Frequently Asked Questions About Hamas
Produced by the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation-Resources Taskforce
Q. What is Hamas and how did it come into being?
Hamas is the acronym for harakat al-muqawwama al-islamiyya (Islamic Resistance Movement) and is also the Arabic word for zeal. Hamas was founded during the early days of the 1987-1993 uprising against Israeli military forces in the
Over the past five decades, different Arab governments as well as
Q. Did the Palestinian electoral system and a splintering of the Fateh vote helped Hamas win? And what about the popular vote?
Q. What was the appeal of Hamas to the Palestinians?
By 2006, Palestinians in the
Q. Who voted for Hamas?
A wide range of Palestinians voted for Hamas, including Christians. Exit polls showed that the only demographic factor representing a significant difference in support of Fateh or Hamas was religion: more Muslims voted for Hamas or Fateh, and more Christians voted for other independent lists. It is noteworthy that even Christians were willing to vote for an Islamic party and that age, sex, refugee status, income level, or profession was not a significant factor in supporting Hamas. These voting patterns illustrate the extent of Palestinian frustration with the status quo namely Fatah’s corruption and sellout negotiations with
Q. Were the elections free and fair and carried out in a truly democratic fashion?
These elections were the most democratic to be held in
Q. What is Hamas’ position toward
The Hamas charter states “its ultimate goal is Islam.” It views Zionism as a roadblock in the establishment of universal Islam and jihad against Zionism is a religious imperative.[11] The Charter views the entirety of the land of Palestine as it was in 1947 as a religious trust (waqf) that cannot be divided or abandoned and belonging strictly to the Islamic faith. The charter calls for an Islamic state in historic
Hamas has not changed its charter and, in the wake of its victory in the elections, some of its political leaders have said they will not do so. Hamas members however, ran for elections not on the basis of the party’s charter.[12] Dr. Abed al-Aziz Duaik, a moderate slated to head the new Palestinian Legislative Council stated that once the new government was formed, Hamas would formulate its own peace plan with a long-term truce with
Past statements by assassinated Hamas leader Abdul Aziz al-Rantissi pointed to an acceptance of
Hamas leaders have also noted that
Q. What is “terrorism” and what is the
The Federal Bureau of Investigation notes that there is no single, universally accepted definition of terrorism. It uses the definition in the Code of Federal Regulations “...the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.”[14]
UN Security Council Resolution 49/60 of 1994 states that, "Criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes are in any circumstance unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be invoked to justify them." UN Security Council Resolution 1456 of 2003 sets out the steps states should take to combat “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.”
The
Finally, the term terrorism is not just applied to groups engaged in acts as described above, but also to states carrying out such acts (“state-sponsored terrorism.”) Israel has used deliberate means to terrorize Palestinian populations including home demolitions, nightly invasions, assassinations, arbitrary arrest, torture and most recently, sonic booms (F-16s breaking the sound barrier above civilian areas), criticized by international Human Rights groups for their severe affects on humans including miscarriages, shock, anxiety, nausea, seizures, and nosebleeds. Sonic booms are even more traumatizing for children under 6 who cannot differentiate between real and simulated bombings.[15]
Q. How do the majority of Palestinians feel about the use of violence against civilians to achieve political ends?
The election of Hamas does not indicate that Palestinians support terrorism or violence against civilians. While under International law Palestinians have the right to resist occupation if it does not involve attacks against civilians,” a poll conducted in 2004 showed that 83% of Palestinians support a mutual cessation of violence and 59% say that if such an agreement were reached, they would support actions to prevent attacks against Israelis.[16] Furthermore, a 2003 survey showed that 71% of Palestinians would support reconciliation if a political agreement between the two sides was reached.[17]A poll in 2005 showed that support for suicide bombings dropped dramatically from 77% to 29%.[18] Palestinians appear to support violence less if they see
Hamas’ first suicide operation against
Q. How will the election of Hamas affect the chances of achieving a just peace?
While in this current political climate
For example:
