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Nobody had a clue that Hamas would
win with a landslide. Not the Israeli defense establishment, not the CIA, not even
the Palestinians. Hamas itself was taken by surprise, some say
it even was disappointed. The question of what would happen if Hamas
were to win
was raised by Israelis in private meetings with the Americans and
Europeans, and by Palestinian leaders. But the Americans and
Europeans, enamored with the democratic ideal, ignored the
consequences and pushed for the elections. Not even the
landslide victories of Hamas in the local municipal elections, which
were
held in the weeks and months before the general elections, turned on
the warning lights in the capitals of the world. Now it is too late
- Hamas holds the majority in the Palestinian parliament and will
form the new government.
Hamas' roots date back to the Arab
defeat in the Six Day War in 1967. Sheikh Ahmed Yassin
and a handful of operatives created a branch of the
extreme Egyptian-based Islamic Brotherhood. Their actions stemmed
from the concept that Islam is the
solution to the Arab world's troubles - poverty, misery, and
oppression.
Yassin's organization started by establishing
kindergartens and schools and by offering social activities in
mosques. In 1977, he began to build the Center for Islamic Activities
in Gaza. Three years ago, he was wiped out by Israel in response to his
followers' terrorist activities against Israel.
In the formative years of the Islamic Movement, the members of Yassin's organization sought to gain influence by getting elected to
key positions in student organizations, labor unions, and the like.
In 1987, five days after the outbreak of
the first intifada, Yassin created Hamas - the military
branch of the Islamic Movement. Jihad - "terror in the name of
Islam" - was Hamas raison d'etre.
With this creed of terror, Hamas set out to win over the
Palestinians and executed
ruthless suicide bombings against civilian targets in Israel.
At its core, Hamas is a
religious-political movement that wants to realize its goals by
taking over the government and changing the country into an Islamic
entity. Hamas' ideology is autocratic, anti-democratic, and anti-Jewish,
and does not recognize the existence of the State of Israel. Its
political charter states that the Sharia - the Islamic law based on
the Koran - should be the base of the country's legal system. Hamas does not recognize the Oslo agreement,
which is the basis for the
existence of the Palestinian Authority, or any other agreement with
Israel or with the West. Its strategy is armed struggle against
Israel and the West - "Jihad for Allah" - as it is called in the Hamas charter.
Hamas is funded by Iran. Like its
Iranian masters, Hamas believes in setting long-term goals and
achieving them in stages.
First, take over the Palestinian Authority, then take over the West
Bank and Gaza. East Jerusalem is the next stage, and after that
Israel. Like Iran, Hamas is willing to bide its
time, make temporary ceasefire agreements, and carry out one stage after the
other - but it will not be deterred from its basic goals.
In a way, the Hamas' victory is a blessing
for the future of the peace process in the Middle East and the
strained relations between Islam and the West. It is what Israeli
military strategists call "a defining strategic event." For Hamas,
the victory in the elections was premature. It has flushed the
organization
out into the open. The world's reaction to the democratic election
of a terror organization that is committed to destroying its people's democracy is
the key to the future. If the world wakes up to the dangers of
extreme Moslem elements taking over governments, armed forces,
and education systems, this will be the moment when the tide was turned.
The Palestinian Authority is funded by
Israel and the Europeans. Israel and Europe have declared that they
will not fund a government that does not recognize Israel and the
Oslo agreement. Israel will not recognize Hamas or negotiate
with an organization that does not accept its very existence. The
election results free Israel to continue its policy of disengagement
- redefining
its borders and eliminating the troublesome connection with
the Palestinians.
Finally, there is the issue of the Palestinians themselves. The
battle between the secular Fatah and the religious Hamas has still
to be fought. The Palestinian armed forces, controlled by Fatah,
are not going to give in to Hamas. The elections are only the first
stage of the war that is about to start. The future for the
Palestinians themselves looks bleak. It holds the prospects of civil
war, religious persecution, and international ostracism. The Palestinians
have brought all this upon themselves. Hamas was voted to power by a
large, clear, and legal majority. For once in their history, the
Palestinians
cannot hide behind their usual strategy: complain that somebody else
is to blame for their plight. This time they did it all on their
own. |
