By Sarakenos
Hussein Ibish, a senior fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP), landed another one of his controversial articles in NowLebanon, this time on “Hamas’s many splendored contradictions.” I take this opportunity to shed light on some of his misconceived ideas regarding Palestinian internal affairs.
The main contradiction espoused by Ibish is that Hamas has both a religious and a nationalist agenda, intertwined and at odds with one another. It is true that, as a Muslim Brotherhood byproduct, Hamas has the desire to establish Islamic rule in Palestine, with no Israel in sight. Nevertheless, the major ideological difference between the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas (something Ibish did not point out) is that the Muslim Brotherhood seeks to resurrect the Islamic Empire (aka the Caliphate) through peaceful means, mostly through preaching and missionaries, before dealing with Israel’s existence and freeing Palestine.
Hamas, however, does not want to wait till that happens. Hamas believes that freeing Palestine (i.e. eradicating Israel) is a prerequisite to the resurrection of the Islamic Empire (the reverse strategy of Muslim Brotherhood central), thus permitting and requiring armed resistance against Israeli Occupation.
This resolves the first mysterious contradiction of intertwining theological and national aspirations: Hamas believes that freeing Palestine, on a nationalist agenda, is the first step towards the Palestinian Muslim’s bigger aim of resurrecting the Muslim Caliphate on all Muslim-majority lands (of which Palestine is only a province).
The second contradiction in his article is “the fact that Hamas is the only Sunni Islamist party in the Arab world to be simultaneously part of the Muslim Brotherhood network and the largely Shia pro-Iranian alliance.” In other words, how can Hamas be Sunni, while in coalition with a Shia entity? Of course the contradiction is only valid in the wording. Hamas is not part of any Shia pro-Iranian alliance. It is this so-called Shia pro-Iranian alliance that chooses to support Hamas, not because its members are Muslim, but because they are fighting against Israel (the common enemy of all Arab and Iranian factions).
The mass majority of Fatah’s members are Muslims too! Yet they get no direct support from Iran because Fatah has openly colluded with the enemy (Israel) against all other Palestinian and Lebanese factions of all faiths, sects, and ideologies. The article also insinuates that to be pro-Iranian you have to be Shiite, thus adding to the mystical Sunni Hamas collaboration with Iran. There is no mystery here. The Middle East alliances are not based on Sunni/Shiite, Muslim/Christian identities, but on the pro Palestine and the pro US-Israel camps. As a Lebanese, Ibish knows this.
The article brings up another false contradiction: “Hamas’ conduct needs to be viewed in the context of its primary strategic aim, which is to politically defeat the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, and replace them as the primary agent for the Palestinian national movement.” A very dangerous, easy-to-miss fallacy is embedded in this statement which equates the PLO with the PA. Yes, Hamas aims to defeat and replace the Fatah-dominated PA, but certainly not the PLO. The PLO, for example, includes other active Palestinian factions (aside from Fatah), such as the People’s Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) which is a Marxist, secular movement that predates Hamas by twenty years. The PFLP today is, and has been for a decade, a strategic ally of Hamas. There have been hundreds of collaborated rocket attacks between these two parties (and several others), despite their deep ideological differences.
On the Palestinian political/ideological spectrum, Hamas (far right) has so much more in common with Fatah (center-right), than with the PFLP (left). Yet Hamas and PFLP were able to overcome their political/ideological differences and work together for their one and only true strategic aim: to defeat Israel, not the PLO or Fatah! It is Fatah and the PA (created by Israel) that are in collusion with Israel and constantly put themselves willingly (for money) at the Israeli front lines as proxies to fight Hamas and the entire Palestinian population, on behalf of Israel.
It is true, as Ibish insinuates here and in previous articles, that most Palestinians identify, politically and ideologically, with Fatah (centrist group). But they do not identify with Fatah’s actions! That is exactly why they have overwhelmingly voted for Hamas in the elections of 2006 – not because they approve of Hamas’s ideological views, but because they approve of Hamas’s actions. What did Hamas do with all its financial resources? It built schools, libraries, hospitals, and mosques (nothing wrong with building a place of worship). What did Fatah do with all its financial resources (which far exceed those of Hamas)? It bought Audis and Mercedes-Benzes for its members, purchased mansions and privately-owned businesses to make a profit off the already suffering Palestinians, and put the remaining millions of dollars and euros in secret Swiss bank accounts.
