Hamas - Main
Primer
Hamas
Background and Analysis - Primer
Background
Hamas (acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement), a Sunni Muslim organization, was formed in 1987 and is the offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. It is dedicated to the destruction of Israel and the creation of a Muslim caliphate in Palestine. Hamas seeks to regain control of Palestine, which it regards as a waqf or inalienable religious trust, and impose Sharia, Islamic law in Palestine, as steps toward a global, borderless Muslim entity.
Analysis
Hamas
Background and Analysis
January 2009
Hamas (Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya, or Movement of the Islamic Resistance, the term also means ‗zeal‘) has become a major factor in the Arab-Israeli conflict and larger Middle Eastern politics. Even before the Gaza war that began in December 2008, or the firing of missiles from Gaza into Israel that intensified after the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, Hamas posed a direct challenge to Israel, secular Palestinian groups such as the PLO, and the very concept of coexistence with Israel.
This paper is a compilation of sources on the origins, ideology, organization, funding, involvement with terrorism and tactics of Hamas.
Congressional Research Service, Hamas: The Organizations, Goals and Tactics of a Militant Palestinian Organization, October 14, 1993.
“Hamas had its beginnings in 1967 as a wing of the Muslim Brotherhood.
In 1978, the same organization was registered with Israeli authorities as a nonprofit, religious organization under the name, ‘al Mujama,’ under the leadership of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, who was also head of the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza. At first, the new organization spent most of its time promoting Islamic views and winning support for the Islamic movement in Palestinian institutions, universities and mosques.
Hamas, as it is currently organized, was founded in December 1987 just when the intifada (uprising) in the occupied territories was starting. The Hamas agenda is based largely upon the principles of Islamic fundamentalism that were gaining momentum throughout the Arab world at that time. The goal of the founders was to become directly involved in the intifada and ultimately gain control of the Palestinian movement and bring it more in line with fundamentalist Islamic thought.”Research Publications
- CAIR and Hamas, Investigative Project on Terrorism
- Lebanon: The Israel-Hamas-Hezbollah Conflict, Congressional Research Service
- Israel and Hamas: Conflict in Gaza (2008-2009), Congressional Research Service
- Jeffrey White, "Resistance and Rockets: Hamas Targeting of Israeli Civilians" Washington Institute for Near East Policy, February 25, 2010
- Matthew Levitt, “Hamas’ Ideological Crisis” Washington Institute for Near East Policy November 6, 2009
- The Islamization process promoted by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and its social and political implications on the local, the Middle Eastern, and the international scenes, Intelligence and Terrorism Center
- Yehudit Barsky, “Hamas:The Islamic Resistance Movement of Palestine” American Jewish Committee 2006
- Stephen Plaut, “Hamas: The Terror Elite” David Horowitz Freedom Center 2009
News Media
- Jeffrey Goldberg, “Why Israel Can’t Make Peace with Hamas,” New York Times
- Barak Mendelsohn, “Hamas and its Discontents: The Battle Over Islamic Rule in Gaza” Foreign Affairs September 9, 2009
- Jackson Diehl, “Israel’s Gaza Vindication” Washington Post September 21, 2009
- Ethan Bronner, “Hamas Shifts from Rockets to Culture War” New York Times July 23rd, 2009
Recommended Reading
- Jonathan Schanzer, Hamas vs. Fatah: The Struggle for Palestine New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.
- Matthew Levitt, Hamas: Politics, Charity, and Terrorism In the Service of Jihad New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007.
- Mosab Hassan Yousef, "Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices" Carol Stream, IL: Salt River, 2010.
- Shaul Mishal & Avraham Sela, The Palestinian Hamas New York: Columbia University Press, 2000.
- Paul McGeough, Kill Khalid New York: New Press, 2009.