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| '''Hamas''' ({{lang-ar|حركة حماس}}) is a ] ] paramilitary organization. | |||
| <!--THIS IS A CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC. PLEASE DISCUSS SUBSTANTIAL OR SIGNIFICANT CHANGES ON THE TALK PAGE BEFORE INSERTING THEM.--> | |||
| ], two crossed swords, Palestinian flags, and a map of the land they claim as ] (present-day ], the ] and the ]).]] | |||
| '''Hamas''' ({{lang-ar|حركة حماس}}) is a ] ] organization. It is listed as a ] organization by ], ], the ],<ref name="EUTerrorList"> ], December 21, 2005</ref> ], and the ],<ref name="SD1" /> and is banned in ].<ref name="Star1">Karmi, Omar. , ''The Daily Star'', February 18, 2006</ref> | |||
| Created in 1987 by Shaikh ] of the ] a life-long quadraplegic, Hamas is known chiefly for its resistance against the occupation of Palestine by the Israeli State Terrorist Forces that are responsible for land grabs; home demolitions; collective punishment and genocide of tens of thousand of innocent victims including children, pregnant women and the elderly including that of the late Ahmed Yassin bombed whilst at home in his wheelchair. | |||
| Created in 1987 by Shaikh ] of the ] wing of the ], Hamas is known chiefly for its ]s <ref name="suicide bombings">Karon, Tony. , ''Time Magazine'', December 11, 2001; Barzak, Ibrahim. , ''ABC News'', January 20, 2006; Musharbash, Yassin. , ''Der Spiegel'', January 27, 2006;, ''PBS'', April 4, 2002; No byline. , ''The Guardian'', January 27, 2006</ref> and other attacks directed against ]i civilians, as well as military and security forces targets. Hamas' charter (written in 1988 and still in force) calls for the destruction of the State of Israel and its replacement with a Palestinian ] in the area that is now Israel, the ], and the ].<ref name=Covenant>, MidEast Web, August 18, 1988; , The Avalon Project at Yale Law School, retrieved April 22, 2006. </ref> | |||
| According to the ], Hamas is funded by ], Palestinian expatriates, and private benefactors in ] and other Arab states.<ref name=SD1>, U.S. State Dept., April 27, 2005</ref> In a 2002 report, ] stated that Hamas' leaders "should be held accountable for the ]s and ]" that have been committed by its members. The same report quoted Reuven Paz, former head of research for the ] (Israeli intelligence agency), who described Hamas as "an authentic product of Palestinian society under Israeli rule, more so than the PA." (]).<ref> V. Structures and Strategies of the Perpetrator Organizations, ], October, 2002. ISBN 1564322807</ref> | |||
| Hamas won 74 of 132 seats in the January 2006 ] and is now the majority party of the ]. Its vehemently anti-Israeli rhetoric has found a receptive audience amongst Palestinians, some of whom perceived the preceding ] government as corrupt and ineffective. Hamas has also established an extensive network of welfare programs throughout the ] and ], further adding to its popularity. Since Hamas took control, the ] have experienced a period of sharp internal conflicts, known as ], in which many Palestinians were killed in internecine fighting. | |||
| == Name == | |||
| ''Hamas'' is an ] of the ] phrase حركة المقاومة الاسلامية, or '''Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya''' or "Islamic Resistance Movement". The word formed by the acronym corresponds to an Arabic word meaning "enthusiasm, fire, ardor, fervor, zeal, fanaticism" <ref> See ''The ] ]'' </ref>. <!--Please provide a source for the followiong information regarding the significance of the Hebrew meaning of the word, as at the moment it seems quite speculative, especially the first part: The leaders undoubtedly knew and Jewish sources make note of the fact that the ] word חמס means violence as in ] 6:11 "...the earth was filled with violence."--> | |||
| <!-- The following was added after quite a bit of discussion and arguing about wording on the Talk page back in February (2006). The majority felt that this was relevent enough to be included: | |||
| Although the founders of the organization most likely were unaware of the coincidence, the related word "chamas" in Hebrew (phonetically the same as "Hamas" for Israelis) has very bad connotations to Jews and Israelis, as it is an old word for "violence, injustice, harsh wrong" (] Hebrew-English dictionary). The word is quite common in the ], such as in ] 6:11. | |||
| But perhaps the following is better: --> | |||
| The name has bad connotations to Jews and Israelis, because in Hebrew it means "violence, injustice, harsh wrong" (] Hebrew-English dictionary). This word is quite common in the ], such as in ] 6:11, "...the earth was filled with violence". | |||
| The military wing of Hamas, formed in 1992, is known as the ] to commemorate Sheikh ], the father of modern Arab resistance, killed by the British in 1935. Armed Hamas cells also sometimes refer to themselves as "Students of Ayyash", "Students of the Engineer", or "Yahya Ayyash Units",<ref>Kushner, Harvey W. (2002). Encyclopedia of Terrorism, p.160 Sage Publications, ISBN 0761924086</ref> to commemorate ], an early Hamas bomb-maker killed in 1996.<ref>{{cite news | title=Who are Hamas?|publisher=]|date=January 26, 2006 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1654510.stm}}</ref> | |||
| == Beliefs == | |||
| Founded in 1987, Hamas was the ] branch of the Pan-Arab (]) ] ] movement, which had been founded in Egypt. Hamas is opposed to the ] and has denounced the 1993 ], the foundation of the failed peace process, as a "betrayal of God's will". However, in 2004, Hamas offered a 10 years truce, or '']'', in exchange for several conditions including a complete withdrawal from the ] ('']''). | |||
| Hamas regards the territory of the present-day ] — as well as the Gaza Strip and the West Bank — as an inalienable Islamic ] or religious bequest, which can never be surrendered to ]. It asserts that struggle ('']'') to regain control of the land from Israel is the religious duty of every Muslim (''fard `ain''). This position is more radical than that now held by the ] (PLO), which in ] recognized Israel's sovereignty. Hamas does not recognize Israel as a sovereign state and refers to it as the "] entity", a common hostile term in Arab political rhetoric, and calls for an end to the state of Israel in its charter. During the election campaign, Hamas did not mention its call for the destruction of Israel in its electoral manifesto.<ref name="guard1">{{cite news|publisher=]|date=January 12, 2006|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1684472,00.html|title=Hamas drops call for destruction of Israel from manifesto}}</ref> However several Hamas candidates insist that the charter is still in force and often called for Israel to be "wiped off the map" in campaign speeches. On January 25th, 2006, after winning the Palestinian elections, Hamas leader ] gave an interview to ] TV denouncing foreign demands that Hamas recognize Israel's right to exist.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.memritv.org/Transcript.asp?P1=1014|title=Hamas Leader Mahmoud Al-Zahhar: We Will Not Give Up the Resistance; We Will Not Give Up a Single Inch of Palestine; We Will Not Recognize Israel's Right to Exist|publisher=] (MEMRI) |date=January 25, 2006}}</ref> After the establishment of Hamas government, Dr Al-Zahar stated his "dreams of hanging a huge map of the world on the wall at my Gaza home which does not show Israel on it...I hope that our dream to have our independent state on all historic Palestine (including Israel). This dream will become real one day. I'm certain of this because there is no place for the state of Israel on this land". He also "didn't rule out the possibility of having Jews, Muslims and Christians living under the sovereignty of an Islamic state, adding that the Palestinians never hated the Jews and that only the Israeli occupation was their enemy".<ref>{{cite web|author=Khaled Abu Toameh|title='I dream of a map without Israel'|publisher=]|date=April 2, 2006|url= http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1143498785513&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter}}</ref> | |||
| Hamas's charter calls for the eventual destruction of the state of Israel and the creation of an Islamic Republic in its place.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas)|publisher=MidEast Web|date=August 18, 1988|url=http://www.mideastweb.org/hamas.htm}}</ref> Hamas sees this view as an Islamic religious duty and prophesy which comes directly from the ] and as such can not be compromised, however the group has not set a specific date for such destruction of Israel, Hamas founder, ], has mentioned the year 2027 as the possible date for destruction of Israel.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Palestinian media dream a possible dream|url= http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=317595&contrassID=2&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y |author=Arnon Regular|accessdate=2006-04-10|publisher=]}}</ref> The group has not issued a clear statement about how it would deal with the current population of Israel, should it succeed in overthrowing Israeli and secular Palestinian government. ], one of its co-founders, stated that the movement's goal is "to remove Israel from the map".<ref> {{cite news | title=New-look Hamas spends £100k on an image makeover | publisher=] | date=January 20, 2006 | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1690610,00.html}} </ref> However, on February 13, 2005, Hamas leader ] declared that Hamas would stop ] against Israel if Israel recognized the 1967 borders, withdrew from all Palestinian territories and accept the demand for Palestinian "]" ('']''). | |||
| According to the ], Hamas views the ] as "a religious struggle between ] and ] that can only be resolved by the destruction of the State of Israel".<ref>{{cite web|title=Hamas: The Fundamentalist Challenge to the PLO|url=http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC04.php?CID=116|date=April, 1992}}</ref> Hamas uses both political activities and violence to pursue its goal of establishing an Islamic ] in place of Israel and the secular ]. Israeli military operations during the ] in 2002 put pressure on Hamas in the West Bank following several bombings in Israel for which Hamas claimed responsibility. Hamas has also engaged in peaceful political activities, including running candidates in West Bank ] elections. | |||