The truth is, Fatah chose financial corruption and military collusion with Israel over the interests of the Palestinian people, and over the plight for an independent state based on the 1967 borders. Fatah destroyed its popular base by its own actions! And the people, desperate for aid and for the end of occupation, turned to the only alternative still allowed to exist, Hamas (Israel had actively crushed all other alternative political parties), and voted them into government to end the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, not to impose a religious lifestyle. And suddenly Israel showed its true colors! Israel never had the intention to dismantle settlements or end the occupation. So when Hamas, a more honest representative of the Palestinian people’s plight, made that demand in accordance with international law and signed agreements, Israel (and Fatah) waged war on Hamas, coming up with the most insane reasons to why they refuse to even negotiate with Hamas, such as their refusal to recognize Israel’s right to exist. How come Israel never demanded that from Fatah while it was in power and involved in peace talks for over a decade?
When authors bring up the Hamas so-called coup d’etat in Gaza, they conceal the fact that this coup d’etat came only after Mahmoud Abbas fired the democratically elected Ismael Haniyyeh along with his entire elected government from office, and Fatah brigades received large shipments of weapons from the CIA in preparation to annihilate Hamas in Gaza once and for all. Hamas found out about this, and quickly moved to preemptively take over the Fatah-run “security” apparatus. The real coup d’etat was that of Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah; a failed coup d’etat that is. As a result of Hamas’s de facto takeover of the security apparatus in Gaza, crime and corruption have been falling steadily according to independent statistics, despite the Israeli economic and military blockade. The majority of Palestinians in Gaza, including those who are not ideologically aligned with Hamas, admit that law and order have much more respect under Hamas rule, and that Hamas security and police forces are manifold more disciplined than Fatah’s.
All these noncontroversial facts are obscured from the article. As a secularist myself, I can’t help but agree with Ibish’s distaste to some of Hamas’s fantastic views on the great resurrection of the Islamic Empire. But also as a secularist, I can easily see why a secular party like the PFLP had no choice but to side with Hamas in its struggle for justice and freedom for Palestine.
Related posts:
- Palestinian President Hussein Ibish reaches peace agreement with Israel
- Post-Gaza Palestinians Worse Off, but Not Blaming Hamas
- Hamas Claims Victory — Protest Votes Win
- At the Ballot Box, Trouble is Brewing for Hamas
- The Fruits and Seeds: Hamas Victory
Kind of at a loss to understand this unrelenting need to justify Hamas' as anything but a terror organization. Hamas is after power, just like Fatah. They both want to be the big fish in the little pond of the PA.
They're also ticked off at Fatah for dealing with the Israelis, something which Hamas has no intention of doing except through violent means. Israel has never called for the destruction of Hamas or the Palestinians, yet Hamas calls for the destruction of Israel, and Muslims can't seem to understand why the Israelis can't get past that?
Stop taking sides. Israel is wrong and Hamas is wrong. It's well past the time for this to be resolved. And it's well past the time to think of EITHER side as a vicitim.
Posted by Joseph A | August 11, 2010, 7:32 pmAs usual Zionist apologetics defy logic. The article is intriguing and well written. If you want me to point by point dissect your ridiculous logic, I can do that. But not unless you ask because most people here already understand the issues, and I doubt you've mastered the difficult art of listening to things you want to disagree with. It would likely be a waste of time.
Posted by Jamal | August 11, 2010, 7:54 pmWell written Jamal…
May I add that the "Israel is wrong and Hamas is wrong." doesn't give the commentator any more credibility…. especially in light of his previous lines….
Joseph A a simple yet, how convenient, for some reason missing from your comment (and lots of Hasbara influenced comments on the web) is this: "Israel has never called for the destruction of Hamas or the Palestinians, yet Hamas calls for the destruction of Israel", in case you haven't noticed Israel did destroy Palestine and the Palestinians, more than 60 years ago…
BTW this a good article….Kudos for the Guest Writer
Posted by Han | August 12, 2010, 8:23 amAs a person who has followed this issue, I think the author has explained things very well. I'm going to bookmark and recommend it.
Posted by Linda J | August 11, 2010, 10:38 pmIts extremely sad that the recent corruption within Fatah is making everyone overlook their many sacrifices and years of service to Palestine. They predate all the groups listed (besides SNP) and have been struggling far longer. Your article was well done and mostly true, but how can you go about bashing Fatah without acknowledging their sacrifice?
We should focus on bringing Fatah leadership back to its roots and removing leaders like Abbas, instead of completely abandoning them and putting faith in Hamas.
Posted by Yassir | August 12, 2010, 7:32 amI am afraid that the Fatah you are talking about (Abu Jihad, Abu Iyyad, Kamal Naser, Majed Abu Shrar,etc…) is long gone, and whatever is left of Fatah today is the shadow of what Yasser Arafat turned it into.
