Hamas : ideological rigidity and political flexibility / Paul Scham and Osama Abu-Irshaid.

Format:

Book

Government document

Author/Creator:

Scham, Paul

Contributor:

Abū Arshīd, Usāmah

United States Institute of Peace

Series:

Special report (United States Institute of Peace) ; 224.

Special report ; 224

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamah al-Islāmīyah.

Palestinian Arabs--Politics and government--1993-.

Palestinian Arabs.

Islam and politics--Gaza Strip.

Islam and politics.

Arab-Israeli conflict--1993-.

Arab-Israeli conflict.

Palestine question (1948-).

Palestinian Arabs--Politics and government.

Gaza Strip.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (22 pages)

Place of Publication:

Washington, DC : U.S. Institute of Peace, 2009.

Summary:

"Although peaceful coexistence between Israel and Hamas is clearly not possible under the formulations that comprise Hamas's 1988 charter, Hamas has, in practice, moved well beyond its charter. Indeed, Hamas has been carefully and consciously adjusting its political program for years and has sent repeated signals that it may be ready to begin a process of coexisting with Israel. As evidenced by numerous statements, Hamas is not hostile to Jews because of religion. Rather, Hamas's view toward Israel is based on a fundamental belief that Israel has occupied land that is inherently Palestinian and Islamic. For Hamas, 'recognition' of Israel would represent a negation of the rightness of its own cause and would be indefensible under Islam. It considers unacceptable for itself the actions of those Muslim countries that have recognized Israel, such as Egypt and Jordan, and those that have indicated their willingness to do so, such as Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Arab League, because they have provided no theological justification for their policies toward Israel. Although Hamas, as an Islamic organization, will not transgress shariʻa, which it understands as forbidding recognition, it has formulated mechanisms that allow it to deal with the reality of Israel as a fait accompli. These mechanisms include the religious concepts of tahadiya and hudna and Hamas's own concept of 'Palestinian legitimacy.' Tahadiya refers to a short-term calming period between conflicting parties during which differences are not put aside. A tahadiya stopped most violence between Hamas and Israel from June to December 2008. Hudna is a truce for a specific period, which is based on the practice of the Prophet Mohammad and on subsequent events in Muslim history. Hamas has indicated on a number of occasions its willingness to accede to a hudna with Israel, assuming basic Palestinian rights as set forth in the Arab Peace Initiative (API) are agreed to first. Palestinian legitimacy is a term employed by Hamas to describe its willingness to consider accepting a binding peace treaty, such as the proposal set forth in the API, so long as the treaty is first ratified by the Palestinian people in a referendum. Although Hamas would not directly participate in peace negotiations with Israel, Hamas has indicated that it would be willing to be part of a Palestinian coalition government with Fatah under which Fatah would negotiate the actual treaty. Although a peace process under such circumstances might, for Israelis and Westerners, seem involved, arcane, and of dubious utility, it is necessary to consider the possibility of such a process because there is no realistic scenario under which Hamas will disappear. Understanding the Islamic bases of Hamas's policies and worldview will be essential for the success of any process in which it is engaged."

Contents:

Editor's note

Summary

Introduction

Intellectual background and ideology

Concept of Jews and Israel

Peace initiatives and truces

Islamic jurisprudence

After the elections

Western perceptions

Conclusions: the view from 2009 and beyond

Postscript.

Notes:

Title from title screen (viewed December 28, 2009).

"June 2009."

Includes bibliographical references.

Electronic reproduction. [Place of publication not identified] : HathiTrust Digital Library, 2011.

Other Format:

Scham, Paul. Hamas

OCLC:

495465253

Access Restriction:

Use copy Restrictions unspecified