Home
Home

Hamas's Ideological Crisis
By Matthew Levitt
Current Trends in Islamist Ideology, November 6, 2009

Despite its success as the first Muslim Brotherhood organization to control and govern territory, and in part because of that success, Hamas today is under significant stress. In the West Bank, Hamas faces a severe security crackdown that has driven the movement underground. And in Gaza, Hamas has been forced to choose between engaging in acts of violence or attempting to effectively govern the territory it took over by force of arms. The result is an acute ideological tension within Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, which has been forced to suspend the resistance for which it is named and by which it defines itself. For some, the cessation of violence, however temporary, is a sign of moderation within Hamas. For others, Hamas's actions, including continued radicalization and weapons smuggling into Gaza, better denote the movement's true intentions and trajectory. To be sure, Hamas is not a monolithic movement. But the one constant among its various currents is its self-identification as a resistance movement. ...

Matthew Levitt is a senior fellow and director of The Washington Institute's Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence.

Download this article (PDF).

 Advanced Search
pdf
Beyond a 'New Beginning': Obama Administration Middle East Policy

Deterred but Determined: Salafi-Jihadi Groups in the Palestinian Arena

A Victory for Islamism? The Second Lebanon War and Its Repercussions

Hamas: Politics, Charity, and Terrorism in the Service of Jihad

PolicyWatch #1467: Obama's Personal 'Public Diplomacy': A Very Preliminary Assessment Robert Satloff

Illegal Attack or Legitimate Target? Israel Attacks al-Manar Andrew Exum, Arab Media & Society

The Muqawama Doctrine Ehud Yaari, Jerusalem Report

Casus Belli Moshe Yaalon, New Republic

Al-Qaeda in the West Bank and Gaza: One Year after Cast Lead

Knowing Thy Enemy: Decisionmaking of Regional Adversaries

Israel's War against Hizballah and Its Battle against Hamas

Reforming the Rogue: Lessons from the U.S.-Libyan Rapprochement

Related documents are PDF files and require Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Palestinian Unity Government Platform

Robert Satloff in Maroc Hebdo

Timeline of Turkish-Israeli Relations, 1949-2006

Transcript: Israel's War against Hizballah and Its Battle against Hamas

2008-2009 Gaza Conflict Timeline Policy Focus #97

Hamas Decisionmaking Policy Focus #97

Hamas Military and Security Apparatus Policy Focus #97

Hamas Rocket Control System Policy Focus #97

Site Design and Development by Matthew Schwartz Design Studio