Hamas

American University - -Blagoevgrad

“…Another Hamas suicide bombing in a bus in Jerusalem takes 23 victims…” Oh, bombing again… I thought there were no people left in Israel to bomb. Isn’t it time for the weather forecast yet?...

Oh, yes, I am sure such a genuine reaction has came to mind to not one or two of us, hearing on the news about the next in the line terrorist attack by some “crazy fundamentalists” on the other side of the world. Of course, such a line of thinking is entitled to strictly narrow-minded individuals, which we usually are, since we have no direct connection whatsoever with what is happening on the other side of the world. You do not live in constant fear that you sister’s, your child’s or your own life might be gone just like that while you go out to buy milk, for example. On the flipside, it is not your rights that are not being recognized and it is not you that is living under political or religious oppression. Hence, it is quite necessary to examine such terrorist groups or movements through their motivations, aims, ideologies or religious beliefs and strategies that drive the people involved in them.

The Hamas movement, therefore, cannot be simply described as “terrorist” because such a general tag tells little of what actually Hamas is about, its activities and the beliefs that stand behind them, whose assessment naturally depend on the observer’s point of view. Here is a brief ‘official’ history of the organization, included in the Patterns of Global Terrorism. Hamas is the Palestinians’ largest and most influential Muslim fundamentalist movement. It was formed in 1987 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and grew out of the Muslim Brotherhood, a religious and political organization founded in Egypt with branches throughout the Arab world. Its strength is concentrated in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Hamas terrorists, especially those in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, have conducted many attacks—including large-scale suicide bombings—against Israeli civilian and military targets. Hamas maintained the pace of its operational activity during 2002-03, claiming numerous attacks against Israeli interests. Hamas’ military wing is believed to have more than 1,000 active members and thousands of supporters and sympathizers. On March 22, 2004, more than 200,000 Palestinians are estimated to have marched in Yassin’s funeral. The organization is believed to be responsible for killing more than 500 people in more than 350 separate terrorist attacks since 1993. Not all Hamas’ attacks have been carried out by suicide bombers. The group has also accepted responsibility for assaults using mortars, short-range rockets, and small arms fire. (1)

However, each coin has two sides. First of all, how do we know that Hamas is a terrorist movement? Logically, this depends on the definition of terrorism employed. It usually is taken for granted that the Middle East is the terrain of terrorist movements and acts, conducted by Islamic extremists. According to Benjamin Netanyahu’s definition, “terrorism is the deliberate and systematic murder, maiming, and menacing of the innocent to inspire fear for political ends.” (2) What has to be asked next is which action of violence is justified and who determines whether the victims are innocent or not. Having this in mind, the role of the Israeli themselves has to be considered in order to get a clearer picture of the motivations behind Hamas’ actions. Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been present for a long time (e.g. the Wailing Wall riots, the attacks on Jews in 29, the Arab Revolt, Dir Yasin massacre, etc.), which culminated in Dr. Goldstein’s killing of 29 Muslims in the middle of prayer. (3) Goldstein had hoped to derail the Oslo peace process that had begun several months before. To avenge Goldstein’s act, the ’Izz al-Din al-Qassam brigades of Hamas launched the first suicide bombings in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Thus, it becomes clear that the term ‘terrorist’ applies to both sides and is basically used by the Israelis in order to produce political propaganda against the Palestinians. Any action against civilians, regardless of the state or side it comes from, is unjustifiable and is deemed to be politically ineffective.

In order to grasp the drives of the terrorists’ actions and their moral framework, one has to carefully look into their ideology because it plays central role in the choice of ‘legitimate’ victims and perception of the world. Hamas combines Palestinian nationalism with Islamic fundamentalism. Its founding charter commits the group to the destruction of Israel, the replacement of the PA (Palestinian authority) with an Islamist state on the West Bank and Gaza, and to raise “the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine.” Hamas ideology states that the Palestinian problem is religious and therefore can never be solved by political compromise, and that the land of Palestine, “from the river to the sea,” is consecrated to Islam ( wakf ). (4) No political compromise with the enemy is acceptable.

