A more nuanced analysis of Hamas
JVL Introduction
Avi Shlaim argues compellingly that Hamas’s political wing should be removed from the list of proscribed organisations in Britain.
It was put on the list by Priti Patel for domestic reasons of cynical political calculation.
As Shlaim argues, Hamas is a vital segment of Palestinian society and of the resistance to occupation. Its proscription hampers any moves to end the genocide: “labelling Hamas’s political leaders as terrorists pure and simple gives Israel a free pass to inflict death and destruction on Gaza without being held to account”.
For the avoidance of doubt, we repost the disclaimer that accompanies the article’s original publication:
“The purpose of this article is to set out the author’s reasons for supporting Abu Marzouk’s application [to the home secretary for deproscription – ed].
Nothing in this article should be understood as inviting or otherwise encouraging readers to support, or express support for, Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyyah (Hamas).
RK
This article was originally published by Middle East Eye on Fri 30 May 2025. Read the original here.
Why I support the UK taking a more nuanced position on Hamas
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Measured and sensible words. I hope the UK government will listen to them.
The USA negotiates directly with Hamas now (in spite of blatantly favouring Israel and misrepresenting Hamas’s position). It’s odd that America talks to Hamas – and the UK won’t (at least, officially it won’t).
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Hamas, Hezbollah and the Yemeni Houthis are the Only Resistance to the
US/ Israel Genocide in Gaza. All other Arab Muslim Nations have their Oil
Guarded by the Great American Empire.
It’s nonsense to say Hamas is proscribed as it’s a party to negotiations and it’s Israel/US that reneges on deals. We know Israel fostered Hamas until it blew up in their faces. Proscription is purely a way of censoring anti-imperialists/anti-Zionists in the west.
All such resistance groups have fringes that commit atrocities (eg the IRA) and it’s not clear in any case who did what on 7 October (there were other groups and probably psychopaths/people motivated by great loss in a population of 2 million+).
What’s crystal clear of course is that Hamas is painted as an existential threat to the western way of life in line with the Islamic great replacement hoax. Most of the hard right jumping on this couldn’t care less about Arabs/Muslims or Jews – Palestine/Israel is a proxy.
What’s also clear is that one doesn’t have to support all the ideology of Hamas to be on the right side of the opposition to imperialism.
There is a major precedent for not proscribing political wings of armed groups in the UK, which is Provisional Sinn Fein. We should remember that they had MPs in the UK parliament while their armed wing was carrying out bombings and other armed actions in England and the Six Counties. Not only that, even the Provisional IRA, in the form of Bobby Sands, had an MP Even though he was in Long Kesh prison, convicted of possession of arms and on hunger strike, he was allowed to stand in a by-election. (The Tory government soon changed the law so prisoners serving more than 1 year could no stand).
Surely it’s time for those charged for allegedly supporting the PKK to have charges dropped? PKK no longer exists.
There was a growing number of Palestinians being put into Israeli prisons, many never charged and 160 of them Children. I read that there was 9000 and growing daily. Whenever the Settlers went on the rampage, setting light to their Olive Groves, beating and even murdering those that tried to fight back, it was always Palestinians that were arrested. Hamas on Oct 7 were out to get hostages, especially military personnel to use as negotiating tools to get Palestinian prisoners released. There was a battle that took place, innocent Israelis did get caught up in the crossfire.We never hear any of this on the BBC or read it in the Press. As for keep calling it a war, when one side has rifles and pathetic rockets that can make a hole in a tiled roof and Israel has an Army, Navy and Airforce with the very latest Armaments of war is ridiculous.
Lynda: Pedantic perhaps but I believe that the UK would speak with Hamas, and go further, Matt is the people of the UK. It’s Starmer and hi s echo, Lammy who have been dragged against Starmer’s will to reluctantly and so, so late to utter words of criticism of Israel. Our ‘Labour’ PM committed himself and the UK to full support for Israel, given the opportunity to join the outrage following 7 Oct 2023. There was plenty to be repulsed about Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians well before that. I saw and still see the Hamas (and who knows who else) killings as a desperate attempt to change their dire plight for so long. Tragically the change that came was all-out destruction of everything standing in the way of Netanyahu’s fanatical long-term aim of ‘cleansing’ what once was Palestine of all Palestinians. With the non-intervention, indeed support, of Western countries this apartheid-plus is well on the way to saving Bibi from prison…..as long as it continues.