Q. What can the Palestinians Expect from Hamas?
Despite Hamas’ large majority, it has indicated its desire to form a broad-based government, inclusive of as many factions as possible.[20]
The group is keen to emphasize that they are not interested in radical change in Palestinian society. Mousa Abu Marzook, deputy political bureau chief of Hamas, recently stated, “Fair governance demands that the Palestinian nation be represented in a pluralistic environment. A new breed of Islamic leadership is ready to put into practice faith-based principles in a setting of tolerance and unity.”[21] He added, “Alleviating the debilitative conditions of occupation, and not an Islamic state, is at the heart of our mandate (with reform and change as its lifeblood).”[22]
It will be difficult, however, for Hamas to ameliorate the deteriorating conditions that make up life in the
Q. What should the
Without in any way condoning terrorism by any party to the conflict, the
[1] For more background and about Hamas, see “Enter Hamas: the Challenges of Political Integration” by the International Crisis Group http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?l=1&id=3886 and earlier reports. [2] These included Fateh, which dominated the Palestine Liberation Organization since its founding in the 1960s, and the smaller Popular and the Democratic Fronts for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Palestinian Communist Party
[3] “Hamas: Its Origins and Evolutions” NPR February 17, 2006 http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/transcripts/2006/feb/060217.gradstein.html [4] Blanc, Jarrett "Palestinian Election Analysis: How Hamas Won the Majority" by of IFES at http://www.ifes.org/westbank-project.html?projectid=howhamaswon [5] The Oslo Accords, the first of a series of agreements between Israelis and Palestinians, were signed on the White House lawn by the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and late Israeli leader Yitzhak Rabin in September 1993. The Oslo Accords led to the establishment of the Palestinian Authority and its responsibility for some public services. [6] Bennis, Phyllis Foreign Policy in Focus “Talking Points #7: Hamas wins the Palestinian elections” January 27, 2006 http://www.fpif.org/fpiftp/3095 [7] Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research Exit Poll Results on the Election Day of the Second Palestinian Parliament http://www.pcpsr.org/survey/polls/2006/exitplcfulljan06e.html#demographics [8] MSNBC “Foreign leaders stunned at Hamas victory” January 26, 2006 http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11046430/ [9] Jewish Voice for Peace “Hamas Wins Palestinian Elections: Questions you need answered” http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/publish/article_292.shtml [10] Bennis, Phyllis Foreign Policy in Focus “Talking Points #7: Hamas wins the Palestinian elections” January 27, 2006 http://www.fpif.org/fpiftp/3095 [11] Jihad is a word used to signify struggle of all forms, including military or peaceful resistance. [12] Saree Makdisi “Plan to Separate is Nothing New” Institute for Middle East Understanding 2.17.2006 http://imeu.net/news/article00505.shtml [13] Aluff Benn “Israel Mulls Barring Entry of Gazans After Hamas is Sworn In” Haaretz 2.16.2006 http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/683417.html 5 Martin Asser “Will Hamas Ever Recognize Israel” BBC 2.7.2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4686844.stm [15] El-Haddad, Leila Al-Jazeera “Israeli Sonic Booms Terrorising Gaza” January 2, 2006 http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/0570CE28-416D-40A8-A643-3D008A52987F.htm [17] Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research Joint Palestinian Israeli Public Opinion Poll June 30, 2003 http://www.pcpsr.org/survey/polls/2003/p8ejoint.html [18] Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research Public Opinion Poll #15 March 10-12, 2005 http://www.pcpsr.org/survey/polls/2005/p15a.html [19] Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research Public Opinion Poll #17 September 28, 2005 http://www.pcpsr.org/survey/polls/2005/p17a.html [20] Greg Myre “Hamas Opens Talks Aimed at Forming Palestinian Government” The New York Times 2.20.2006 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/20/international/middleeast/20cndmideast.html?hp&ex=1140498000&en=4f8c6e116a37720a&ei=5094&partner=homepage [21] Mousa Abu Marzook “What Hamas is Seeking” Washington Post January 31, 2006 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/30/AR2006013001209.html [22] Mousa Abu Marzook “What Hamas is Seeking” Washington Post January 31, 2006 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/30/AR2006013001209.html
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