http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/printgroupProfile.asp?grpid=6204
<http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6204> Hamas Threatens West Bank Takeover HAMAS * Islamic terrorist group founded in 1987 * Received funding from Saddam Hussein * Receives funding from Iran * Responsible for many suicide bombings and terrorist acts against Israeli targets WorldNetDaily reports <http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58630> the following: "The Hamas terror group will take over the West Bank if Israel evacuates the strategic territory to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, exclaimed Mahmoud al-Zahar, considered to be head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. "'Israel thinks Fatah in the West Bank is there to serve it, but we will take over the West Bank the way we took over Gaza,' stated al-Zahar at a major Hamas rally Friday in the Gaza Strip. "Al-Zahar, who served as foreign minister in the deposed Hamas-led Palestinian government, became the most senior Hamas leader to state in recent weeks the Hamas terror group plans to seize the West Bank just as it took complete control of the Gaza Strip this past June, taking over all U.S.-backed Fatah security installations. "Al-Zahar also warned the Palestinian negotiating team against any core concessions to Israel during a summit slated to take place in Annapolis later this month. 'Whoever relinquishes a grain of Palestinian land severs an organ from himself. Palestinian land is one - from Rafah in the south to Rosh Hanikra in the north, from the Jordan river in the east to the Mediterranean sea in the west,' he said." Hamas (an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawamat al-Islamiyya, or "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a radical fundamentalist group founded on December 14, 1987 by the Muslim <http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6386> Brotherhood. ( Hamas describes itself as "one <http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:T-e99pjS9VoJ:www.palestinecenter.org/c pap/documents/charter.html+%22hamas+founding+charter%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk& cd=1> of the wings of the Muslim Brother[hood].") As a single Arabic word rather than an acronym, "Hamas" means "zeal." Its avowed purpose is "liberating <http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:T-e99pjS9VoJ:www.palestinecenter.org/c pap/documents/charter.html+%22hamas+founding+charter%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk& cd=1> Palestine" from the Jew "oppressors <http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:T-e99pjS9VoJ:www.palestinecenter.org/c pap/documents/charter.html+%22hamas+founding+charter%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk& cd=1> ," whose presence in the Middle East it considers an affront to Muslims' rightful sovereignty in the land of the Prophet Mohammad. The organization's individual co-founders were Ahmed <http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=803> Yassin and Abdel <http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=794> Aziz al Rantisi. With tens of thousands of loyal supporters, Hamas' strength is concentrated principally in the Gaza Strip and a few areas of the West Bank. The group's leadership is dispersed throughout these same areas, with a few senior leaders residing in Syria, Lebanon, and the Gulf States. Hamas receives some funding from Iran but is supported primarily by donations from Palestinian expatriates around the world and private benefactors in Arab nations. Some clandestine fundraising takes place in Western Europe and North America as well. When the United <file:///C:/Program%20Files/Common%20Files/Microsoft%20Shared/Stationery/gro upProfile.asp?grpid=6529> Nations Oil-For-Food program was in effect, Saddam <http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1344> Hussein skimmed more than $21 billion from its coffers and sent some of it it directly to Hamas. Hamas has a close working relationship with Hezbollah <file:///C:/Program%20Files/Common%20Files/Microsoft%20Shared/Stationery/gro upProfile.asp?grpid=6256> , the Lebanon-based terror organization that is one of Hamas' major suppliers of weaponry <http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=23424> . Hamas is best known for using violent methods -- including suicide bombings against Israeli military and civilian targets -- to destroy Israel and replace it with an Islamic Palestinian state. The Hamas Charter <http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:T-e99pjS9VoJ:www.palestinecenter.org/c pap/documents/charter.html+%22hamas+founding+charter%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk& cd=1> , written in 1988, puts forth "The Slogan of the Hamas," which reads as follows: "Allah is its goal, the Prophet its model, the Qur'an its Constitution, Jihad its path, and death for the case of Allah its most sublime belief." The Charter says