| During the election campaign the organisation toned down criticism of Israel in its election manifesto, stating only that it was prepared to use "armed resistance to end the occupation".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stockholmsfria.nu/artikel/6296|title= Islamistisk politik vinner mark|author=Madelene Axelsson|date=January 27, 2006|publisher=]}} {{sv icon}}</ref> | |||
| === The Covenant of Hamas === | |||
| The 1988 ] (or Charter) states that the organization's goal is to "raise the banner of ] over every inch of Palestine," in order to establish an ]. | |||
| Hamas is an acronym of Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyyah ("Islamic Resistance Movement"), is a Palestinian anti-occupation organization closely related to the Muslim Brotherhood. | |||
| The organization is popular among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. It also has a following in the West Bank, and, to a lesser extent, in other Middle Eastern countries and throughout the Palestinian diaspora, including within Israel. The movement's popularity stems from its paramilitary activities, and from its provision of welfare and social services to the Palestinian poor. | |||
| The organization's goal has been used by the Israeli government to justify the assassination of its leaders. Assassinations and assassination attempts on Hamas leaders have been carried out in the past by the Israeli Air Force in the occupied territories, and by car bombings, shootings and even poison injections by Mossad agents outside Israel and the occupied territories. | |||
| ==Background== | |||
| Hamas uses political activities to pursue its goal of establishing an Islamic Palestinian state in place of Israel and the secular Palestinian Authority. As of 2004, Hamas' strength is concentrated in the Gaza Strip and a few areas of the West Bank. Israeli military operations during the Al Aqsa Intifada in 2002 put pressure on Hamas in the West Bank following several bombings in Israel for which Hamas claimed responsibility. Hamas has also engaged in peaceful political activity, such as running candidates in West Bank Chamber of Commerce elections. In December 2004, one of Hamas' leaders stated that the group was seriously considering participating in the upcoming Palestinian Authority legislative elections, but the group boycotted PA Presidential elections as it had in the past. In May 2005, Hamas won over one third of the municipal councils in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, seizing control of them from Fatah, which the BBC describes as "the biggest force in Palestinian politics." | |||
| According to UPI, Israel supported Hamas starting in the late 1970s as a "counterbalance to the PLO". | |||
| ==Beliefs== | |||
| The thirty-six articles of the Covenant detail the movement's Islamist beliefs regarding the primacy of Islam in all aspects of life. The Covenant identifies Hamas as the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine and considers its members to be Muslims who "fear God and raise the banner of Jihad in the face of the oppressors." Hamas describes resisting and quelling the enemy as the individual duty of every Muslim and prescribes revolutionary roles for all members of society; including men and women, professionals, scientists and students. | The thirty-six articles of the Covenant detail the movement's Islamist beliefs regarding the primacy of Islam in all aspects of life. The Covenant identifies Hamas as the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine and considers its members to be Muslims who "fear God and raise the banner of Jihad in the face of the oppressors." Hamas describes resisting and quelling the enemy as the individual duty of every Muslim and prescribes revolutionary roles for all members of society; including men and women, professionals, scientists and students. | ||
| The slogan of Hamas is "God is its target, the Prophet is its model, the Koran its constitution: Jihad is its path and death for the sake of God is the loftiest of its wishes." Hamas states that its objective is to support the oppressed and wronged and "to bring about justice and defeat injustice, in word and deed." Hamas believes that "the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf (trust) consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgement Day," and as such, the land cannot be negotiated away by any political leader. | |||
| The Hamas Covenant cites the long-discredited anti-Semitic fraud, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, describing it as "the embodiment of the Zionist plan to usurp Palestine". Hamas dismisses the Freemasons, Lions Club, and the Rotarians as organizations promoting "the interest of Zionism." It accuses those organizations, and the "Zionist invasion" in general, of being "behind the drug trade and alcoholism in all its kinds." | |||
| ==History== | |||
| Hamas was funded directly and indirectly during the 1970s and 1980s by various states including Saudi Arabia. The political/charitable arm of Hamas was officially registered and recognized within Israel at this time: indeed Israel supported and encouraged Hamas' early growth in an effort to undermine the secular Fatah movement. Hamas abstained from politics throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, concentrating on social issues such as exposing corruption, administration of waqf (trusts) and organizing community projects. Towards the mid-80s, however, the movement was taken over by an armed faction led by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. | |||
| The acronym "Hamas" first appeared in 1987 in a leaflet accusing Israeli intelligence services of undermining the moral fiber of Palestinian youth as part of their recruitment of "collaborators." The use of violence by Hamas appeared almost contemporaneously with the First Intifada, beginning with the so-called punishment of collaborators, progressing to attacks against Israeli military targets. | |||
| According to the semi-official Hamas biography "Truth and existence," Hamas evolved through four main stages: | |||
| 1. 1967-1976: Construction of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Gaza Strip in the face of "oppressive Israeli rule"; | |||
| 2. 1976-1981: Geographical expansion through participation in professional associations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and institution building, notably al-Mujamma` al-islami, al-Jam`iyya al-islamiyya, and the Islamic University in Gaza; | |||
| 3. 1981-1987: Political influence through establishment of the mechanisms of action and preparation for armed struggle; | |||
| 4. 1987: Founding of Hamas as the combatant arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine and the launching of a continuing Jihad. | |||
| While this reflects the activities of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the organization in the West Bank developed differently, with less emphasis at the beginning on the creation or control of public institutions. The Muslim Brotherhood in the West Bank constituted an integral part of the Jordanian Islamic movement, which for many years had been aligned with the Hashemite regime. Furthermore, the Muslim Brotherhood in the West Bank represented a higher socio-economic profile, consisting of merchants, landowners, and middle-class officials and professionals. By the mid-1980s, the Muslim Brotherhood held a significant portion of the positions in West Bank religious institutions. | |||
| On January 26, 2004, senior Hamas official Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi offered a 10-year truce, or hudna, in return for a complete withdrawal by Israel from the territories captured in the Six Day War, and the establishment of a Palestinian state. Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin stated that the group could accept a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Rantissi confirmed that Hamas had come to the conclusion that it was "difficult to liberate all our land at this stage, so we accept a phased liberation." He said the truce could last 10 years, though "not more than 10 years." | |||
| On March 22, 2004, Yassin was assassinated in an Israeli missile strike. Rantissi replaced him as the leader of Hamas. | |||
| On April 17, 2004, Rantissi was also assassinated in an airstrike by the Israel Defense Forces. Khaled Mashaal, the leader of Hamas in Syria, said Hamas should not disclose the name of its next leader in Gaza. | |||
| On April 18, 2004, Hamas secretly selected a new leader in the Gaza Strip, fearing he will be killed if his identity is made public. (NYT). However, Israel believes that the new leader is Mahmoud al-Zahar; the second-in-command, Ismail Haniya; and third-in-command, Sa'id A-Siyam. | |||
| As of 2004, Israeli military and intelligence sources believed that the Hamas infrastructure in the West Bank and Gaza Strip has been significantly weakened by Israeli military operations. Israeli sources have noted that no prominent attacks have been claimed by West Bank-based Hamas members, even though the Hamas leadership had reputedly ordered an escalation of attacks after the assassinations of Yassin and Rantissi. The West Bank has been under increased Israeli military control since Operation Defensive Shield was launched in April 2002, which severely limited the mobility and organization of the remaining Hamas membership. | |||
| In the Gaza Strip, on the other hand, Hamas is generally seen as a major force, rivalling Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement. | |||
| In 2004, in a prelude to the planned Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces carried out a number of military attacks on Gaza cities and refugees camps, seeking to draw out and kill Hamas-affiliated gunmen. Awareness of high casualties during such incursions has led the Hamas leadership to instruct its activists to avoid putting themselves needlessly in the line of fire. | |||
