Before determining if Hamas was created by Israel or not, let’s first understand what Hamas means. The Islamic Resistance Movement, officially known as Hamas, is a political and military Palestinian Sunni Islamist group that rules the Gaza Strip in the Palestinian territories, which are legally under Israeli occupation. Throughout the Israel-Palestine conflict, there has been a long discussion over one pertinent question – is Hamas created by Israel? There are varying views on the origins of Hamas; some highlight the organization’s complex geographic and historical past, while others make a direct link between Israeli activities and the group.
History – The Origin Of Hamas
In 1967, Israel occupied Palestinian areas, which gave rise to Hamas. The Muslim Brotherhood’s first goals in the area were restoring Islamic values and social-religious change. But in the early 1980s, the perspective was changed by the charismatic and paraplegic Palestinian exile Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. Under Yassin’s direction, Islamic participation in Palestinian politics grew. Al-Mujama al-Islamiyah was ignored by Israeli authorities in the 1970s and 1980s because they believed the group to be less radical than other organizations. Some contend that the emergence of Islamism was aided by this apathy or perhaps support. This gave rise to a lingering question – is Hamas created by Israel? Yassin’s 1984 imprisonment for arms trafficking did not stop his charity from growing in Gaza.
After an incident during the First Intifada in December 1987, the idea for Hamas began to take shape. The goal of Hamas was to take advantage of nationalist feelings. With Yassin’s tacit consent, the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood officially recognized it in February 1988. It made sense to separate Hamas from the Muslim Brotherhood because the latter opposed using violence against Israel. For Palestinians, Hamas offered a more genuine involvement, providing an Islamic perspective on PLO objectives. In August 1988, Hamas declared in its charter that it was a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood and that it wanted to create an Islamic state over the whole of Palestine.
Political and Religious Aspects
Most people agree that Hamas is the main political force in the Palestinian territories. Its position on Israel and a two-state solution has changed over time. In the past, the goal of Hamas was to create a state for the Palestinian people that would include the whole British Mandate for Palestine. Nonetheless, negotiations with Fatah from 2005, 2007, 2011, and 2012 suggested an implicit recognition of the lines established in 1967 and earlier agreements.
In 2017, Hamas declared its support for a Palestinian state based on the 1967 lines, but it remained unresolved to acknowledge Israel and continued its goal of liberating the entirety of Palestine. The 1988 charter called for the creation of an Islamic state, the liberation of Palestine, and armed conflict with Israel. The question – is Hamas created by Israel? – is still up for discussion.
Is Hamas Created By Israel?
Even while Hamas leaders stress non-recognition, some academics believe that by accepting the 1967 borders, they are tacitly admitting Israel’s existence. Hamas officials have, on several occasions, alluded to the prospect of a Palestinian state within the 1967 boundaries, subject to certain restrictions. Regarding its stance on recognizing Israel, Hamas has changed its declarations, agreements, and internal talks throughout time. Ismail Haniyeh declared in November 2023 that Hamas is prepared to engage in political talks for a two-state resolution provided that many requirements, such as humanitarian corridors and a ceasefire, are fulfilled.
Talking into the context of violence, there are various views around the world regarding whether Hamas qualifies as a terrorist organization or not because of its violent activities against Israeli troops and civilians. Hamas has been formally designated as a terrorist organization by Canada, the US, EU, the UK, New Zealand and Japan. However, nations like Norway, Brazil, Egypt, Syria, Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Algeria, and China point out that Hamas is a resistance movement against what it sees as Israeli occupation and does not view it as a terrorist group.
The global discussion on the classification of Hamas as a legitimate resistance movement or a terrorist group is highly influenced by the landscape of geopolitics and the duration of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The various perspectives are also due to the absence of a clear-cut answer to the question – Is Hamas created by Israel? Hamas has also been criticized for being involved in political violence as well as hate speech, using human shields, restricting political freedoms, and violating human rights. In the ideology of Hamas, strong antisemitic attitudes are a result of the protocols of the elders of Jews. Moreover, there have been contradictory claims made by the group regarding recognizing Israel, demonstrating irregular behaviour.
Conclusion
Concludingly, there is no clear answer to the question – Is Hamas created by Israel? The declaration that Israel was the motivation behind the creation of Hamas is unreasonable. Complicated historical, geographical, and theological considerations had a significant role in the formation of Hamas, especially in reaction to Israel’s 1967 occupation of Palestinian territory.
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