This title names a new book by Helena Cobban & Rami Khouri, recently published by Just World Educational. It’s based upon recorded versions of 5 conversations held with experts on the history/development of Hamas, live conversations held online in the spring of 2024. I caught those conversations and learned so much that I scrambled to pre-order the book when the idea of publishing arose.
There’s so much misinformation around Hamas, for instance the false information that they beheaded children and raped women on October 7, 2023. Early reports have been discredited. There is no evidence that either of these atrocities happened; Israel has refused to open an investigation into these alleged crimes. The killing of civilians is bad enough, but to be charged with these repellent crimes against human dignity, without proof and with no retraction, is extremely damaging. That of course, is the whole purpose of such Israeli propaganda. It places a very evil aura around Hamas, even beyond that of condemning the violence on October 7th.
We all know Israel’s degree of revenge continues to be extremely disproportionate. The killing and destruction in Gaza is so devastating that Gazans have lost the ability to keep track of how many are injured, buried under rubble, dead. The UK’s respected medical journal The Lancet, has estimated that bombs (more than 70,000 tons), snipers, lack of medicines, sanitation, food, safe drinking water, disease, inability to treat injuries and other health conditions, burial under rubble and other such factors have created a death toll vastly greater than that reported when numbers were still available. Gaza is 2/3 the size of Vancouver Island.
Through this discourse on Hamas, I found it very helpful to see and learn from eminently qualified people – scholars who have been studying Hamas & Middle East politics for many decades – and it has given me more clarity about who Hamas is, how they’ve evolved, and where they fit in the Palestinian liberation struggle.
Why does it behoove us to try to understand Hamas? Why is this book important?
Here is what Christian-Palestinian/human rights lawyer/ US citizen Jonathan Kuttab, has to say: “A most vital and timely book. NO one can deal with the Palestinian Question, or with Gaza, without understanding and coming to terms with Hamas. The current demonization of Hamas and the official taboo against talking to them has been used to justify daily atrocities, and even the ongoing genocide. Anyone interested in peace between Palestinians and Israelis needs to read this book, and then take action to bring Hamas into the conversation.” (Understanding Hamas & Why that Matters, Preface.)
The book offers a timeline of Hamas’ history, followed by conversations with 5 leading scholars, and then a series of Appendices that give excerpts from Hamas’ 1st Charter and its revised 2017 “Document of General Principles and Policies” (where it removed its earlier call for an end to the State of Israel), an explainer of how Hamas ended up on US list of Terrorist Groups, excerpts from Hamas’ “Our Narrative…Operation Al-Aqsa Flood”, and more.
There is so much in the book, it’s impossible to capture all its key points, but here are a few:
!. Hamas formed in response to the 1982 expulsion of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) from Lebanon, in recognition that the PLO had failed. Its name is an Arabic acronym for Islamic Resistance Movement and emerged from the Muslim Brotherhood (from whom it is now distanced).
- 2.“Hamas is a political movement with a sometimes very rigid structure and that has used different tools – political, armed struggle and even terrorism. We don’t have to fear words. Suicideattacksagainstcivilianswereterrorism.But…wecan’tavoidthepoliticaldimensionof the movement that started in some years before 1987.” (Ibid, Dr. Paola Caridi @19)
- 3.In 2005, Hamas suspended suicide attacks, and participated in the Palestinian Authority (PA) elections for the parliament of the PA. Those were internationally observed and monitored elections. Hamas did not expect to win. Nor did Israel and the US expect them to win. As Dr. Caridi states: “we have to look at what Hamas did in 2005 & 2006; it accepted the two-state solution without saying so, but by participating in the elections…of the parliament of the Palestine Authority…. the mistake of the international community was…in not accepting Hamas as the winner. Because the problem was that Hamas won and Fatah (PA’s choice) lost.” (ibid @26)
- 4.Hamas is composed of many constituencies: West Bank, Gaza, Palestinians abroad, that is, boththeleadershipandactivistsintherefugeecamps,andprisons.Itdecisionsarebasedupon extensive consultation with these constituencies.All these constituencies make up the resistance to the Israeli occupation of Palestinians, which is what got Hamas elected.
- 5.2006-7 is when the split between the West Bank and Gaza happened. After an unsuccessful coupattempttodisplaceHamas,Israel(supportedbytheUS)installedFatah,ledbyMahmoud Abbas,astheparty“inpower”intheWestBank.HamastookontheleadershipofGaza,which was then placed under siege by Israel, with an air, land and sea blockade.
(Next week: Part 2)
