Religion Peace &Conflict 2014-2015 Hamas Religion Peace &Conflict 2014-2015

Palestinian loss of territory since 1948 (78%):

Israel today:

Israeli-Palestinian conflict in numbers: 1948-1949: 750, 000 Palestinians became refugees: Gaza under the Egyptian control (200,000 Palestinians) West Bank and East Jerusalem under the Jordan control (350,000 Palestinians) 1967 (Six Day war): Palestinians had fled mainly from West Bank, (350,000 and 400,000 people) By the end of 1967, few Palestinians had returned home (14,000 people) By 2006 Palestinian refugees are more than 6 million; Population in West Bank is of 1,715,000 (June 2011) people and of 1,816,379 (2014) in Gaza Strip;

Fatah: 1959: Yasser Arafat founded Fatah, the Palestinian nationalist party for more than 40 years; Secular and influenced by leftist ideology; 1964 under the umbrella of Fatah, the PLO (Palestinian liberation Organization) was established; 1960s- 1980s: armed struggle for the liberation of West Bank and Gaza; 1988: Recognition of Israel’s right to exist; 1993: Oslo agreement

Leaders of Fatah: Yasser Arafat: 1959 – 11 November 2004 Mahmoud Abbas: January 2005 -today

Peace process: 1991: Madrid Peace Conference; 1993, the Oslo Peace Accords: Palestinian would recognise Israel in return for the beginning of phased dismantling of Israel's occupation; Creation of the PA (Palestinian Authority); Two phases: 1-Period of 5 years interim period to test the Palestinians 2- Final settlement.

Oslo Agreement:

Peace vanished?: 1995 Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated; 1999 Yasser Arafat was persuaded to continue with the interim resolutions; 2000 a visit by Israeli's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to the al- Aqsa/Temple Mount: Second intifada; 2005 Hamas decided too run for the 2006 Palestinian Legislative Council elections in West Bank and Gaza Strip; 2006 elections: Hamas won 76 of 132 seats in the 2006 Palestinian parliamentary elections and became the leader of the PA

Hamas victory reasons: Cumulative failure of peace negotiations carried out by Fatah (from the late 1980s until the Oslo Agreement 1993), Increase of Israeli settlements (8,000 settlers in Gaza strip), Worsening of socio-economic conditions in West Bank and Gaza, Hamas cultural and education activities (It had reaped the benefits of acting as a cultural infrastructure since its establishment in 1987), Hamas has been the most cohesive movement for the past 60 years (due to its religious values)

The rise of Hamas: 1928 Hasan Al Banna founded the Muslim Brotherhood Movement in Egypt; 1945 the first branch of the Muslim Brotherhood Movement was founded in Jerusalem; From 1948 two branches: one in West Bank under Jordan and one in Gaza under Egypt; 1967 the two branches became closer and developed unitary structure; In the 1970s "The Muslim Brotherhood Society in Jordan and Palestine”; On 14 December 1987, the Brotherhood leaders issued a statement calling on the people to stand up to the Israeli occupation: HAMAS.

Hamas’s Leadership: Shaykh Yasin was arrested in May 1989; Dr. 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Rantisi took command of Hamas in the Gaza Strip; Khaled Mashal, Chief of Hamas political bureau; Muhammad Nazzan, leader of the movement in Jordan; Ismail Haniyeh is a senior political leader of Hamas and one of two disputed Prime Ministers of PA.

Ideology of Hamas: Hamas is a resistance movement whose aim is the liberation of all Palestine; it is not a political party focused on taking over the government Hamas considers the struggle for the sake of God (al-jihad fi sabeel ellah) the fight for liberation, as the major element in resisting the Zionist occupation of Palestine Palestine in its totality is an Islamic waqf that is not negotiable or divisible, or for surrender in part or in toto. Any concessions related to this land are forbidden by religion, and its liberation is a duty for all Muslims — male and female Secularism does not constitute a meeting point with the Islamists Palestinians are the spearhead for the resistance against the Zionist enemy

Military attacks: 1994 Hamas suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden car into a bus in Afula killing eight and wounding 50 others; Following Israel's unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip in August 2005, Hamas carried out dozens of rocket attacks against civilian targets in southern Israel; According to the Israel Defense Forces, through suicide bombings and other violent attacks, Hamas has killed nearly 300 Israelis since September 2000, and wounded over 2,000 27-12-2008/27-01-2009 Gaza war: between 1,166 and 1,417 Palestinian and 13 Israeli deaths.

Hamas versus Fatah: Creation of the Palestinian Authority leaded by Fatah in 1994; January 2007: Civil war between Hamas and Fatah; March 2007 Mecca agreement :short-lived national unity government; June 2007 Hamas military takeover of the Gaza strip after Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office; West Bank: Salam Fayyad Prime Minister, Gaza Strip: Haniyeh Prime Minister, Today: Rami Hamdallah, Prime Minister.

Is Hamas Fundamentalist organization? Martin Seliger (1970) : A fundamental ideology is comprised of a cluster of principles of belief and absolute goals, as well as a perceived means of achieving them; An operative ideology involves a justification appended to a policy that is being implemented- a policy whose political effects contradict or significantly deviate from the overall vision.

Hamas: More pragmatic: it adjusts its positions and displays flexibility in light of the Palestinian consensus in the Occupied Territories; a political and social organization; Hamas' leadership has deferred to public opinion in the interpretation of the national interest; Two states solution.

Is Hamas part of the “International Islamism”?: International Islamism is a coherent organizational structure, where various worldwide groups and parties belong to a single and unified “umbrella” hierarchy; Hamas uses “Islam” as a source of ideological conviction and guideline.