| On September 26, 2004, Hamas leader Izz El-Deen Sheikh Khalil was assassinated by a car bomb in Damascus, Syria. Khalil was described variously as "mid-level," "senior," a "distinguished member," and "believed to be in charge of the group's military wing outside the Palestinian territories." | |||
| On 12 September 2005 Israeli soldiers withdrew from the Gaza Strip and declared an official end to Israeli military rule in Gaza, and since Israel still retains control of the airspace and sea the Palestinan Authority say that the occupation is on-going. | |||
| ==Activities== | |||
| The first attack by the group was in response to the 1994 masacre in Hebron of 29 Muslim worshippers at the Ibrahimi Mosque by settler Baruch Goldstein. | |||
| Hamas has also attacked Israeli military and security forces targets (mostly inside the West Bank and Gaza Strip and occasionally inside Israel). | |||
| Hamas runs many relief and education programs. These programs are viewed variously as part of a sincere social development agenda. | |||
| Hamas devotes much of its estimated $70-million annual budget to an extensive social services network. It funds schools, orphanages, mosques, healthcare clinics, soup kitchens, and sports leagues. “Approximately 90 percent of its work is in social, welfare, cultural, and educational activities,” writes the Israeli scholar Reuven Paz. The Palestinian Authority often fails to provide such services; Hamas’ efforts in this area explain much of its popularity. | |||
| The work of Hamas in these fields is in addition to that provided by the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA). The charitable trust Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development was accused in December 2001 of funding Hamas. | |||
| Hamas receives funding from Palestinian expatriates, from the Islamist regime in Iran, and from private benefactors in Saudi Arabia and in other Arab states. Some fundraising and propaganda activity take place in Western Europe, North America and South America. | |||
| Hamas is believed to operate dozens of websites. A current listing can be found at Internet Haganah. The main website of Hamas provides translations of official communiques in Persian, Urdu, Malay, Russian, English, and Arabic. | |||
| Links: | |||
| The slogan of Hamas is "God is its target, ] is its model, the ] its ]: Jihad is its path and death for the sake of God is the loftiest of its wishes." Hamas states that its objective is to support the oppressed and wronged and "to bring about justice and defeat injustice, in word and deed." Hamas believes that "the land of Palestine is an Islamic ] (trust) consecrated for future Muslim generations until ]," and as such, the land cannot be negotiated away by any political leader. Hamas rejects "so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences" as incapable of realizing justice or restoring rights to the oppressed, believing "there is no solution for the Palestinian question except through ]." | |||
| The side of Israel not seen on CNN | |||
| http://www.thewe.cc/contents/more/archive/atrocities.htm | |||
| The Covenant outlines the organization's position on various issues, including social and economic development and ideological influences, education, as well as its position regarding Israel. Amongst many other things, it reiterates the group's rejection of the coexistence principle of the ]: | |||
| <blockquote>''Preface:'' "Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it." ''(A quote by Imam ])''</blockquote> | |||
| <blockquote>''Article 6:'' "The Islamic Resistance Movement is a distinguished Palestinian movement, whose allegiance is to Allah, and whose way of life is Islam. It strives to raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine, for under the wing of Islam followers of all religions can coexist in security and safety where their lives, possessions and rights are concerned..."</blockquote> | |||
| <blockquote>''Article 11:'' "The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up."</blockquote> | |||
| <blockquote>''Article 13:'' "There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through ]. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors. The Palestinian people know better than to consent to having their future, rights and fate toyed with."</blockquote> | |||
| <blockquote>''Article 28:'' "The Zionist invasion is a vicious invasion ... It relies greatly in its infiltration and espionage operations on the secret organizations it gave rise to, such as the Freemasons, The Rotary and Lions clubs, and other sabotage groups. All these organizations, whether secret or open, work in the interest of Zionism and according to its instructions ..."</blockquote> | |||
| <blockquote>''Article 31:'' "The Islamic Resistance Movement is a humanistic movement. It takes care of human rights and is guided by Islamic tolerance when dealing with the followers of other religions. It does not antagonize anyone of them except if it is antagonized by it or stands in its way to hamper its moves and waste its efforts. Under the wing of Islam, it is possible for the followers of the three religions - Islam, Christianity and Judaism - to coexist in peace and quiet with each other."</blockquote> | |||
| <blockquote>''Article 32:'' "After Palestine, the Zionists aspire to expand from the Nile to the Euphrates. When they will have digested the region they overtook, they will aspire to further expansion, and so on. Their plan is embodied in '']'', and their present conduct is the best proof of what we are saying."<ref>{{cite web|title=A viable Palestinian state...|publisher=Die Welt|url= http://www.welt.de/z/plog/blog.php/the_free_west/the_free_wests_weblog/2006/01/26/a_viable_palestinian_state| date=January 1, 2006|}}</ref></blockquote> | |||
| Suicide attacks are an element of what the group sees as its ] against Israel. Since the group considers all Israel to be a "] society" (there is ]) and Israelis to be participants in an illegal occupation of Palestinian land, Hamas does not distinguish between Israeli ] and military targets {{fact}}. This failure to distinguish between combatants and non-combatants and the group's willingness to target civilian facilities including buses, supermarkets, and restaurants is one of the main trait which supports its classification as a terrorist movement (although Hamas claims being a ]). | |||
| Hamas' position on other social and political issues: | |||
| <blockquote>''Article 16 (education):'' | |||
| It is necessary to follow Islamic orientation in educating the Islamic generations in our region by teaching the religious duties, comprehensive study of the Koran, the study of the Prophet's Sunna (his sayings and doings), and learning about Islamic history and heritage from their authentic sources. This should be done by specialised and learned people, using a curriculum that would healthily form the thoughts and faith of the Moslem student. Side by side with this, a comprehensive study of the enemy, his human and financial capabilities, learning about his points of weakness and strength, and getting to know the forces supporting and helping him, should also be included. Also, it is important to be acquainted with the current events, to follow what is new and to study the analysis and commentaries made of these events. Planning for the present and future, studying every trend appearing, is a must so that the fighting Moslem would live knowing his aim, objective and his way in the midst of what is going on around him.</blockquote> | |||
| <blockquote>''Article 18 (on women):'' | |||
| Woman in the home of the fighting family, whether she is a mother or a sister, plays the most important role in looking after the family, rearing the children and imbuing them with moral values and thoughts derived from Islam. She has to teach them to perform the religious duties in preparation for the role of fighting awaiting them. That is why it is necessary to pay great attention to schools and the curriculum followed in educating Moslem girls, so that they would grow up to be good mothers, aware of their role in the battle for liberation. | |||
| She has to be of sufficient knowledge and understanding where the performance of housekeeping matters are concerned, because economy and avoidance of waste of the family budget, is one of the requirements for the ability to continue moving forward in the difficult conditions surrounding us. She should put before her eyes the fact that the money available to her is just like blood which should never flow except through the veins so that both children and grown-ups could continue to live.</blockquote> | |||
| <blockquote>''Article 21 (on civic culture and social responsibility):'' | |||
| Mutual social responsibility means extending assistance, financial or moral, to all those who are in need and joining in the execution of some of the work. Members of the Islamic Resistance Movement should consider the interests of the masses as their own personal interests. They must spare no effort in achieving and preserving them. They must prevent any foul play with the future of the upcoming generations and anything that could cause loss to society. The masses are part of them and they are part of the masses. Their strength is theirs, and their future is theirs. Members of the Islamic Resistance Movement should share the people's joy and grief, adopt the demands of the public and whatever means by which they could be realised. The day that such a spirit prevails, brotherliness would deepen, cooperation, sympathy and unity will be enhanced and the ranks will be solidified to confront the enemies.</blockquote> | |||
| === Anti-Semitism === | |||
| ] is a recurring theme in the Hamas Covenant and speeches of its leaders. The Covenant cites '']'', describing it as "the embodiment of the Zionist plan to usurp Palestine". Other examples of Anti-Semitism in their Covenant include: | |||
| <blockquote>''Introduction:'' Our struggle against the Jews is very great and very serious. It needs all sincere efforts. It is a step that inevitably should be followed by other steps. The Movement is but one squadron that should be supported by more and more squadrons from this vast Arab and Islamic world, until the enemy is vanquished and Allah's victory is | |||
