What is Hamas?

For John, BLUF:  To discuss the problem between Israel and Gaza one must understand the positions of the participants.  Believe what they tell you.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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What Is Hamas?  What to Know About the Militant Group Fighting Israel

Here is the sub-headline:

Iran-backed faction has triggered the biggest crisis in Israel in decades

From The Wall Street Journal, by Reporter James Hookway, 16 October 2023, 1:20 pm ET.

Here is the lede plus one:

Hamas, an Arab acronym for Islamic Resistance Movement, was founded in 1987 after an eruption of protests and riots over Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.  Founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin’s initial aim was to create an Islamic state on the land now comprising Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, a goal later reaffirmed in the Hamas Charter a year later.

Hamas subsequently signaled it was willing to accept a two-state solution based on Israel’s borders as they were before 1967, but the group continues to reject Israel’s right to exist and opposed the Oslo Accords negotiated by Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization in the 1990s.  It maintains a powerful military wing in addition to its political and social-welfare arms.  The U.S., European Union and Israel deem it to be a terrorist organization.

After Hamas won legislative elections in Gaza in 2006, the following year it forcibly removed officials from the more moderate Fatah group in a week of fighting.  More than 100 people were killed in the conflict, which separated the Palestinian territories into Hamas-controlled Gaza and the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

A good overal article discussing Hamas.

When we think about Hamas we should keep in mind that there is the political organization, a military wing and, in addition, a concept.  While the political and military wings can be killed, the idea could continue to exist in the minds of the larger population.  While such ideas will always exist, the question is if Israel can offer the People of Palistine a different vision for their future.  That is a core issue for any counter-insurgency effort.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff