Hamas_a_Quarter_Century_of_Terror

Hamas A Quarter Century of Terror 1987-2011 Hamas is a religiopolitical terrorist organization founded in 1987, based in the Gaza Strip, the geographic area in Western Israel that borders both Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea. Hamas means "zeal" or "fervour" in Arabic is an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya, or Islamic Resistance Movement. The group was founded as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt and is committed to the destruction of the State of Israel (Israel Hamas Fact Sheet 2006). Hamas can be, in many ways, compared to another notorious terror organization, Al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda is another well-known terror organization operating in the Middle East. Both organizations espouse the removal of western influence from Muslim areas, most notably Saudi Arabia and Palestine. Additionally, they both believe the State of Israel does not have the “right” to exist. Each of these organizations has shown no compunction to utilize terror as a vehicle to achieve their stated goals. Finally, both organizations feel that all governments must conform to Islamic Law (Inside Al-Qaeda 2004). One interesting side note is both organizations, Hamas, and Al-Qaeda were founded at approximately the same time, Hamas in 1987 and Al-Qaeda in either 1988 or 1989. Hamas was first officially recognized by Israel in 1978. According to The International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (“ICT) papers, Hamas was legally registered in 1978 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the movement's spiritual leader, as an Islamic Association with the name of Al-Mujamma al Islami, (In Defence of Marxism., 2003). In another interesting parallel with Al-Qaeda, Israel initially funded Hamas both overtly and covertly, in an attempt to control, destabilize and destroy The Palestine Liberation Organization (the “PLO”).The United States did this with the Mujahedeen, Afghan freedom fighters who fought against the Soviet Union during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s. The Mujahedeen later transformed into a government and became the Taliban, the ruling party in Afghanistan. Like the Taliban, Hamas has gone to great efforts to raise money for its cause throughout the world. However, unlike the Taliban, which formed a repressive Theocracy in Afghanistan, Hamas has gone to great lengths to win the “hearts and minds” of the Palestinian inhabitants of the Gaza Strip. Hamas has used some of the millions of dollars raised through charitable donations to fund schools, hospitals and social welfare programs in Gaza while at the same time diverting money to fund terrorist activities. This practice has been common knowledge for years. While reporting on one recent U.S. Federal Court Case (U.S. v Mohammed El-Mezain, et al.3:04-CR-240-4 [2008 N.D. TX. 2008]) Aljazeera News Service stated, “Prosecutors said the charity was spreading Hamas's ideology by funding schools, hospitals and social welfare programmes controlled by the group in the Palestinian territories, and permitting it to divert funds to the activities of fighters.” (U.S. Charity Guilty 2008). The charity's supporters said the government was politicising the case as part of its so-called war on terror and ignoring the foundation's charitable mission in providing aid to the poverty-stricken Palestinian territories. (US Charity Guilty 2008) Although this case is currently under appeal, it is seen as a significant blow to the fundraising efforts of Hamas. Whether or not Hamas does divert charitable funds to assist in terror functions may be a debatable point, but the defendants were convicted and their fund raising efforts were directly tied to Hamas organizations and charities. This case, and the arguments raised by the defense during trial notwithstanding, Hamas has a long history of terror attacks. Since the year 2000, there have been 171 suicide-bombing attacks in Israel Of those, 68 are directly attributed to Hamas, either through a direct claim of responsibility or physical evidence. The total number of victims killed in all of these attacks was 804. In the 68, roughly 40%, attacks attributed to Hamas, 502 people, not including the bombers themselves, died. In addition, another 194 victims were injured. (Fendel, H 2006). Of all the terror groups responsible for suicide bombings in Israel, the deaths related to these attacks were, however disproportional percentage-wise to the attacks carried out by other organizations. Hamas bombings were responsible for roughly 62% of all deaths related to the bombings. Based on these numbers, it is reasonable to infer that Hamas carries out their attacks proficiently and has the intelligence resources needed to ensure their actions create an intimidating and coercive environment in an attempt to attain their stated objective, the elimination of the State of Israel. This is, the purest form of terrorism defined. Perhaps one of the most notorious Hamas bombings happened March 27, 2002. This attack happened at the Park Hotel in Netanya. Netanya is a town north of Tel Aviv, Israel. The attack killed 30 and injured 140 more. It was the deadliest Hamas bombing in Israeli history. (Fendel, H 2006).This was the second deadliest bombing attributed to Palestinians but the deadliest bombing was in the Sinai. (This incident was actually a pair of bombings that killed 34 people). In 2006, Hamas announced publically that it would no longer use suicide bombings in its struggles with Israel. In a public statement, Yihiyeh Musa, a Hamas member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, said Hamas had moved into a 'new era’, which did not require suicide attacks. Musa said Hamas had only embarked on suicide bombing campaigns as a response to extreme