| realised.</blockquote> | |||
| <blockquote>''Article 7:'' ... the Islamic Resistance Movement aspires to the realisation of Allah's promise, no matter how long that should take. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him salvation, has said: "The Day of Judgement will not come about until Muslims fight the Jews, when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Muslims, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him. Only the Gharqad tree would not do that because it is one of the trees of the Jews."</blockquote> | |||
| <blockquote>''Article 28:'' ... when the Jews conquered the Holy City in 1967, they stood on the threshold of the Aqsa Mosque and proclaimed that "Mohammed is dead, and his descendants are all women." Israel, Judaism and Jews challenge Islam and the Moslem people. "May the cowards never sleep."</blockquote> | |||
| Hamas categorizes the ], ], and the ] as organizations promoting "the interest of ]." It accuses those organizations, and the "Zionist invasion" in general, of being "behind the drug trade and alcoholism in all its kinds." | |||
| ], co-founder of Hamas, reiterated beliefs of ] as recently as one year before his 2004 death, contending that the Holocaust did not occur in the manner described by Western historians.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hamas Leader Rantisi: The Holocaust-The Greatest of Lies Funded by the Zionists|date=August 27, 2003|publisher=Independent Media Review Analysis|url=http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=18086}}</ref> | |||
| In 1998, Esther Webman of the Project for the Study of Anti-Semitism at the ] | |||
| wrote: "...the anti-Semitic rhetoric in Hamas leaflets is frequent and intense. Nevertheless, anti-Semitism is not the main tenet of Hamas ideology. Generally no differentiation was made in the leaflets between Jew and Zionist, in as much as Judaism was perceived as embracing Zionism, although in other Hamas publications and in interviews with its leaders attempts at this differentiation have been made."<ref>{{cite web|title=Anti-semitic motifs in Hamas leaflets, 1987-1992|url=http://www.ict.org.il/articles/articledet.cfm?articleid=51#motifs|publisher=]|date=July 9, 1998}}</ref> | |||
| According to Meir Litvak's 2003 study, "In Hamas' literature, anti-Semitism became almost dominant. Earlier anti-Semitic motifs are developed time and again in their magazine Falastin al-Muslama. Almost every issue contains anti-Jewish articles using elements from the Islamic tradition. Judaism is presented as a religion based on lies, which from its origin called for aggression against others and their exploitation."<ref>{{cite web|title=The Development of Arab Anti-Semitism|url=http://www.jcpa.org/phas/phas-5.htm|date=February 2, 2003|publisher=]}}</ref> | |||
| According to Hamas choice for Palestinian Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyeh: | |||
| <blockquote>''We do not have any feelings of animosity toward Jews. We do not wish to throw them into the sea. All we seek is to be given our land back, not to harm anybody.''</blockquote> | |||
| Also, according to the chief of Hamas' political bureau, Khalid Meshaal: | |||
| <blockquote>''Our message to the Israelis is this: We do not fight you because you belong to a certain faith or culture. Jews have lived in the Muslim world for 13 centuries in peace and harmony; they are in our religion "the people of the book" who have a covenant from God and his messenger, Muhammad (peace be upon him), to be respected and protected.'' | |||
| <br /><br /> | |||
| ''Our conflict with you is not religious but political. We have no problem with Jews who have not attacked us — our problem is with those who came to our land, imposed themselves on us by force, destroyed our society and banished our people.''<ref>{{cite news|title='We shall never recognize... a Zionist state on our soil'|date=February 1, 2006|publisher=]|url= | |||
| http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-meshal1feb01,0,4722412.story}}</ref> | |||
| </blockquote> | |||
| == Activities == | |||
| === Provision of social welfare === | |||
| The organization is particularly popular among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, though it also has a following in the West Bank, and to a lesser extent in other Middle Eastern countries. Since its formation in 1987, Hamas has conducted numerous social, political, and military actions. Its popularity stems in part from its ] and social services to Palestinians in the occupied territories, including school and hospital construction. The group devotes much of its estimated $70-million annual budget to an extensive social services network, running many relief and education programs, and funds schools, orphanages, mosques, healthcare clinics, soup kitchens, and sports leagues. According to the Israeli scholar Reuven Paz "approximately 90 percent of the organization's work is in social, welfare, cultural, and educational activities".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cfrterrorism.org/groups/hamas.html|publisher=]|date=March 16, 2006|title=Hamas: Backgroung Q&A}}</ref> These programs are viewed variously as part of a sincere social development agenda, an integrated para-state policy, as ] and ] exercises, or both. In any case, Hamas has significantly increased literacy in areas where it is active. Hamas also funds a number of other charitable activities, primarily in the Gaza Strip. These include religious institutions, medical facilities, and social needs of the area's residents. The work of Hamas in these fields supplements that provided by the ] (UNRWA). The ] ] was accused in December 2001 of funding Hamas. Hamas is also well regarded by Palestinians for its efficiency and perceived lack of corruption compared to Fatah.<ref>{{cite news | title=Why Rising Popularity Poses a Dilemma for Hamas | publisher=Time | date=January 23, 2006|url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1151969,00.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=The Palestinian Authority held a democratic election and Israel and the rest of the world must accept that Hamas was the victor|publisher=] | date=No date | url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/myths/mf24.html#a46}}</ref> | |||
| === Attacks against Israel === | |||
| Hamas' first use of suicide bombing occurred on ], ] when a suicide bomber driving an explosive-laden van detonated between two buses parked at a restaurant. It was Hamas' 19th known attack since 1989 (the others being shootings, kidnappings and knife attacks) <ref> The Institute for Counter-Terrorim</ref>. | |||
| During the ], Hamas, along with the ], spearheaded the violence through the years of the Palestinian uprising. <ref> {{cite news | title=Victory leaves Hamas with a dilemma (Opinion) | publisher=] | date=January 27, 2006 | url=http://www.opinion.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2006/01/27/do2702.xml&sSheet=/opinion/2006/01/27/ixopinion.html}} </ref> Since then Hamas has conducted many attacks on Israel, mainly through its military wing - the ]. These attacks have included large-scale ]s against Israeli civilian targets, the most deadly of which was the bombing of a ] hotel on March 27 2002, in which 30 people were killed and 140 were wounded. This attack has also been referred to as the ] since it took place on the first night of the Jewish festival of ]. Overall, from November 2000 to April 2004, 377 Israeli citizens and soldiers were killed and 2,076 wounded in 425 attacks by Hamas. (.) The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs maintains a comprehensive list of Hamas attacks. | |||
| Hamas has used ]s, including a mother of six and a mother of two children under the age of 10. Hamas claims that all suicide bombers volunteer for what they term "]dom operations" however an anonymous Israeli military source claims that one of the women was forced to commit these acts under threat of what is termed an "]". | |||
| Hamas has also attacked Israeli military and security forces targets (mostly inside the West Bank and Gaza Strip and occasionally inside Israel), suspected Palestinian ]s, and ] rivals. | |||
| Hamas shelled the ] ]s in Gaza with homemade ]s. About 5500 mortar shells have landed in Gush Katif, killing 3 people before the settlements were dismantled.{{citation needed}} | |||
| Since 2002, Hamas has used homemade ]s to hit Israeli towns in the ], such as ]. The introduction of the ''Qassam-2 rocket'' has allowed Hamas to reach large Israeli cities such as ], bringing great concern to the Israeli populace and many attempts by the Israeli military to stop the proliferation and use of the rockets. | |||
| In May 2006 Israel arrested Hamas top official ] who was responsible for dozens of ] and other attacks on Israelis. | |||
| On ], 2006 the Israel Defense Forces projected that it is headed toward another violent round of clashes with the Palestinians since Hamas came to power in recent legislative elections. This prediction follows a period of relative calm, although many explosives and suspected suicide bombers are reported to have been caught at Israeli security checkpoints. | |||
| === Funding === | |||
| According to the ],<ref name="SD1">, U.S. State Dept., April 27, 2005</ref> Hamas is funded by ] (led by a ] regime), Palestinian expatriates, and private benefactors in ] and other Arab states. The party is known to support families of suicide bombers after their deaths. Some believe the financial support includes a monthly allowance. <ref>{{cite news|title=Hamas from cradle to grave|publisher=]|date=Winter 2004|url=http://www.meforum.org/article/582|author=Matthew A. Levitt}}</ref> However, various sources, among them '']'' <ref name="UPI">"Hamas history tied to Israel", ], ], ]</ref>, '']'' and '']''<ref name="Humanite">{{en icon}}/{{fr icon}}{{cite news|title=Hamas is a creation of Mossad (English translation)|publisher=]|date=Summer 2002| accessdate=May 2, 2006 | url=http://globalresearch.ca/articles/ZER403A.html}}; French original version: {{Cite news | title=Hamas, le produit du Mossad | date=December 14, 2001 | accessdate=May 3, 2006 | publisher=] | url=http://www.humanite.fr/journal/2001-12-14/2001-12-14-255050}} </ref> have highlighted that Hamas' early growth - before its official founding and the creation of the military branch - had been supported by the ] as a "counterbalance to the ] (PLO)". Furthermore, the French investigative newspaper Le Canard enchaîné claimed that ] had also supported Hamas as a counterweight to the PLO and Fatah, in an attempt to give "a religious slant to the conflict, in order to make the West believe that the conflict was between Jews and Muslims", thus supporting the controversial thesis of a "]". <ref name="Le Canard"> ''Les très secrètes 'relations' Israël-Hamas'' (The very secret Israel-Hamas 'relations'), '']'', February 1, 2006 (issue n°4449) {{fr icon}} </ref>. | |||
