Hamas, Popular Support and War in the Middle East - 9781138927803

The book offers an in-depth empirical examination into the environmental conditions that shape and are shaped by Hamas’s use of violence in the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict.

The empirical examination begins with the group’s formation in 1987 (and refers to foundations much earlier) and ends with the intriguing events surrounding Gaza War III in July and August 2014. Over time, Hamas has been suspended between its quest to achieve the values of its ardent supporters (reclamation of land through force) and the desire to grow popular support. This tension is reflected in how and when the group exercises violent resistance. This theoretical framework provides a simple construct to understand the complex dynamics that result in Hamas’s use and non-use of violence under changing environmental conditions.

The narrative offers a comprehensive and new picture of Hamas by weaving together the dynamics between violent actions and internal and external influences on the group, including: 1) expressed values of the group, 2) Palestinian popular support measures, 3) leaders personalities and innovation (weapons and tactics), 4) Israeli influence andTargeted Killings, 5) internal and external suspicion, 6) the Palestinian Authority and Fatah, 7) Other Palestinian groups, 8) peace processes and 9) conflicts in Gaza, Syria, Iraq and Egypt. Qualitative and quantitative measures, derived from years of field work and analysis, are embedded throughout the text to test many of the common assumptions by thought leaders and policy makers on a host of issues related to Hamas and the Palestinian people.

This book will be of much interest to students of the Arab-Israeli conflict, political violence, Middle Eastern politics, security studies and IR in general.