The goals of Hamas are to fight Israel for its illegal occupation of Palestine and to build a sustainable political constituency. Hamas has the ‘objective of destroying the zionist entity that occupies Palestine, and establishing Palestine from the sea to the river based on Islamic principles’ . This would entail the Islamisation of society to achieve social justice, leadership accountability and democracy. Symbolically, Palestine is an important part of the Islamic faith, frequently mentioned in the Quran and Ahadith of the Prophet Muhammad. Baitul-Maqdis in Palestine was the centre of Isra’ and Mi’raj of the Prophet Muhammad, and is the second holiest place in Islam after the Hijaz. It was also the second mosque ever established, and prayers there are considered worthy of many prayers at other mosques. Several verses of the Quran and several Ahadith of the Prophet Muhammad describe the significance of Baitul-Maqdis, saying that Allah has blessed the land around it. It is for these reasons that the Prophet Muhammad saw Palestine as a blessed and holy land, and that Hamas sees Palestine as a territory that was given in trust to all Muslims. This is why Hamas in theory considers all peace efforts that compromise with the occupiers as acts of betrayal against the Prophet Muhammad, although there have been some signs of a more pragmatic approach as I will discuss later.

The military wing of Hamas is a help to the political wing. In October 2003, 75 per cent of respondents to a survey said they supported a particular suicide mission, while 56 per cent said they believed that ‘current armed confrontations have helped the Palestinians achieve national rights in ways that negotiations could not’ , reflecting the major support for Hamas among Palestinians. Support for the violence means of Hamas was not deterred by the Oslo agreement. Oslo offered no form of non-violent protest for the Palestinians, and they were faced with the choice of either putting their faith in the zionists to mediate a peace, or backing Hamas. As Hamas demands total zionist withdrawal from Palestinian territory, it opposed the 1993 Israel-PLO accord which granted Palestinians gradual limited autonomy in the Gaza strip.

Alongside the absolutist goals of Hamas lies a more flexible, pragmatic group of objectives. This is reflected in the continuing discussions over a permanent cease-fire, the offer to stop killing Israeli civilians in return for an end to the Israeli army’s killing of Palestinian civilians, and suggestions that a two-state solution may be the only way forward. There have been times when Hamas has agreed to accept the status quo to allow the peace process to progress and an increasingly consequentialist, rather than absolutist policy is likely to continue. Normally, though, Hamas views the peace process cynically, as an attempt at consolidating Israel’s position rather than a genuine attempt at justice. As there is no powerful external body that is willing to force Israel to make sacrifices, Hamas views violence as its only means to achieve its goals. In this way, Hamas holds some power as it can withhold from Israel what it really wants: security.

The Islamic solution is re-emerging as a powerful and popular means of liberating the occupied territories. In this sense, Hamas is a reflection of the broader failure of all non-Islamic methods that have been used to try to free Palestine. Hamas views Islam as the only tolerant religion with regards the peace and sanctity of the Holy Land. Hamas asks all Muslims to join the Palestinian struggle, while simultaneously they hope that a re-awakening in the Islamic faith will give the Palestinian people a feeling of strength. Hamas sees first achieving justice as the only way to achieve peace, and sees that any plan which does not bring back rule by Islamic law will not bring about real peace and will thus only lead to further violence and instability. Hamas can be viewed as part of an Islamist movement that is growing in strength and becoming increasingly central to Middle East politics.

The nationalist centre of Palestinian politics, which has held power during the reign of Yasir Arafat, is increasingly under threat from a powerful Islamist movement. While the Islamist movement is ideologically motivated, it has also shown signs of becoming increasingly pragmatic. In fact, Hamas would rather compromise slightly on it’s Israel position than marginalise its social role, which is why Hamas holds the position of being the most credible alternative to nationalism. Consequently, with its ideological position and its social role, there is no limit to the support that Hamas could receive.

Hamas uses the political climate to attempt to push change, as all other means of resolution have not worked. International institutions have been ineffective as Israel has always escaped accountability for its occupation, thanks to the US veto at the security council and the powerful Jewish lobby on Capitol Hill. The US is in the position of being the mediator of the peace, but has done little to prove that it is even handed. The US is the biggest donor of financial and military aid to Israel, contributing significantly to the conditions in which radicalism emerges, especially in the age of the suicide bomber.

The leadership of Hamas is keen to gauge public opinion. Consultation is consistent with the religious ideology that Hamas observes, emphasising inclusive egalitariaism and linking consultation with proper Islamic leadership. While the Palestinian Authority (PA) has the image of being corrupt and autocratic, Hamas likes to show that it is not corrupt financially and that it remains loyal to its egalitarian ideals. While the PA has great firepower and access to the political elites, Hamas has to rely on other methods to exert influence. The social networks of Hamas display the message of social justice, and serve as a public relations tool. But, the social side of Hamas also proves to be something that the PA cannot do without. If the PA wishes to limit Hamas-affiliated charities, it risks causing humanitarian crises. Hamas is popular in student and worker’s union elections as it engages thoroughly in egalitarian politics.The result of this is that members and supporters of Hamas tend to be extremely loyal and have a sense of belonging to the organisation.

While large parts of the Western media like to portray Hamas as a mindless terrorist organisation, the truth is much more complex. Hamas derives its popularity from its position as opposition to Israel and its vital social role.The terrorism of Hamas is retaliatory, a direct response to Israeli policy. Israeli policy, backed by the US needs to be analysed in greater depth within the Western media. While they are correct to condemn the killing of innocent Israelis, they should also look deeper at the logic of the popularity of Hamas.