| === Other === | |||
| provides translations of official communiques in ], ], ], ], ], and ]. | |||
| In 2005, Hamas announced its intention to launch an experimental TV channel, "Al-Aqsa". The station was launched on January 7, 2006, less than three weeks before the ].<ref>{{cite news|title=Hamas launches “Al-Aqsa”, an experimental TV channel intended to improve its propaganda and indoctrination capabilities|date=January 22, 2006|url=http://www.intelligence.org.il/eng/eng_n/al_aqsa_e.htm|publisher=Center for Special Studies}}</ref> It included a TV show for children. Hamas also has a children web site, ''Al Fateh''. | |||
| == History == | |||
| <!--there was no HAMAS party in any way before 1987--> | |||
| === Brief timeline === | |||
| * ] Arrest of Sheikh ], condemned to 12 years of prison after the discovery of an arms cache. Yassin is freed the next year. | |||
| * ] Creation of Hamas by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. | |||
| * 1987-1993 ]. | |||
| * ] ]. | |||
| * ] Israel outlaws Hamas and imprisons Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. | |||
| * ] ]. | |||
| * ] Creation of the military branch Izz ad-Din al-Qassam. | |||
| * ] ]. | |||
| * April 1993. First Hamas suicide bombing at Mehola Junction. | |||
| * ]. Hamas boycotts them, allowing the ], led by Yasser Arafat, a large victory. | |||
| * January 5, ]. ] of ], Hamas bombmaker. | |||
| * February-March 1996. 47 Israelis killed in three different bombings. | |||
| * October ]. Freed by Prime minister ] for "humanitarian reasons", Sheikh Yassin is acclaimed as hero at his return to Gaza. | |||
| * September ]. Beginning of ]. | |||
| * July ]. Assassination of ], leader of the Ezzedeen-al-qassam brigades. | |||
| * ], ]. 10 year truce (]) offered by senior Hamas official Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi in exchange of Israel's complete withdrawal to the 1967 borders. | |||
| * ] 2004, assassination of Sheikh Yassin. Yassin, then an old man restricted to a wheel-chair due to his life-long paralysis was assassinated in an Israeli missile strike. Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi replaced him as the leader of Hamas. On ], Rantissi stated in a speech given at ] that "America declared war against God. ] declared war against God, and God declared war against America, Bush and Sharon" {{citation needed}}. | |||
| * ], 2004, assassination of ]. Rantissi was also assassinated in an airstrike by the ], five hours after a fatal suicide bombing by Hamas. ], the leader of Hamas in Syria, said Hamas should not disclose the name of its next leader in Gaza. | |||
| * ] 2004, Hamas secretly selected a new leader in the Gaza Strip, fearing he would be killed if his identity were made public. However, it was speculated that the new leader is ]; the second-in-command, ]; and third-in-command, ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=61435|date=April 26, 2004|title=Next Hamas Leader Confirmed|publisher=Arutz Sheva}}</ref> | |||
| * September 2004. Israeli army chief ] said that Israel would "deal with those who support terrorism", including those in "terror command posts in Damascus". | |||
| * ], 2004. Assassination of ]. Sheikh Khalil was assassinated by a car bomb in Damascus, Syria. Khalil was described variously as "mid-level", "senior", a "distinguished member", and believed to be in charge of the group's military wing outside the Palestinian territories. Although the Israeli government offered no official confirmation, anonymous Israeli officials acknowledged responsibility for the attack.{{citation needed}} In a statement released in Gaza, Hamas threatened to target Israelis abroad in retaliation. | |||
| * October 2004. Assassination of ], assistant of ], the leader of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam brigades. | |||
| * ], 2004. Death of ], chairman of the ] (PLO) and president of the ]. | |||
| * ]. Hamas boycotts them. PLO chairman ] elected to replace Yasser Arafat. | |||
| * ]. Relative success of Hamas, which took control of ] in northern Gaza, ] in the West Bank and ]. | |||
| * March ]. Hamas proclaims ], a period of calm. | |||
| * ], ]. Victory of the Hamas at the ], which took 74 seats of the 132 seats. | |||
| === Before 1987 - Palestinian Islamic activities prior to the creation of Hamas === | |||
| Sheikh Ahmed Yassin returned to Gaza from ] in the 1970s, where he set up Islamic charities, founding Hamas in 1987 as an offshoot of ]'s ]. According to the Israeli weekly '']'' (October 1987), "The Islamic associations as well as the had been supported and encouraged by the Israeli military authority" in charge of the (civilian) administration of the West Bank and Gaza. "They were authorized to receive money payments from abroad." By the end of 1992, there were 600 mosques in Gaza. Hamas attracted members through preaching and charitable work before spreading its influence into ]s, universities, bazaars, professional organizations and local government political races beginning in December 2004. “Thanks to Israel’s intelligence agency ] (Israel’s Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks), the Islamists were allowed to reinforce their presence in the occupied territories. Meanwhile, the members of Fatah (Movement for the National Liberation of Palestine) and the Palestinian Left were subjected to the most brutal form of repression”, according to '']''.<ref name = "Humanite" /> Indeed Israel supported and encouraged Hamas' early growth in an effort to undermine the secular ] movement of ] <ref name="Le Canard"/>. According to ], ] supported Hamas starting in the late 1970s as a "counterbalance to the ]" <ref name="UPI"/>. At that time, Hamas's focus was on "religious and social work". The grassroots movement concentrated on social issues such as exposing corruption, administration of '']'' (trusts) and organizing community projects. | |||
| === 1987 - The establishment of Hamas === | |||
| The acronym "Hamas" first appeared in 1987 in a leaflet which accused the Israeli ]s of undermining the moral fiber of Palestinian youth as part of Mossad's recruitment of what Hamas termed "]s". The use of violence by Hamas appeared almost contemporaneously with the ], beginning with the beating of Palestinians working with the Israeli government, progressing to attacks against Israeli military targets and moving on to violence aimed at civilians. As its methods have changed over the last twenty years, so has its rhetoric, now effectively claiming that Israeli civilians are "military targets" by virtue of living in a state with universal military ]. The first Hamas suicide bombing was committed in April 1994 at Hadera. | |||
| === 1991 - The Persian Gulf war === | |||
| Between February and April 1988, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin raised several millions dollars from the Gulf states, which had withdrawn their funding from Fatah following its official support of Saddam Hussein during the first ]. In prison since 1989, Yassin was released under “humanitarian reasons” by Prime Minister ] following a failed assassination attempt on ], and expelled to ], from where he was allowed to return to Gaza in October 1997. The ], the military branch, was created a year before the ], in an attempt to block those negotiations. | |||
| === 2004 - A 10-year truce === | |||
| On ] ], senior Hamas official ] offered a 10-year truce, or '']'', in return for a complete withdrawal by Israel from the ] in the ], and the establishment of a Palestinian state (it remade the same offer after winning the majority in the ], accepting the 2002 ] <ref> {{fr icon}} {{Cite news | title=Le Quartet cherche une solution à la banqueroute palestinienne | date=May 9, 2006 | accessdate=May 9, 2006 | publisher=] | url=http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3218,36-769645,0.html}} </ref>). Hamas leader Sheikh ] stated that the group could accept a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Rantissi confirmed that Hamas had come to the conclusion that it was "difficult to liberate all our land at this stage, so we accept a phased liberation." He said the truce could last 10 years, though "not more than 10 years". | |||
| From the time of an attack on the Israeli southern town of ] in ], in which 15 people were killed and 125 wounded, the truce was generally observed. Hamas violated once, in ], with an attack on the same bus station, wounding seven, and in several attacks on Israeli motorists - killing six in several attacks.<ref>{{cite news|title=Deadly Hebron cell caught|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3211836,00.html|publisher = Y Net News|date=February 6, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Shin Bet cracks Hamas terror cell|url= http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1138622559871&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull |date=February 6, 2006|publisher=]}}</ref>. | |||
| End of January 2004, ], US civil servant mandated by the State Department and ], assisted to a meeting with Hamas officials, according to the '']''. The mission was not only in informing itself about the objectives of the movement, according to the French newspaper, but also to evaluate if Hamas could represent a counter-balance to ]. In exchange, Hamas officials asked for the end of extra-judicial "]s" practiced against them by the Israeli military <ref name="Le Canard"/>. | |||
