Background information and ideology

1. Hamas was founded in 1987 with the beginning of the first violent Palestinian insurrection against Israel (intifada), in the Gaza Strip and on the West Bank. Its founding reflected the Islamic trend headed by Ahmad Yassin, which rejected focusing exclusively on the da'wah, (the Muslim Brotherhood ideology of changing society through preaching, indoctrination and education), and added Palestinian nationalism. At the top of its priority list, Hamas put the eradication of the State of Israel through the use of terrorist strategy and tactics.

2. Hamas ideology states that the Palestinian problem is religious and therefore can never be solved by political compromise, and that the land of Palestine, "from the river to the sea," is consecrated to Islam (wakf). It cannot be given up, not even a part of it, especially not Jerusalem.

3. Thus Hamas is utterly opposed to a political settlement with Israel. It has opposed any agreements the Palestinian Authority (PA)/PLO reached with Israel, particularly the Oslo accords. That is also the reason it refuses to recognize the authority of the PA. Hamas rejects the idea of joining it, and will do so only when the PA has cancelled all its political obligations and agreed to a new orientation and source of authority.

4. The perpetration of terrorist acts against Israel is central to its ideology: as long as Palestinians live under the "occupation" ( including within Israel) they must "resist" through jihad (holy war, by which they mean an armed insurrection against the State of Israel). However, Hamas also realizes the necessity (with religious rationale as well) of reaching temporary tactical cease fires (hudnas) to avoid coming into open conflict with the PA (and international and regional elements), which might hurt its standing with the Palestinian public.