This is quite a dangerous blend of religion and politics, since almost every militant action can be virtually justified by the Koran. In the view of the terrorists involved, they are defending Islam against aggression, or in other words supporting or spreading it. The members of such groups are more likely to see themselves as freedom fighters rather than terrorists, as the political origins of such groups in Palestine is connected to demands for statehood and nationalist self-determination. In general, the Koran forbids any killing of non-conbatants and persons who have not committed a crime. However, Hamas stresses Jihad (Holy War) as the sole and immediate means to solve the problem of Palestine. Hamas defines the transition to the stage of Jihad "for the liberation of all of Palestine" as a personal religious duty inherent to every righteous Muslim. At the same time, it rejects any political pact that would require the giving up of any part of Palestine, which for it is equal to a surrender of part of Islam. These positions are reflected in the Covenant of ‘88, and of course in its activities. The central goal of Hamas is the establishment of an Islamic state in all of Palestine. The immediate means to achieve this goal is the escalation of the armed struggle, and ultimately all-out Jihad, with the participation not only of Palestinian Muslims but of the entire Islamic world. (5) That is also implied by the name of the organization itself: Hamas is the abbreviation for Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyyah (Islamic Resistance Movement), and the acronym in Arabic for "enthusiasm" or "zeal." (6) Hamas members believe that they support and help the oppressed and bring justice through Jihad.

Thus, having a clearer understanding of Hamas’ beliefs, it becomes evident that the victims of the terrorist attacks are ‘legitimate’, since they support the Israeli regime or simply because the Palestinians want retaliation for their own losses. They cannot be blamed that they find the atrocities on their own people wrong, however the way they avenge them will not lead to any improvement of the situation at all. What they do feel, however, is that their actions are justified and their targets legitimate since they have transgressed their ideologically-based moral framework. As an extension of this, ideology also allows terrorists to justify in front of themselves and the rest of the world their violence by putting the responsibility for the violent situation in the hands of either their victims or other actors (such as the Israeli institutions). As Drake puts it, “While it is not the only factor which determines whether a potential target is attacked, ideology provides an initial range of legitimate targets and a means by which terrorists seek to justify attacks, both to the outside world and to themselves.” (7) Furthermore, Hamas seeks to attack targets that would increase the impact and spread of their message and the desired reaction in the enemy, such as widespread publicity of the suicide bombings in buses or restaurants. Such a strategy naturally provokes psychological turmoil, fear, and terror in the enemy’s lines, which include the civilian population. The separation between “us” and “them”, “right” and “wrong”, “innocent” and “guilty” legitimizes terrorists’ actions in their own minds, so that they feel the victims deserved their unfortunate death and do not feel regret for their attacks.

Turning once more to Drake, it is useful to consider his point about terrorism as a strategic weapon. He highlights that terrorist activities can result in “serious political impact in certain situations, with extremely damaging consequences for national and even international security and stability.” (8) Such was the case with the assassination of the Prime Minister Rabin by the Likud and the subsequent Hamas suicide bombings on Israeli politicians, which succeeded in haltering the peace process. Rabin's murder undermined the Labor Party's future and sabotaged the Israeli-Palestinian peace process pushing all sides back to violence. In other words, violence did for the Likud what violence had achieved for Hamas in terms of stopping the peace process. Politically, Hamas and Israel's Likud Bloc share several common goals, each for different reasons. They both oppose the peace prospects and object to the creation of an independent Palestinian State. Hamas seeks to establish an Islamic State in Palestine while the Likud seeks the formal expansion of Israel into the occupied West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem. Likud seeks to annex the territories providing the Palestinians with administrative autonomy but not independence or sovereignty. (9)

What is notable is the wide support of Palestinians for the suicide bombings. Even though polls in 2004 showed a drop in the supporters of Hamas, it is still the organization that Palestinians trust the most for the protection of their rights. Hamas boycotted the January 2005 PA presidential elections. But it has made strong showings in municipal elections, especially in Gaza. In December 2004 West Bank local elections, Fatah won 135 seats, and Hamas won 75, despite its fall in the opinion polls. (10)

Furthermore, recruitment for volunteers for suicide bombings is not a hard task for the Hamas organization. Their strategy is to target deeply religious young men that are ready to sacrifice themselves for the cause of liberation of the Palestinian people and the removal of the Israeli oppression. It is a mistake to consider terrorists in general and the bombers more specifically as some psychopaths or desperate individuals. On the contrary, the most important aspect here is the spirit and feeling of righteousness of cause. When mentality works in a way as to suggest that the act of suicide or murder is a necessity, a tool, and only choice, then this act is accepted and justified. The difference lies not in the motive – to eliminate the enemy – but who the enemy is - Israel. Now everything is justified in order to attend the righteous cause of rooting out evil, which is always personified in the face of the enemy. Furthermore, the blame for starting the battle is put again to the enemy, so fighting back is just a defensive and normal action. Attack is the best form of defense – kill or be killed and defend the inherent rights of the Palestinian people threatened by the ‘enemy’. Of course, the suicide bombers also undergo intense religious ‘education’ and are prepared carefully for the “sacred explosion”. The whole operation and execution is roughly equal to 150$. (11)