| While the group boycotted the ], it did participate in the ] organized by Yassir Arafat in the occupied territories. In those elections it won control of over one third of Palestinian municipal councils, besting ], which has traditionally been "the biggest force in Palestinian politics".<ref>{{cite news | title=Hamas success in Fatah heartland| publisher=]|date=May 13, 2005|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4541383.stm}}</ref> With this electoral success behind it, Hamas contested the ] as the main component of the List of Change and Reform. | |||
| === 2005 - Israel's unilateral disengagement plan === | |||
| In 2004, in a prelude to ] from the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces carried out a number of military attacks on Gaza cities and refugees camps, seeking to draw out and kill Hamas-affiliated gunmen. Awareness of high casualties during such incursions has led the Hamas leadership to instruct its activists to avoid putting themselves needlessly in the line of fire. On ] ] ] withdrew from the Gaza Strip and declared an official end to Israeli military rule in Gaza, though Israel still retains control of the airspace and of the sea. However the ] argues that the occupation is on-going, as complete ] includes control of both airspace and seaways. The Gaza strip has been called an "open-air prison".<ref>{{cite news | title=Breakthrough or Blockade in Middle East Peace Process? Why Hamas won, and why negotiations must resume|author=Joel Beinin|publisher=]|date=February 8, 2006| url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/02/08/EDGURH4I5P1.DTL}}</ref> | |||
| Hamas claimed that this unilateral withdrawal was a victory for its armed struggle and pledged to liberate all the occupied territories, including the ] and ]. Fatah, on the other hand, viewed ]'s unilateral plan as proof of the Palestinians' failure to obtain international recognition. Both criticized the disengagement plan, citing Sharon's simultaneous encouragement of ]s in the West Bank, including ], a large settlement east of ].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Israel: Sharon the blessed |publisher=]|date=February 2006|url=http://mondediplo.com/2006/02/03sharon}}</ref> | |||
| In ], an advisor of hawkish ], principal right-wing opponent of Ariel Sharon, secretly negotiated with a Hamas representant, according to the '']''. The meeting was about the "possibility of an administrative co-gestion with the Hamas in the occupied territories", which is already the case in some Hamas-controlled cities of the West Bank, according to the French newspaper, which continues saying that: "But, in both sides, participants to such a dialogue keeps their mouth shut (''bouche cousue''). It is impossible to admit that one has met and negotiated with his sworn enemy." <ref name="Le Canard"/> | |||
| === January 2006 - Winning the legislative election === | |||
| {{wikinews|Hamas wins Palestinian election}} | |||
| While Hamas had boycotted the ], during which ] was elected to replace ], it did participate to the ] held between January and May 2005, in which it took control of ] in Gaza, ] in the West Bank and ]. The ] marked another victory for Hamas, which gained the majority of seats, defeating the ruling ] party. The "List of Change and Reform", as Hamas presented itself, obtained 42.9% of the vote and 74 of the 132 seats.<ref></ref> | |||
| ==== Political decisions and consequences on economy ==== | |||
| {{See|Palestinian economy}} | |||
| The result of the election was regarded as a major setback for governments attempting to mediate the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The ] immediately declared that it will not deal with Hamas until it renounces its support of suicide bombings and violence, and accepts Israel's right to exist. Israeli president ] and Israel's ex-prime minister ] both said that, if Hamas will accept Israel's right to exist and give up violence, Israel should negotiate with the organization. ] said that Russia would not support any efforts to cut off financial assistance to the Palestinians, stating that Hamas gained power by democratic means. He invited some Hamas leaders to Moscow beginning of March 2006, and in May, repeated that cutting funds to the Hamas was a "mistake" <ref name="Oxygen"> {{Cite news | title=Une bouffée d’oxygène pour les Palestiniens | date=May 10, 2006 | accessdate=May 10, 2006 | publisher=] | url=http://www.rfi.fr/actufr/articles/077/article_43622.asp}} {{fr icon}} </ref>. | |||
| The US and the EU cut all funds to the Palestinian Authority, with only Russia warning against the potential dangers of cutting out the PA from any Occidental support. The EU (which gives $500 million per year to the PA) announced that future aid to the Palestinians was tied to "Three Principles" outlined by the international community — Hamas must renounce violence, it must recognize Israel's right to exist and it must express clear support for the Middle East peace process, as outlined in the 1993 ]. Hamas doesn't seems to be ready to accept such conditions, and rejected them as "unfair". <ref name=BBC2>, ''BBC News'', January 31, 2006</ref> At best, they would be ready to accept the ] formulated on ], ] during the ] ]: full normalization of relations with Israel in exchange for Israeli withdrawal to the ], implying Israeli evacuation of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, ], the ] and the ] and their descendants <ref name="LemondeA"> {{fr icon}} {{Cite news | title=Le Quartet cherche une solution à la banqueroute palestinienne | date=May 9, 2006 | accessdate=May 9, 2006 | publisher=] | url=http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3218,36-769645,0.html}} </ref>. Furthermore, the US has imposed a financial blockade on the PA's banks, impeding some of the ]'s funds (e.g. ] and ]) from being transferred to the PA <ref name="LemondeA"/>. | |||
| Israel, on the other side, decided to cut transfers of the $55 million tax-receipts of the PA that it perceives on the PA's behalf, since the PA doesn't have any access point to receive taxes. On February 19, 2006, interim ] ], who called the PA a "terrorist authority", decided to stop transfer of the $55 million tax-receipts to the PA, which accounts for a third of the PA's budget (two thirds of its proper budget) and insure the wages of 165 000 Palestinian civil servants (among them 60 000 security and police officers). The salary of the Palestinian civil servants permits a third of the Palestinian population to live <ref name="LemondeA"/>. Israel had already done that in 1991 and 1992, but international aid had covered up the budgetary losses. Israel also decided to increase controls on check-points, but finally decided against blocking Palestinians from ] between Gaza and the West Bank and from prohibiting them to work in Israel. Criticizing these measures, moderate ] ] said that they were "indirect ways" to "get around Hamas and strengthen moderate forces" among the Palestinians. | |||
| In May 2006, following a ] report about the ], the Quartet agreed to transfer funds directly to the ]. Israeli minister of foreign affairs, ], said the measure was "acceptable", while PA minister of foreign affairs, ], welcomed the promise of aid but criticised attempts to bypass the PA: "We appreciate every effort in order to help the Palestinian people by legal channels... and the legal channel is the Palestinian Authority, whether the presidency or the government," . <ref>, ''BBC News'', May 10, 2006</ref> The World Bank had already compared the 2001 and 2002 economic recession, due to the Second Intifada and Israel's refusal to transfer tax receipts, to the ]. The ] underlined that ], which was estimated to 23% in 2005, would increase to 39% in 2006, while ], estimated at 44%, would increase to 67% in 2006 <ref name="LemondeA"/>. According to a World Bank report published on May 7, 2006, the delay in paying the PA's civil servants — whom haven't received their wages since March 2006 — is dangerous both on social and security plans. This convinced the United States to accept the EU proposal, supported by Russia and the Arab countries, of finding a way to transfer funds to the Palestinian society without passing by the Palestinian Authority. The ] thus accepted, on May 9, 2006, an "international temporary mechanism of limited range and lenght" <ref> {{Cite news | title=Une bouffée d’oxygène pour les Palestiniens | date=May 10, 2006 | accessdate=May 10, 2006 | publisher=] | url=http://www.rfi.fr/actufr/articles/077/article_43622.asp}} {{fr icon}} </ref> | |||
| ==== Last Fatah measures ==== | |||
| Before the Israeli decision to cut transfer of tax receipts, Palestinian Assembly passed legislation giving to the Palestinian President, ], the power to appoint a court that could veto legislation passed by the new Hamas-led parliament to be sworn in start of February. The constitutional court would veto legislation deemed in violation of the Palestinians' Basic Law, a forerunner to the Palestinian constitution. Palestinian deputies also backed a ] which automatically makes members of the incoming parliament members of the ]'s (PLO) parliament in exile. Unlike the Hamas charter, the PLO charter recognises the legitimacy of Israel. <ref>{{cite news | title=Palestinian Parliament Gives New Power | publisher=The Washington Post | date=February 13, 2006 | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/13/AR2006021300259.html?sub=AR}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Outgoing MPs boost Abbas' power | publisher=BBC News | date=February 13, 2006 | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4708820.stm}}</ref> | |||
| ==== Hamas' declarations since the 2006 legislative elections ==== | |||
| Although Hamas omitted its call for the destruction of Israel from its election manifesto, calling instead for "the establishment of an independent state whose capital is ]," several Hamas candidates insisted that the charter remains in force.<ref name="guard1" /><ref>{{cite news | title=Hamas: Ceasefire for return to 1967 border | publisher=Y Net News | date=January 30, 2006 | url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3207845,00.html}}</ref> | |||
