Hamas...Now What?
Sermon, February 24, 2006
Rabbi Bruce Kadden

Hamas is a terrorist organization.  If we start with that understanding, then we can recognize the challenges that lie ahead for Israel, and the rest of the world as Hamas assumes leadership of the Palestinian Authority. 

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, Hamas, an Arabic word meaning “zeal,” and an acronym for “Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya” – the Islamic Resistance Movement “is the Palestinians’ largest and most influential Muslim fundamentalist movement.  It grew out of the Muslim Brotherhood, and was started by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in 1987, in response to the first intafada.  Israeli security forces assassinated Yassin in March 2004 in its effort to deal with terrorism.

Hamas’s election victory stunned the world.  Though many observers predicted that it would present a strong challenge to Mahmood Abbas’s Fatah party, no one thought it would win a majority of seats in the Palestinian Parliament and therefore be entitled to form the new government.

Its success was due to a number of factors:
--the corruption and ineptitude of Fatah;
--the inability of Fatah to bring order to the Palestinian street or to improve the quality of life for the Palestinian people;
--Hamas’s ability to deliver social services to the Palestinians.
--Some observers have also claimed that Hamas benefited from the Israeli pullout from Gaza, but I am not convinced that they would necessarily benefit any more than Fatah.
--Other commentators have pointed out that Hamas’s victory was not as overwhelming as it seemed, and that in many races Fatah candidates received more votes than Hamas candidates, but because there were often more than one Fatah candidate, they ended up splitting the vote and losing the race.

The reasons for Hamas’s victory are less important than the implications of that victory.  What does it mean for Israel and for the world?

First of all, the Hamas victory attests to the utter failure of Fatah.  Since the historic Oslo accords, many of us have deluded ourselves into believing that the Palestinian leadership was sincerely committed to peace.  Although we knew of Yasser Arafat’s terrorist past, we wanted to believe that he had changed and that he wanted to be viewed as the one who finally helped create a Palestinian state. Up until the day he walked away from Camp David and a peace offer that would have created such a state, we believed that he wanted peace.

Instead, we got a second intafada, replete with suicide bombings and terrorist attacks.  Arafat’s death and the subsequent election of Mahmood Abbas to lead the Palestinian Authority brought new hope that finally there was a leader who would bring peace.  But that hope quickly gave way to the reality that Abbas could not control his own security forces, let alone deal effectively with Hamas. 

With Hamas, there can be no delusions; what you see is what you get:  a terrorist organization committed to the destruction of Israel.  Some have suggested that now that Hamas has come to power they might change their positions, and many governments have dutifully urged them to do so.  But a leopard cannot change its spots.

Hamas is committed to Israel’s destruction and will do what it can to achieve that goal.  However, this does not mean that it will begin by unleashing unrelenting terrorist attacks.  Rather, we should expect that in order to enhance its standing among the nations, it will put forth a moderate persona.  Furthermore, Hamas will attempt to bring order to the Palestinian street and continue to deliver the social services to cement the support of the people. 

Its ability to do so will depend in large measure on whether it is able to attain financial support from Arab countries and other nations to make up for the money that Israel is withholding from tax payments that it has collected and that previously had been turned over on a monthly basis to the Palestinian Authority.  While the United States has clearly indicated its unwillingness to deal with Hamas, Russia and other countries are not so reluctant.  The question is what message will they give to Hamas?  Will they demand that Hamas renounce terrorism or will they equivocate and support them as long as they maintain relative calm? 

Hamas also has a long way to go to win the support of many Palestinians, especially those who are wary of its Islamic fundamentalism.  Hamas’s charter not only is committed to the destruction of Israel, but also to the creation of an Islamist state in Palestine.  How will Hamas move to implement this goal?  How will the people respond?  The answers to these questions will go a long way to determine whether Hamas will maintain its support among the Palestinian people.

Of further concern is the affect that Hamas’s victory will have in other Arab countries.  General Moshe Yaalon, former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, expresses the concern that Hamas’s victory will “inspire Muslim Brotherhood affiliates” in countries such as Egypt and Jordan and will “energize the imaginations of Muslims everywhere, unifying Muslims under the banner of radical Islam. 

Yaalon also points out that Hamas’s victory will encourage cooperation among Arab terrorist organizations, and will facilitate the penetration of al-Qaeda elements into the Palestinian Authority.  These alliances may pose the gravest long-term threat to Israel, as efforts are made to smuggle more powerful arms into Gaza and the West Bank.

I wish that I could be more optimistic, but it is important that we not delude ourselves.  Hamas’s election triumph is not the end of the world, but it is a matter of grave concern, not only for Israel, but for the rest of the world.  Understanding the seriousness of this threat is the first step toward dealing with it.

This week’s Torah portion contains the Hebrew word chamas, which means violent or malicious.  Exodus 23:1 reads:  “Al tashet yadcha im rasha lihyot eid chamas,” which is usually translated “Do not place your hand with the wicked to be a malicious witness, but which might be understood “Do not place your hand with the wicked to be a witness of Hamas.”  Perhaps this is a warning to those who would support Hamas that in so doing, they encourage their evil devisings.  As long as Hamas remains committed to Israel’s destruction it should be isolated and unwelcome among the nations. 

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