What does Hamas want? – 1/2
JVL Introduction
Tareq Baconi is the president of the board of Al-Shabaka, the Palestinian Policy Network, the first and only independent, transnational Palestinian think tank.
We have two interlinked posts, one a review of Baconi’s 2018 book, Hamas Contained, by Sam Farber; the second an interview with Baconi in February this year, posted here.
In the review below, Samuel Farber notes that the book, while overtaken by events, is nonetheless highly relevant today. He argued then – as was the consensus – that Hamas, through a process of containment and pacification, had been forcefully transformed into little more than an administrative authority in the Gaza strip, similar to the PA.
The book explains how Hamas had enforced its authority in the Gaza Strip, establishing a political dictatorship and, insofar as it was able, a conservative and repressive religious order.
In a nuanced discussion Farber draws parallels with the Algerian and South African resistance struggles to think about themes of great relevance today, particularly relating to Hamas’s “death cult” and “terrorism” – the former with parallels in other colonial struggles where the defence of the Fatherland justifies many kinds of sacrifices, including death; the latter “not only ethically wrong but […]politically very counterproductive”.
RK
This article was originally published by Against the Current No. 230, May/June 2024 on Mon 6 May 2024. Read the original here.
Was Hamas Contained?
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One of the differences between the Palestinian and South African fights against their oppressors is the fact that the western world’s AWARENESS of Apartheid’s injustice and oppression began DECADES BEFOREHAND, amongst the Anglican church, students, casual visitors to South Africa, people dealing with South Africa as suppliers, customers, etc. The South African government wasn’t able to direct and control what these people said and did. Many of them were people of high status (eg Bishop Huddleston), internationally known (eg Peter Hain) and well-connected (eg the “Guardian” reporter or editor who reported on South Africa’s killing of Steve Biko and whose child was harmed by SA’s secret service organisation). profiles
By contrast, Israel is much better able to control what the western world knows about its behaviour and the Palestinians’ plight … and the UK itself is none too keen to draw public attention to its own misdeeds towards Palestine (eg Lawrence “of Arabia” protested against his government’s betrayal of the “Arabs” who were promised self-determination for their support against the Ottoman Empire).