| On February 8, Hamas head ] speaking in Cairo had clarified that "Anyone who thinks Hamas will change is wrong", stating that while Hamas is willing for a ceasefire with Israel, its long term goal remains: elimination of Israel by Islam via a ] against what Hamas sees as Zionist Jewish settler-colonial invaders in all of what he called Palestine.<ref>{{cite news|date=]|title= Hamas offers deal if Israel pulls out| publisher= The Telegraph |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/02/09/wmid09.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/02/09/ixworld.html}}</ref> | |||
| However, on February 13, 2006, in an interview in Russian newspaper '']'', the same Khaled Mashal declared that Hamas would stop armed struggle against Israel if it recognized the 1967 borders, withdrew itself from all ] (including the West Bank and ]) and recognized Palestinian rights which would include the "right of return". This was the first time that Hamas even talked about an eventual stop to armed struggle. But Mashal continued to refuse to acknowledge the ], adopted by the Quartet in ], "since nobody respects it". The Road map projected the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in 2005. <ref>{{cite news | title=Hamas will end armed struggle if Israel quits territories - leader | publisher=AFX News Limited | date=February 12, 2006 | url=http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/afx/2006/02/12/afx2519867.html}}</ref> | |||
| In May 2006, Hamas leaders threated a new Intifada, as well as to decapitate anyone who tried to bring down their cabinet. <ref>Abu Toameh, Khaled. , '']'', May 6, 2006.</ref> | |||
| ==== Cabinet formation ==== | |||
| Palestinian Prime Minister ] and his cabinet resigned, leaving Hamas to form a new government, which was completely formed on ]. On February 19, Hamas had chosen ] as ], and on the same day the government of Israel decided counter-measures against the new Hamas-led Palestinian Authority (suspension of $55 million transfer of tax-receipts). After the victory, Israeli human rights organizations <!-- which ones? --> have called on Hamas to stop its terror campaign against civilians and to avoid using violence as a tool to achieve a political solution.{{citation needed}} | |||
| On ], ], Hamas unveiled its full cabinet list, placing loyal members in charge of all key ministries; of the 24 ministers appointed, the majority were Hamas (the others were independent or ]). ]' ] refused to join the Hamas government. The position of foreign minister was given to ], a Gazan leader and target of previous assassination attempts by Israel. ], another Hamas leader, was appointed interior minister, in charge of multiple security agencies. Hamas member and engineer ] was appointed economics minister. The position of finance minister was given to ], Hamas election official and economics professor from the West Bank.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=]|date=March 20, 2006|url=http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L20387227.htm|title=Hamas unveils Palestinian cabinet list}}</ref> | |||
| In his interview to ''The Sunday Telegraph'', the newly appointed chief of the Palestinian security services ] stated: "We have only one enemy. They are Jews. We have no other enemy. I will continue to carry the rifle and pull the trigger whenever required to defend my people."<ref>{{cite news|publisher=] |title='Jews are our enemy. I will pull the trigger whenever required'|date=]|url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/04/23/whamas23.xml}}</ref> <!--What is the current status of this man and his position?-->However, president Mahmoud Abbas retained official control over the Palestinian security services <ref name="BBC8"> {{Cite news | title=Three die in Fatah-Hamas clashes | date=May 8, 2006 | accessdate=May 8, 2006 | publisher=] | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4983510.stm}} </ref>. | |||
| ==== Tensions between Fatah and Hamas ==== | |||
| Since the formation of the new Hamas cabinet on March 20, 2006, tensions have progressively risen in the Gaza strip between Fatah and Hamas militants. In May 2006, the '']'' reported that Israeli security sources claimed they had uncovered a Hamas plot to assassinate president ]. <ref>Mahnaimi, Uzi. , '']'', May 7, 2006.</ref> This was officially denied by a Hamas spokesman, while Mahmoud Abbas' spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina described the report as "totally untrue".<ref>"Un complot visant Abbas aurait été déjoué grace aux Israéliens", '']'', 8 May, 2006.</ref> On ], three Palestinians were killed and 10 wounded in clashes in southern Gaza, near ], between rival Hamas and Fatah gunmen. The PA, confronted to the Quartet's blockade and Israel's refusal to hand out the $55 million in monthly tax revenues impedes it from paying its 165,000 employees (whose wages allow a third of the Palestinian population to live). On May 6 and 7, hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated in Gaza and the West Bank demanding payment of their wages. Although this inter-Palestinian incident was one of the most serious since January, tension has been slowly risen with the "economic squeeze" on the PA <ref name="BBC8"/>. | |||
| == Legal action against Hamas == | |||
| In 2004, a federal court in the United States found Hamas liable in a civil lawsuit for the 1996 murders of Yaron and Efrat Ungar near ], ]. Hamas has been ordered to pay the families of the Ungars $116 million. On ], ], the court issued a default judgment against the ] and the ] regarding the Ungars' claim that the Palestinian Authority and the PLO provide safe haven to Hamas. | |||
| On ], ], three Palestinians, one a naturalized American citizen, were charged with a "lengthy racketeering conspiracy to provide money for ] acts in Israel". The indicted include ], senior member of Hamas, believed to be currently in ], ] and considered a ]. The two others — ] of ] and ] of Alexandria, Va. — were arrested on ]. The indictment states that Salah received $50,000 which was used over the course of the following three months to help Hamas finance eight terror attacks that resulted in the deaths of numerous Israeli civilians.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://washingtontimes.com/national/20040820-113158-5933r.htm|title=Area Hamas suspect is indicted|date=August 20, 2004|author=Jerry Seper|publisher=The Washington Times}}</ref> | |||
| On ], 2006, Hamas has been successfully sued in an Israeli court. The Jerusalem District Court has awarded the Gavish family a judgment in the amount of N.I.S. 90 million (USD $20 million). Following an attack on their home which left four members of the household, including both parents, dead, six children brought suit in May 2002. Concerning its rationale for awarding the Gavish family punitive damages, the District Court wrote:<blockquote> | |||
| With no need to elaborate, "I believe, that the current case is appropriate for awarding punitive compensation against the defendant. The sinful act of killing justifies such an award. It is a terrorist action, which was done with intent and full awareness to cause the death of the victims and the damage to their families, since there is no other explanation for this act. Behind the act is a pure hatred that brought about the death of the decedents and a very difficult and traumatic experience upon the plaintiffs - their survivors."<ref>{{cite news|publisher=Independent Media Review and Analysis|title=Precedent Court Victory Over Hamas|url=http://imra.org.il/story.php3?id=28444|date=February 8, 2006|}}</ref></blockquote> | |||
| == List of notable Hamas members == | |||
| * ] | |||
| ** Sheikh ] - spiritual leader and founder of Hamas (, 2004) | |||
| ** ] - leader in Gaza (, 2004) | |||
| ** ] - co founder of Hamas (, 2003) | |||
| ** ] - "political wing" | |||
| ** ] - "political wing" | |||
| ** ] - "political wing" | |||
| ** ] - "political wing" (, 2003) | |||
| ** ] - leader of "military wing" (, 2002) | |||
| ** ] - leader of "military wing" | |||
| ** ] - chief explosives expert in Gaza and "father of the ]" (, 2004) | |||
| ** ] - "the mother of struggle" | |||
| * ] | |||
| ** ] - co founder of Hamas (arrested by Israel, March 2003) | |||
| ** ] in ] - provided local leaders and suicide bombers to Hamas (some members killed by Israeli military operations, one arrested, 2002-2003) | |||
| ** ] - the "Muhandees", a senior ]-maker (killed by Israeli military operation, 1996) | |||
| ** ] - "political wing" senior leader | |||
| * Arab and Muslim countries | |||
| ** ] - leader of Hamas, based in ]. | |||
| ** ] - Hamas senior, Damascus, believed to have fled ] in September 2004. | |||
| ** ] - Hamas mid-level, "military wing" (according to Israel) Damascus (killed by Israeli paramilitary operation, 2004)<!-- list is now sorted according to Israel's hierarchy, but there is a mess: (1) because some leaders were killed and than replaced by less senior leaders. (2) because it is difficult to compare the Gaza leadership to the Damascus leadership. --> | |||
| == See also == | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| == Notes and references == | |||
| <div class="references-small"> | |||
| <references /> | |||
| </div> | |||
| == External links == | |||
| *. {{ar icon}} | |||
| * | |||
| * Mideast news from the Hamas point of view. In English. | |||
| * at the Institute for Counter-Terrorism at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Israel | |||
| * at ] official website. | |||
| * a letter to the editor of the London Arabic-language daily Al-Hayat. October 8, 2002 | |||
| * and at ] | |||
| * at '']'' | |||
| * by Diane West at ''The Jewish World Review'', April 22, 2005 | |||
| * by ]. Published in '']'' on May 3, 2005 | |||
| *, October 12, 2005 | |||
| * by Emanuele Ottolenghi in '']'', January 26, 2006 | |||
| * by Kevin Simpson on ] Website, January 29, 2006 | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * by ]. ('']'', p. B07. February 5, 2006) | |||
| * February 2006 {{PDFlink}} | |||
| * ] Briefing, March 2006 | |||
| * | |||
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Revision as of 10:09, 1 July 2006
Hamas (Template:Lang-ar) is a Palestinian Islamist paramilitary organization.
