Terrorist organizations and Hamas

¶ … threat analysis of Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organization. Hamas began as a group dedicated to jihad against Israel, and is today one of the most powerful political and terrorist organizations in the world, recently gaining prominence by winning the Palestinian Authority's elections. It is still a terrorist organization first and foremost, and a continued threat to Middle Eastern and global security.

The motivation behind Hamas is to conduct a holy war against Israel to remove the country and the people from the Middle East. The organization's name itself tells the story of its goals and motivations. Hamas is an abbreviation of Harakat al-Muqawama alIslamiyya (Islamic resistance movement) (Mishal & Sela, 2000, p. 1). While Hamas has grown from a simple terrorist organization to an organized political group with excessive power in the region, the goal is still the same, to rid the Middle East of Israel forever (known as Palestinian nationalism).

Hamas has its roots in the Muslim Brotherhood, a Middle Eastern organization that came into power in the 1960s. The founder and spiritual leader of the group was Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who did missionary work in the Gaza Strip, the area taken over by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. By 1987, Yassin had created Hamas as the "political arm" of the Muslim Brotherhood, and the organization's official charter was published in 1988 (Editors, 2007). As two authors note, "That is, the Palestinian state envisioned by Hamas would come into being through a holy war (jihad), encompass all of Palestine, and implement the Islamic law (shari'a)" (Mishal & Sela, 2000, p. 15). With the recent elections, some of their ideologies may have to change, to create a more balance way to operate in the political arena.

The ideological support of the group has grown since its founding. In fact, the group, which is an acknowledged terrorist organization, won in the Palestinian Authority election in 2006, making it a major political threat as well as terrorist threat. There is no umbrella or cover-up involved, the organization is out in the open and has the support of most Muslim Arabs in the region and around the world. However, Hamas has long been at odds with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), feeling that under Yassir Arafat's leadership, the organization had gotten too "soft" toward Israel (Monshipouri, 1996, p. 88).

Religious support comes from all Islamic fundamentalists who want Israel to leave the region, and from religious leaders in the region. However, support for Hamas has ebbed and flowed, and has again declined in Palestinians after the recent rocket attacks on Israel that created counterattacks that destroyed much of southern Lebanon and killed many in the Gaza Strip, where Hamas is located (since the elections they are also located in Damascus, Syria) (Shoval, 2006, p. A19).

Hamas is not recognized by the United States, although diplomats in the Middle East are now meeting with Hamas leaders because of their victory in the PA elections. In addition, many other countries, such as Russia, do not recognize Hamas because of their charter, which calls for the destruction of Israel (Darwish, 2006). However, the U.S. did push for the Palestinian elections to occur on time and without delay, even though it seemed Hamas might have a strong showing at the polls, which angered many pro-Israeli groups around the world (Richter, 2006).

The selection of victims and targets is not random. They often attack during religious holidays, knowing there will be increased numbers of people in certain areas during those times. They attack families, schoolchildren, and others indiscriminately, and ultimately, they would like to ensure the eradication of all Israelis in the Middle East.

They have manipulated the media by assuring the world they want "peace" after the recent elections, but they have not denounced their charter, which does not recognize peace, only the destruction of Israel (Shoval, 2006, p. A19).

All of Hamas' activities are not terrorist oriented. They also have many social service agencies and do complete much social work each year. However, the tactics and strategies used in their attacks are extremely brutal. They often target families on vacation or children in school, and usually attempt to attack areas where they can do the most damage and cause the most loss of life. They are determined to remove Jews from the area, and how they do it does not matter.

Hamas has used suicide bombings as a weapon and attack since 1993 (Editors, 2007). They use suicide bombers in a majority of cases, but have also claimed to use "mortars, short-range rockets, and small arms fire" (Editors, 2007). Their criminal activity includes these attacks, but most of their funding comes from legitimate sources, including private donors and Iran. There are also some Muslim charities in the west who fund the social aspects and work of Hamas, and now that Hamas has won elections, it will have public funds at its disposal, as well (Editors, 2007).

Hamas has wide community and regional support by Palestinians and others who support the creation of a Palestinian state and the destruction of Israel. However, support for the group dropped after the recent attacks by Israel in retaliation for Hamas attacks. This has happened in the past, as well, so support tends to ebb and flow for the group, but they never disappear.

Training and recruitment relies heavily on extremely religious young men who desire a Palestinian state. The Editors of the Council on Foreign Relations note, "What they have in common, studies say, is an intense hatred of Israel. After a bombing, Hamas gives the family of the suicide bomber between $3,000 and $5,000 and assures them their son died a martyr in holy jihad" (Editors, 2007). Often the young men have jobs and decent lives, but their belief that they die a martyr and honor their family often compels them to jihad. Training includes religious teaching, lectures, and even long fasts to prove their dedication. They are watched for a week before the planned attack to ensure they do not change their minds. The bomber makes a video statement to the world, and then watches it for inspiration. This basically encompassed the training (Editors, 2007).

There is evidence Hamas has completed over 350 terrorist attacks in their history, killing over 500 people since the first attack in 1993. For example, one attack in 2002 targeted families on vacation. A reporter notes they were responsible for "The March 27, 2002, terrorist attack on the first night of Passover at the Park Hotel in Netanya, Israel, indiscriminately killing 30 and wounding 140 innocent men, women, and children" (Gerson, 2006, p. B04). Other attacks have not been as successful, but have still taken lives.