Although I guess that having a secular patriotic force to socially counter Hamas is a must, but I don't think that reviving Fatah (which Fatah, on what basis, for what end?) is the answer. I think that Fatah was a product (or rather a by product) of the ME sixties and seventies politics, and that its role is over, that's a historic fact… people should accept it.
So for those who look for an alternative, for a successor, the answer lies somewhere else…
Posted by Han | August 12, 2010, 8:32 amThe Middle East of the sixties and seventies was fueled by secular socialist nationalism. The Arab dependency on Caliph or religious governing died with the Ottoman empire. For you to say that the secular nationalist Arab has lost legitimacy or relevance is as wrong as it is sad.
Hamas is not the alternative to secular, socialst nationalism, they never will be. This is a phase in Middle Eastern development.
The loss in '67 had a huge impact on Arab society and naturally people looked for somewhere to place the blame. Secular leftist government was blamed and Islam was the alternative.
This is a simple phase, people were upset with the way leftist governments where being handled and reacted by reverting to Islam.
Hamas is a product of the post 60-70s world. Arabs are a proud people who were upset with the way their situation was and still is being handled. They found solace in the Islamic reactionaries. The prominence of these reactionaries is almost completely faded. The Arabs and particularly the Palestinians will want a secular nationalist group. I believe Fatah can be revamped and fill this void. It has the history of the struggle completely on its back and should be able to carry that into the future.
For me, the successor to the revolution is not Hamas.
Posted by Yassir | August 12, 2010, 10:54 amToo bad you misunderstood me:
"Hamas is not the alternative to secular, socialst nationalism, they never will be."
I never said that, but I don't think that Fatah is secular, socialist or even nationalist (the Fatah of today) and I just don't see a way of making this change.
After the clown convention in Bethlehem last year (when a national liberation movement that organizes its first convention in 20 years under occupation, one might wonder what kind of liberation is being discussed).
Unfortunately for all those patriots in Fatah, when the name is mentioned, the first impression we have is not the battle of al Karameh, or Dalal al Moghrabi…it is the image of the Trio Abbas, Dahlan and Rjoub that pops to your mind.
As for "changing from the inside", I guess this is a lost cause, Fatah is being constantly marginalized, by Fayyad and Dayton, to turn it into a complete puppet movement with nothing but nominal influence, so that even if by some miracle this change occurs it won't have any real effect on the ground.
I mean all serious Fathaouis should really question the history of Fatah, and how it turned from a pioneer of the popular resistance to the occupation subcontractor. I mean Marwan Al Bargouthi is considered the change, the revolution, the Barack Obama (sic) of Fatah. Isn't this enough to realize how hopeless it has become.
I understand that many Fathaouis are proud of Fatah's past (This is a whole different debate, and I am not getting into that) but the national interest is far more important than the existence of one political movement, no matter how influential it is/was.
So unless you present some ideas, facts about any indications no matter how small they are about a potential change in Fatah, I call upon all honest, patriot Fathaouis to start a new political movement, based on the old Democratic Front program adopted by the PLO till 1974, which calls for the creation of one democratic secular state over all of Palestine.
Hamas is definitely not a successor for the "revolution" but all in Fatah today is counter-revolutionary.
Posted by Han | August 13, 2010, 3:05 amActually Muslim Brotherhood (the precursor to Hamas) were the first Palestinian group to fight against the British and the formation of the israeli state.
Posted by OooKhalid | August 13, 2010, 2:45 amWho cares, it's Hussein Ibish = totally irrelevant
Posted by Ray | August 12, 2010, 8:55 amThe difference between Hamas and fatah is that; Hamas has the ability to dream Big(woldwide chaliphate) with the added capabilities of implementing that dream. Whilst fatah's dream is only big enough to fit their own inflated egos(/pockets).
Posted by OooKhalid | August 13, 2010, 2:13 amGreat article. Mainstream media deliberately muddies the water on the issue of Hamas' mandate. Thanks for clarifying the situation in such an articulate manner.
Posted by saracen | August 13, 2010, 7:49 pmdoes the pflp actually exist as an active organization anymore?
Posted by sunbula | August 13, 2010, 9:55 pmThey are still the third largest group behind Hamas and Fatah.
Posted by Yassir | August 13, 2010, 11:52 pmIf you feel like reading something a bit longer, and still enjoyable, check out my blog: http://sarakenos.blogspot.com/2010/08/vip-culture…
Posted by Sarakenos | August 14, 2010, 9:47 pmhttp://sarakenos.blogspot.com
Posted by Sarakenos | August 14, 2010, 10:05 pm