Description:
HAMAS formed in late 1987 at the beginning of the first Palestinian
Intifada (uprising). Its roots are in the Palestinian branch of
the Muslim Brotherhood, and it is supported by a robust social/political structure inside the Palestinian territories.
HAMAS has used various forms of violence, including high-profile
terrorist attacks against Israeli civilian targets, designed to disrupt
peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials and prevent agreements aimed at ending the
conflict. The group?s charter calls for establishing an Islamic
Palestinian state in place of
Israel and rejects all agreements made between the PLO and
Israel. More recently,
HAMAS has publicly expressed a willingness to accept a long-term cessation of hostilities against
Israel if
Israel agreed to a
Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with
Jerusalem as its capital.
HAMAS?s strength is concentrated in the
Gaza Strip and areas of the
West Bank.
HAMAS has a paramilitary arm, the
Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, which, beginning in the 1990s and up to the present, has conducted many anti-Israeli attacks in
Israel and the Palestinian territories. These have included large-scale
terrorist bombings against Israeli civilian targets, as well as small-arms attacks, improvised roadside explosives, and the launching of al-Qassam rockets into
Israel.
HAMAS continues to claim its right to confront
Israel violently but has never deliberately attacked US targets. While the group receives some support from foreign countries and movements, it remains independent.In early 2006
HAMAS won legislative
elections in the Palestinian territories, ending the secular
Fatah party?s hold on the
Palestinian Authority and challenging
Fatah?s
leadership of the Palestinian national movement. Since then,
HAMAS has largely refrained from
suicide bombings or other attacks against Israeli targets but has refused to recognize the
Jewish state explicitly or renounce violence.
HAMAS militants violently took over the
Gaza Strip in June 2007 and have since worked to overcome international isolation by calling for a
cease-fire with
Israel, while demonstrating the group?s ability to provide security.
HAMAS in June 2008 entered into an Egyptian-mediated agreement for calm with
Israel and ceased all
rocket attacks.
HAMAS has since worked to rein in attacks from other groups and enforce the calm.