What is stunning is that Hamas has an annual budget of literally millions of dollars. It receives its funding from Iran but primarily relies on donations from Palestinian expatriates around the world and private benefactors, particularly in Western Europe, North America, and the Persian Gulf region. (12) One might wonder where all those money go. The fact is that Hamas did not start out as a strictly terrorist organization. What is ironical, actually, is that it was initiated as a religious alternative to Arafat’s PLO back in the 70s. In addition to hoping to turn the Palestinian masses away from Arafat and the PLO, the Likud leadership believed they could achieve a workable alliance with Islamic, anti-Arafat forces that would also extend Israel's control over the occupied territories. According to the author Ray Hanania, the Islamic Palestinian leaders viewed the relationship with Israel differently, even though they accepted Israel’s financial backing readily. Violence was always a part of that picture. The Palestinian Islamic groups turned to violence during the first Intifadah in 1987. The Intifadah (1987- 1993) literally began as an uncontrolled, unplanned explosion of Palestinian frustrations and it gave the Islamicists their first opportunity to attract popular support. (13) What truly attracts people’s support is the fact that Hamas spends about 90% of its huge budget on the Palestinian social infrastructure. It funds schools, orphanages, mosques, healthcare clinics, soup kitchens, and sports leagues and acts in the spheres of social welfare, cultural, and educational activities, which sometimes the Palestinian official authorities fail to do. Probably in the beginning of its existence, these activities were to be socially beneficial by themselves, but after the turn of the organization to militancy and violence, it is argued that these became just extensions of the terrorist strategy of Hamas. The educational structures are thought to facilitate the operational-terrorist ones by turning the mosques and universities into hothouses for future suicide bombers and the charity organizations to fund the terrorist activities directly. The kindergartens and schools are believed to provide an alternative to PA’s educational system, in which “the younger generations are indoctrinated with the tenets of extreme religious Islam and are incited to perpetrate terrorist attacks against Israel.” (14) Thus, it seems that today all Hamas’ activities are aimed at a single goal through its ideological beliefs – the driving out of Israeli forces and the establishment of an Islamic state in Palestine. These activities include: deciding and directing operational policy and the authorization of terrorist attacks against Israel, direct guidance of the heads of terrorist groups, generating public consciousness, fundraising in the Arab countries and Western Europe, and coordination with other terrorist organizations and countries which sponsor terrorism. (15)

The following are quotes from the Hamas website:

"Hamas believes that the best way to handle the conflict with the Zionist enemy is to mobilize the potentialities of the Palestinian people in the struggle against the Zionist presence in Palestine and to keep the firebrand burning until the time when the conditions to win the battle have been realized, and wait until all the potentialities and resources of the Arab and Islamic nation are mobilized under a common political will and purpose. Until that happens and there is belief in the sanctity of the Palestinian cause and its Islamic importance and an awareness of the ultimate goals and dangers of the Zionist project in Palestine, Hamas believes that no part of Palestine should be compromised, that the Zionist occupation of Palestine should not be recognized and that it is imperative for the people of Palestine, as well as all Arabs and Muslims, to prepare themselves to fight the Zionists until they leave Palestine the way they migrated to it.” (16)

Considering all said above, unfortunately there can be drawn only one conclusion – the conflict is here to stay and probably even elevate. What is necessary to be noted, however, is that similar to any terrorist organization, Hamas has motives to act, in which it truly believes. Especially in the case with Israel, none of the sides has tried to reach consensus and Israeli authorities have not even tried to prove Hamas’ motives and beliefs wrong. Furthermore, what has been done to ‘protect’ one’s people on the one side cannot be justified on either side. The international community has to take steps to help the resolution of the conflict, otherwise it would only escalate and amass an even bigger number of other similar organizations in its attempt to enact the Islamic law and create the Islamic state. Obviously, neither Israel, nor Hamas wishes to step back. What then is the alternative – wider, more spectacular, and more life-taking terrorist acts from both sides to highlight their points and the fact they are not to stop anytime soon? The same international community, especially in the face of the US, should try not to be as one-sided, narrow-minded, politically and economically oriented as it now is in blindly supporting Israel actions, and try to look more closely at the other side of the conflict. Of course, this does not mean supporting it in any way. It means going in the mentality and ideology of people so much different than ourselves and our Western ‘civilization’, understanding their drives and motives, and thus hopefully one day abandoning the intolerance and feeling of supremacy over other nations, religions, ethnicities, and beliefs, which usually leads to the initiation and continuation of such conflicts.

Bibliography:

http://www.terrorismanswers.org/groups/hamas.html

(2) Is Terrorism a Useful Term in Understanding the Middle East and the

Palestinian-Israeli Conflict? Joel Beinin

(7) The Role of Ideology in Terrorists' Target

Selection C. J. M. DRAKE