It has been a remarkable few weeks for Hamas, which seems to be hovering at a crossroads between an entry into peaceful democratic politics and a continuation of violent resistance. On one hand, the party participated in the recently concluded municipal elections in the West Bank, thereby proving that it can attend to the normal business of politics and run a well-organized and pragmatic campaign focused on quotidian municipal matters like sewage and garbage disposal and road maintenance. On the other hand, the party also engaged in the worst intra-Palestinian violence the region has seen in weeks, launching attacks against Palestinian policemen and public infrastructure in Gaza. These contrary events indicate the extent to which there exists within Hamas an unresolved internal debate regarding the use of force, which is intensified and complicated by the opposing pressures to which the party is subject, both internally and externally. The pressure to give up arms Externally, the pressure on Hamas is exerted most obviously by Israel, which has repeatedly claimed that it will not permit Hamas to contest the upcoming Palestinian elections (scheduled for January 2006) unless it disarms and amends its charter (which calls for the destruction of the state of Israel). Similar pressures come from third parties such as the US, which have echoed, if less stridently, similar conditions, and from various human rights groups and international institutions which oppose the use of force. These external voices are unusually magnified by the fact that they carry essentially the same message -- disarmament, obedience to the rule of law, and an entry into peaceful politics -- of the internal Palestinian sources mentioned above. The pressure to resort to arms
The upcoming elections Polls released recently by Palestinian pollster Khalil Shikaki indicate that Fatah currently enjoys only a slim margin (5% to 10%) of popularity over Hamas, that could well be eroded over the coming months if Hamas plays its hand well, and if it is able to convince the Palestinian public that it will be able to better govern them than Fatah. It is possible that Hamas will initially try to do both – emerge as a legitimate player on the national political scene and remain a militant group committed to armed struggle, but it cannot stand at the crossroads forever. Eventually the leaders of Hamas, who have in the past shown themselves to be more pragmatic than their counterparts in other such militant Islamic groups, will have to make a choice, and chances are that the internal and external pressures on them to disarm will outweigh, by that time, the pressures against disarmament. This can only be a good thing for the people of Palestine, who have suffered through years of internal and external violence, and for whom the use of force has thus far gained nothing. Read More...
By: Joharah Baker for MIFTAH
Date: 27/05/2013
By: Joharah Baker for MIFTAH
Date: 20/05/2013
By: Joharah Baker for MIFTAH
Date: 13/05/2013
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