Created in 1987 by Shaikh Ahmed Yassin of the Gaza a life-long quadraplegic, Hamas is known chiefly for its resistance against the occupation of Palestine by the Israeli State Terrorist Forces that are responsible for land grabs; home demolitions; collective punishment and genocide of tens of thousand of innocent victims including children, pregnant women and the elderly including that of the late Ahmed Yassin bombed whilst at home in his wheelchair.
Hamas is an acronym of Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyyah ("Islamic Resistance Movement"), is a Palestinian anti-occupation organization closely related to the Muslim Brotherhood. The organization is popular among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. It also has a following in the West Bank, and, to a lesser extent, in other Middle Eastern countries and throughout the Palestinian diaspora, including within Israel. The movement's popularity stems from its paramilitary activities, and from its provision of welfare and social services to the Palestinian poor. The organization's goal has been used by the Israeli government to justify the assassination of its leaders. Assassinations and assassination attempts on Hamas leaders have been carried out in the past by the Israeli Air Force in the occupied territories, and by car bombings, shootings and even poison injections by Mossad agents outside Israel and the occupied territories.
Background
Hamas uses political activities to pursue its goal of establishing an Islamic Palestinian state in place of Israel and the secular Palestinian Authority. As of 2004, Hamas' strength is concentrated in the Gaza Strip and a few areas of the West Bank. Israeli military operations during the Al Aqsa Intifada in 2002 put pressure on Hamas in the West Bank following several bombings in Israel for which Hamas claimed responsibility. Hamas has also engaged in peaceful political activity, such as running candidates in West Bank Chamber of Commerce elections. In December 2004, one of Hamas' leaders stated that the group was seriously considering participating in the upcoming Palestinian Authority legislative elections, but the group boycotted PA Presidential elections as it had in the past. In May 2005, Hamas won over one third of the municipal councils in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, seizing control of them from Fatah, which the BBC describes as "the biggest force in Palestinian politics." According to UPI, Israel supported Hamas starting in the late 1970s as a "counterbalance to the PLO".
Beliefs
The thirty-six articles of the Covenant detail the movement's Islamist beliefs regarding the primacy of Islam in all aspects of life. The Covenant identifies Hamas as the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine and considers its members to be Muslims who "fear God and raise the banner of Jihad in the face of the oppressors." Hamas describes resisting and quelling the enemy as the individual duty of every Muslim and prescribes revolutionary roles for all members of society; including men and women, professionals, scientists and students. The slogan of Hamas is "God is its target, the Prophet is its model, the Koran its constitution: Jihad is its path and death for the sake of God is the loftiest of its wishes." Hamas states that its objective is to support the oppressed and wronged and "to bring about justice and defeat injustice, in word and deed." Hamas believes that "the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf (trust) consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgement Day," and as such, the land cannot be negotiated away by any political leader. The Hamas Covenant cites the long-discredited anti-Semitic fraud, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, describing it as "the embodiment of the Zionist plan to usurp Palestine". Hamas dismisses the Freemasons, Lions Club, and the Rotarians as organizations promoting "the interest of Zionism." It accuses those organizations, and the "Zionist invasion" in general, of being "behind the drug trade and alcoholism in all its kinds."
History
Hamas was funded directly and indirectly during the 1970s and 1980s by various states including Saudi Arabia. The political/charitable arm of Hamas was officially registered and recognized within Israel at this time: indeed Israel supported and encouraged Hamas' early growth in an effort to undermine the secular Fatah movement. Hamas abstained from politics throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, concentrating on social issues such as exposing corruption, administration of waqf (trusts) and organizing community projects. Towards the mid-80s, however, the movement was taken over by an armed faction led by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. The acronym "Hamas" first appeared in 1987 in a leaflet accusing Israeli intelligence services of undermining the moral fiber of Palestinian youth as part of their recruitment of "collaborators." The use of violence by Hamas appeared almost contemporaneously with the First Intifada, beginning with the so-called punishment of collaborators, progressing to attacks against Israeli military targets. According to the semi-official Hamas biography "Truth and existence," Hamas evolved through four main stages: 1. 1967-1976: Construction of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Gaza Strip in the face of "oppressive Israeli rule"; 2. 1976-1981: Geographical expansion through participation in professional associations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and institution building, notably al-Mujamma` al-islami, al-Jam`iyya al-islamiyya, and the Islamic University in Gaza; 3. 1981-1987: Political influence through establishment of the mechanisms of action and preparation for armed struggle; 4. 1987: Founding of Hamas as the combatant arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine and the launching of a continuing Jihad. While this reflects the activities of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the organization in the West Bank developed differently, with less emphasis at the beginning on the creation or control of public institutions. The Muslim Brotherhood in the West Bank constituted an integral part of the Jordanian Islamic movement, which for many years had been aligned with the Hashemite regime. Furthermore, the Muslim Brotherhood in the West Bank represented a higher socio-economic profile, consisting of merchants, landowners, and middle-class officials and professionals. By the mid-1980s, the Muslim Brotherhood held a significant portion of the positions in West Bank religious institutions. On January 26, 2004, senior Hamas official Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi offered a 10-year truce, or hudna, in return for a complete withdrawal by Israel from the territories captured in the Six Day War, and the establishment of a Palestinian state. Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin stated that the group could accept a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Rantissi confirmed that Hamas had come to the conclusion that it was "difficult to liberate all our land at this stage, so we accept a phased liberation." He said the truce could last 10 years, though "not more than 10 years." On March 22, 2004, Yassin was assassinated in an Israeli missile strike. Rantissi replaced him as the leader of Hamas. On April 17, 2004, Rantissi was also assassinated in an airstrike by the Israel Defense Forces. Khaled Mashaal, the leader of Hamas in Syria, said Hamas should not disclose the name of its next leader in Gaza. On April 18, 2004, Hamas secretly selected a new leader in the Gaza Strip, fearing he will be killed if his identity is made public. (NYT). However, Israel believes that the new leader is Mahmoud al-Zahar; the second-in-command, Ismail Haniya; and third-in-command, Sa'id A-Siyam. As of 2004, Israeli military and intelligence sources believed that the Hamas infrastructure in the West Bank and Gaza Strip has been significantly weakened by Israeli military operations. Israeli sources have noted that no prominent attacks have been claimed by West Bank-based Hamas members, even though the Hamas leadership had reputedly ordered an escalation of attacks after the assassinations of Yassin and Rantissi. The West Bank has been under increased Israeli military control since Operation Defensive Shield was launched in April 2002, which severely limited the mobility and organization of the remaining Hamas membership. In the Gaza Strip, on the other hand, Hamas is generally seen as a major force, rivalling Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement. In 2004, in a prelude to the planned Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces carried out a number of military attacks on Gaza cities and refugees camps, seeking to draw out and kill Hamas-affiliated gunmen. Awareness of high casualties during such incursions has led the Hamas leadership to instruct its activists to avoid putting themselves needlessly in the line of fire. On September 26, 2004, Hamas leader Izz El-Deen Sheikh Khalil was assassinated by a car bomb in Damascus, Syria. Khalil was described variously as "mid-level," "senior," a "distinguished member," and "believed to be in charge of the group's military wing outside the Palestinian territories." On 12 September 2005 Israeli soldiers withdrew from the Gaza Strip and declared an official end to Israeli military rule in Gaza, and since Israel still retains control of the airspace and sea the Palestinan Authority say that the occupation is on-going.
Activities
The first attack by the group was in response to the 1994 masacre in Hebron of 29 Muslim worshippers at the Ibrahimi Mosque by settler Baruch Goldstein. Hamas has also attacked Israeli military and security forces targets (mostly inside the West Bank and Gaza Strip and occasionally inside Israel). Hamas runs many relief and education programs. These programs are viewed variously as part of a sincere social development agenda. Hamas devotes much of its estimated $70-million annual budget to an extensive social services network. It funds schools, orphanages, mosques, healthcare clinics, soup kitchens, and sports leagues. “Approximately 90 percent of its work is in social, welfare, cultural, and educational activities,” writes the Israeli scholar Reuven Paz. The Palestinian Authority often fails to provide such services; Hamas’ efforts in this area explain much of its popularity. The work of Hamas in these fields is in addition to that provided by the United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA). The charitable trust Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development was accused in December 2001 of funding Hamas. Hamas receives funding from Palestinian expatriates, from the Islamist regime in Iran, and from private benefactors in Saudi Arabia and in other Arab states. Some fundraising and propaganda activity take place in Western Europe, North America and South America. Hamas is believed to operate dozens of websites. A current listing can be found at Internet Haganah. The main website of Hamas provides translations of official communiques in Persian, Urdu, Malay, Russian, English, and Arabic.
Links: The side of Israel not seen on CNN http://www.thewe.cc/contents/more/archive/atrocities.htm