Gaza for Dummies Day 2: Hamas

Well, Biz, good luck finding a neutral source.

Okay, Hamas is an acronym for “Islamic Resistance Movement” (translation deleted.)  Currently they have had control of the Palestinian National Authority which has governed Palestinian territories (like, surprise, Gaza Strip) since 2006.

You know, I think this calls for a bulleted list, cause who doesn’t love a bulleted list?

• Hamas does not recognize the state of Israel
• They have carried out multiple terrorist attacks against Israeli through suicide bombing and short-range missiles
• They lead humanitarian efforts within Palestinian territory building schools and hospitals and attempting to aid the community socially and religiously
• Their goals include making Palestine a wholly Islamist state and completely removing Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories
• They have an estimated budget of about $70-mil a year (funded in large part by Iran, but also through some Muslim charitable organizations around the world)
• Hamas has over a thousand active members, and several times that in supporters and sympathizers
• “According to Palestinian pollster Khalil Shikaki, in late 2006 Hamas still enjoyed public backing, though most Palestinians also wanted to see a negotiated settlement with Israel” (that’s directly copied, link and all)

I built this all around information from the Council on Foreign Relations site and, to a lesser degree, this somewhat dated BBC Profile.

PS – Vocab word of the day  = intifada, meaning uprising or rebellion, coined in1985 and specifically referring to Palestinian rebellions against Israeli occupation of West Bank and Gaza.

Tomorrow: Events leading up to today’s situation in Gaza (I think…)

NOTE: There is now a Gaza for Dummies page – which attempts to put all of these posts into some semblance of order

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Posted in current events, middle east, politics, vocabulary
Tags: gaza, hamas, intifada, israel, palestine