provocations by Israel, such as the killing of 29 Palestinians in Hebron in 1993. It had been a policy of desperation. (Urquhart 2006). Musa went on to explain that while suicide bombings filled a need when they were used, they were outdated and were actually doing more harm than good, especially in the public eye. Despite this pledge, there was at least one more bombing attributed to Hamas. On 19 April, 2008 three Palestinian suicide bombers broke through the border fence to attack the Kerem Shalom IDF, Israeli Defense Force, post. In this attack, the bombers successfully wounded several Israeli soldiers and, of course, died themselves. On one other occasion, in September 2007, the IDF stated a raid they conducted at the Ein Beit Ilma refugee camp was instrumental in the prevention of a suicide bombing. Just because Hamas stopped the majority of its suicide attacks on Israel does not mean the “war” against Israel or the campaign of terror has stopped. In fact, Hamas has merely shifted tactics. Now, rather than suicide attacks, Hamas utilizes indirect fire, mortar and rocket, attacks. Since 2005, there have been thousands of rocket and mortar attacks. Many of these attacks have taken place in the southern Israeli town of Sderot. These attacks have been attributed to somewhere between 75% and 94% of all children in the town having some degree of PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. (Santis 2008) In addition to these indirect fire attacks, Hamas is also responsible for an untold number or incidents of rioting, incidents of civil unrest and general mayhem, not only in Israel, throughout Europe and the Middle East. The most recent of these rioting incidents was immediately after the May 2011 death of Osama bin Laden. Although this particular riot was, obviously, not directed at Israel, it illustrates how effective the Hamas leadership is in influencing the Palestinian people and rallying them to a cause. Effective leadership is essential in any organization and may be more so in a terror organization. This leadership is even more important when members are influenced to knowingly sacrifice their lives for the cause. Unlike traditional warfare, where troops know they might die, suicide bombers expect to die. The founder and long-time leader of Hamas was Sheik Ahmed Yassin. Yassin, who was nearly blind, was injured in a wrestling accident at the age of 12 and was confined to a wheelchair as a quadriplegic. Although he was accepted to al-Azhar University in Cairo, his poor health prevented him from attending school and because of this, he was essentially home schooled. Yassin was not only the political leader of Hamas, he was also the “military” leader. As the military leader, not only did he approve of all the of the suicide bomb attacks carried out by Hamas during his life, he also approved and directed numerous kidnappings and killings of Israeli soldiers. Yassin believed that all of Palestine was consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgment Day and that no Arab leader had the right to give up any part of this territory (Hamas Leadership 2010). Being a terrorist leader was not the most significant contribution Yassin made to the Palestinian peoples. He also worked on numerous social welfare programs and established local schools, hospitals and libraries. During his tenure, he was twice arrested twice by the Israelis. The last time he was sentenced to two life terms in prison for his part in the killing of two Israeli soldiers. He was released in an international agreement after a botched Israeli attempt to assassinate a Hamas leader in Amman, Jordan. Part of the release agreement required him to cease his public calls for attacks on Israel. The day after his release, he reneged on his word and renewed his anti-Semitic rhetoric. On March 21, 2004, in his last televised speech, Yassin stated, “"The Israeli threat to eliminate Hamas leaders and leaders from other factions is not a new threat but an old one used repeatedly. Every time there is a martyrdom operation [suicide attack] or an operation which hurts the enemy, Israel begins to threaten [that it will respond]," (Davidson, A 2011.) On 22 March, 2004, as he left morning prayers at the mosque, Yassin, two bodyguards and nine bystanders were killed by an Israeli helicopter rocket attack. Immediately after the death of Yassin, Hamas installed Abdel Aziz Rantisi as its leader. Already one of the power brokers and initial members of Hamas, Rantisi had a wide power base and was a favorite within the Hamas community. If anything, Rantisi was more radical than Yassin. Prior to his succession to the head of Hamas, Rantisi had been credited with several very strong anti-Israel, pro-Hamas statements including, “There will be no concession of one inch of Palestine, because it is Islamic Land,” “There will be no recognition of what is called the 'State of Israel,” “Any solution which includes recognizing what is called the 'State of Israel or concession on one inch of historic Palestine is unacceptable and void, and doesn't obligate us at all." "[Violent] Resistance is the only option for the restoration of our stolen rights." (Hamas Leadership 2010) Rantisi’s tenure as leader of Hamas did not last long. On 17 April 2004, the IDF fired missiles at Rantisi’s vehicle. Although he survived the initial attack, he later died from his injuries. After Rantisi was killed, Hamas said that their new leader would remain nameless and hidden from view. Despite this statement, it is widely believed that Hamas’ leadership is shared between two individuals, Khaled Mashal and Mahmoud Zahar. Both men seem to have departed from the violent rhetoric of their predecessors, but both still espouse that Palestine has an inherent right to statehood. In 2006, Mashal, in response to a call to disarm by Western