 27,
  2002) 30 Israeli civilians murdered. The attack
  resulted in Operation Defensive Shield.
• A suicide bombing attack in Rishon Le'tzion (May
  7, 2002) 16 Israeli civilians murdered.
• A suicide bombing attack at a major intersection
  in Jerusalem (June 18, 2002) 19 Israeli
  civilians murdered.
• A suicide bombing attack on the Number 2 bus in
  Jerusalem (August 19, 2003) 23 Israeli civilians
  murdered. The attack brought the temporary cease
  fire hudna to an end.
• Source Intelligence and Terrorism Information
  Center

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If our wives and children are not safe from
Israeli tanks and rockets, theirs will be not
safe from our human bombs. (an opinion expressed
by the Islamist military leader in The New Yorker)
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Bibliography

• Hamas Hurt. Economist. 8 October 2005. Full
  Text. Academic Search Premier. Online.
• EBSCOhost Information Services.
  Roosevelt University Library. 21 November 2005.
• Hassan, Nasra. The New Yorker. An Arsenal of
  Believers Talking to the "human bombs. Online.
• lthttp//www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?0
  11119fa_FACT1gt. November 22, 2005.
• Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at
  the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S). Special
• Information Bulletin. The Leading
  Palestinian Terrorist Organizations (August
  2004).
• lthttp//www.intelligence.org.il/eng/sib/8_
  04/pto.htm.gt Last viewed on 22 November
• 2005.
• Malka, Haim. Forcing Choices Testing the
  Transformation of Hamas. The Center for
  Strategic
• and International Studies and the
  Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The
  Washington
• Quarterly. Autumn 2005. Full Text.
  LexisNexis. Online. Academic Universe. Roosevelt
• University Library. 21 November 2005.
• Mishal, Shaul. The Palestinian Hamas electronic
  source vision, violence and coexistence.