governments, stated Palestine would not disarm but may in fact form an army as protection. He also announced that he would work with the rival Palestinian group Fatah to form a united Palestine. During this same period, Zahar announced that Hamas intended to keep up its cease-fire agreement with Israel as long as Israel also honored the agreement. In analyzing the quarter century of Hamas’ actions against Israel, one should question if they have been successful, or have hundreds of terrorists and innocent civilians died for a cause that in the end will have failed' In the next quarter century, will Hamas be viewed as a viable organization that not only rescued the Palestinian people from the oppressive rule of the Israelis but also helped in the realization of a dream, the creation of the sovereign nation of Palestine' If the measure of “success” of the organization is based solely on the definition of terrorism, the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes, then yes, Hamas has been successful. If, however, the measure of success is based on the long-term impact Hamas has on the region as a whole, their success is, at best, questionable. It is impossible to deny that the tactics employed by Hamas have had an impact on the region. Merely by agreeing to a cease fire with what they call a criminal, terror organization, Israel has given Hamas some claim to legitimacy as a governing force in the region. Governments that do not agree to a cease-fire with a criminal element, they continue to fight until the element is destroyed. Governments agree to a cease-fire with other governments. Only time will tell, but recent events in the region tend to suggest there is some movement on both sides to legitimize Palestine as a country while at the same time eliminating Hamas and its ideology. One avenue Hamas should certainly explore in its quest for a Palestinian state is to align itself more closely with its Palestinian brethren in the region, Fatah. Since 2008 Fatah, which is based in the West Bank and is the other major Palestinian political group, has been training its National Security Forces, NSF, to become a national police force modeled after the western democratic model of policing. This model of policing can trace its roots back to the year 1829 and Sir Robert Peel, the “father” of modern policing. Certainly, there have been growing pains, trials and tribulations with Sir Robert’s policing model but it has withstood the test of time and is widely used throughout the world today. To date, eight NSF Battalions and two specialty battalions have been trained and are working on a daily basis in the West Bank. They are so successful that the IDF has withdrawn all but one of their battalions from the region and the battalion that remains is acting in more of an observer status, rather than as law enforcement. This, Palestinian self-governance, has led to a decrease of the violence in the region. The recent attempt, brokered by Egypt, to unify Fatah and Hamas and the reopening of the border between Egypt and the Gaza are also positive signs as well. Hamas can point to recent success in elections where all Palestinians in the region overwhelmingly voted Hamas leadership into power. Negatively however, the unemployment rate in the Gaza is over 50% but is less than 20% in the West Bank. (Assadi, M. 2007). Another negative is, and will continue to be, Israel’s refusal to recognize Hamas as anything other than a terror organization. Hamas does have a future, but it needs to be a future as a governing body, one that accepts Israel as a legitimate state and not as a terrorist organization. Recent events throughout the Middle East are a clear indication that attitudes and ideals are changing. Demonstrations, rioting, and civil disobedience are common in countries such as Libya, Egypt, and Yemen. The people of those countries are revolting against authoritarian leadership and seeking more of a voice in their countries’ governance. These revolts are taking place without the use of terrorism. Hamas needs to pay attention to the way these changes are taking place and follow the lead of their brethren or they will never be at peace with Israel, and will endure at least another quarter century of repression. Bibliography Aljazeera News Service US Charity Guilty in Hamas Case. Holy Land Foundation convicted of giving millions of dollars to Palestinian group. 2008. [Online] Available at: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2008/11/20081124212126642596.html Assadi, M. 2007. Poverty rates in Gaza soars versus West Bank. [Online] Available at: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2008/06/26/uk-palestinians-poverty-dUKL261820720080626.html Davison, A. 2011 Hamas: Government or Terrorist Organization. [Online] Available at: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php'storyId=6583080.html Fendel, H. 2006 History of Hamas Murderous Attacks [Online] Available at: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/97378 Hamas Fact Sheet. 2006 [Online] Available at: http://www.adl.org/main_israel/hamas_facts.html. Hamas Leadership 2010 [Online] Available at: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/hamas-leaders.html Inside Al-Qaeda, The Islamist Terrorist Network. 2004 [online] Available at: http://www.mideastweb.org/alqaeda.html) Santis, Y. 2008. Backgrounder on the Issues: Hamas its Ideology and Record. [Online] Available at: http://www.jcrc.org/downloads/hotissues/7.08_jcrc_Hamas.pdf Schwartz, Y. 2003. Palestine: The Origins of Hamas and its role today. [Online] Available at: http://www.marxist.com/palestine-origins-hamas210803.htm. Urquhart, C. 2006. Hamas in Call to End Suicide Bombings. [Online] Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/apr/09/israel U.S. v MOHAMMAD EL-MEZAIN et al, 3:04-CR-240-4 [2008 N.D. TX. 2008]