that jihad, or holy war, "becomes an individual duty binding on every Muslim man and woman; a woman must go out and fight the enemy even without her husband's authorization, and a slave without his masters' permission." The Hamas Charter explicitly abjures negotiated settlements as mechanisms for peaceful coexistence: "There is no other solution for the Palestinian problem other than jihad. All the initiatives and international conferences are a waste of time and a futile game." According to the Charter, those against whom jihad is to be directed are the Jews. "The Nazism of the Jews," it says, "does not skip women and children, it scares everyone. They make war against people's livelihood, plunder their moneys and threaten their honor." Hamas seeks to fulfill the Qur'anic scripture which reads: "The prophet, prayer and peace be upon him, said: The time will not come until Muslims will fight the Jews (and kill them); until the Jews hide behind rocks and trees, which will cry: O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him!" To view additional quotes from the Hamas Charter, click here <http://www.palestinecenter.org/cpap/documents/charter.html> . Hamas' rejection of negotiated settlements was given voice in October 2000 by its founder and then-leader Sheikh Ahmed <http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=803> Yassin, who was killed on March 22, 2004, by Hellfire missiles fired by Israeli helicopter gun ships. Palestinian <file:///C:/Program%20Files/Common%20Files/Microsoft%20Shared/Stationery/gro upProfile.asp?grpid=6213> Authority President Yasser <file:///C:/Program%20Files/Common%20Files/Microsoft%20Shared/Stationery/ind ividualProfile.asp?indid=650> Arafat eulogized Yassin and declared three days of mourning. Yassin was immediately replaced by Hamas co-founder Abdel <http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=794> Aziz al Rantisi, who had escaped an Israeli assassination attempt in June 2003. The 54-year-old pediatrician initially threatened retaliatory attacks <http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/news04/032404_news_hamas.shtml> against both Israel and the United States, but later said that Hamas would target only Israel. On April 17, 2004, An Israeli helicopter launched a strike on Rantisi's car, killing him and two others -- one of them a bodyguard. That same month, Yasser Arafat told the German magazine Focus that he was prepared to include Hamas <http://web.israelinsider.com/bin/en.jsp?enPage=ArticlePage&enDisplay=view&e nDispWhat=object&enDispWho=Article%5El3501&enZone=Diplomacy&enVersion=0&> and Islamic <http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6448> Jihad in a new leadership structure to operate in parallel with the Palestinian <http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6213> Authority. "Forming a unified Palestinian leadership does not contradict the Palestinian Authority," Fatah <http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6259> Central Committee member Hani al-Hassan told Fatah-connected newspaper Al-Ayyam, "as it is an internal Palestinian factional issue." "We think that all political movements should take part in the political decision-making process," agreed senior Hamas figure Sheikh Said Siam. "We want a political partnership along new guidelines which take into account the weight of the various movements." But this alleged diversity of political viewpoints was illusory. On January 3, 2003, PLO political chief Farouq <http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=802> Al-Qaddoumi candidly acknowledged <http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=8467> that Fatah, "strategically," was "never different from Hamas." In March 2005, FBI Director Robert Mueller stated, "Of all the Palestinian groups, Hamas has the largest presence in the United States with a strong infrastructure . [and] is theoretically capable of facilitating acts of terrorism in the United States." In October 2005 an FBI counterterrorism agent in New York affirmed Mueller's assertions, stating <http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46861> "We have information Hamas agents have been on U.S. soil the past few years and that the group may currently have up to 100 agents operating inside America." According to <http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46861> terrorism expert Steven Emerson, "Hamas has an extensive infrastructure in the U.S. mostly revolving around the activities of fundraising, recruiting and training members, directing operations against Israel, organizing political support and operating through human rights front groups. . [I]t has the capability of carrying out attacks in America if it decided to enlarge the scope of its operations." In August 2005, the founders and political leaders of Hamas joined forces to publicly announce that the organization's attacks against Israeli targets would continue even after Israel's impending withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Senior Hamas member Ismail Haniyye characterized <http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/08/14/gaza.pullout/> Israel's withdrawal as a "retreat" that was "a result of resistance and our people's sacrifice." Promising more violence, Haniyye declared <http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/08/14/gaza.pullout/> , "Hamas confirms its adherence to resistance as a strategic option until the occupation retreats from our lands and holy places. Our movement reaffirms that it will protect its military apparatus ." Also in August 2005, Mahmoud al Zahar, the most senior Hamas member in Gaza, said <http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=19229> the following about Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip: * "We do not and will not recognize a state called Israel. Israel has no right to any inch of Palestinian land. This is an important issue. Our position stems from our religious convictions. This is a holy land. It is not the property of the Palestinians or the Arabs. This land is the property of all Muslims in all parts of the world." * "Let Israel die." * "We will enter the settlements and sully the dignity of Israel with our feet. We will stand on the ruins of the Israeli settlements and tell our people we have prevailed." In elections held on January 27, 2006, Hamas won control of the Palestinian government when its party members took a majority of parliamentary seats. Formally assuming power on March 29, the newly installed Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh <javascript:siteSearch('Ismail%20Haniyeh');> pledged to cooperate with President Mahmoud Abbas <file:///C:/individualProfile.asp?indid=801> , Arafat's successor and head of the defeated Fatah party. At a Gaza news conference, Haniyeh said his relations with Abbas would stress "cooperation and harmony, based on the supreme interest of the people" -- which meant confronting "Israeli aggression against the people." The new 24-member Hamas Cabinet included 14 ministers who had previously served time in Israeli prisons. On February 15, 2007, following months of difficult negotiations and violent street fighting, the Hamas-led Palestinian government resigned in order to pave the way for a "unity government" that would include both Hamas and its rival Fatah <http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6259> . Ismail Haniyeh kept his position as Prime Minister <http://www.jewishworldreview.com/mort/zuckerman030807.php3> , and Hamas retained a majority of the cabinet, with twelve seats, with Fatah holding only six. On April 24, 2007, Hamas announced <http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55362> that a "truce" it had made with Israel five months earlier was "officially over." To make the point, the terror group fired 39 Qassam rockets and 79 mortars from the Gaza Strip into nearby Jewish communities on the day that Israelis were celebrating their country's Independence Day. The projectiles were intended to divert Israeli attention while Hamas terrorists tried, unsuccessfully, to storm an Israeli military base on the Gaza border to kidnap Israeli soldiers. (It should be noted that the cease-fire had never been honored by Hamas; during the five months when it was supposedly in effect, Hamas simply passed its weaponry to other organizations which, in turn, launched more than 200 rockets from Gaza into Israel.) Abu Abdullah, a leading member of the Izzedine al-Qassam Martyrs Brigades (Hamas' nominal military wing), said <http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55362> in April 2007: "We don't recognize Israel's right to exist. We will never allow Jews to remain in our lands. ... We have thousands of rockets ready to be shot. The cease-fire is officially over." Abdullah warned <http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55362> that if Israel raided Gaza in retaliation for the new attacks, "the Zionists will be entering hell. We are preparing a major cemetery for them. We will step up attacks, including dispatching suicide bombers to Tel Aviv." He further explained that Hamas had used the cease-fire period to stockpile weaponry and to train for attacks against Israel. After his organization had launched some 150 missiles against Israel during one week in mid-May 2007, Hamas official Nizhar Riyah declared <http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=1276> on May 21 that "Hamas is determined to wipe Israel off the map and replace it with the state of Palestine." He vowed to persevere "until the last Jew is expelled" from "all of Palestine." In June 2007, Hamas gunmen routed the Fatah security forces loyal to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, seizing almost all of Fatah's major bases in the Gaza Strip. As a result, Abbas announced <http://www.ft.com/cms/s/6a069b66-1a4a-11dc-8bf0-000b5df10621.html> that he was dismissing his Hamas-led government and declared a state of emergency, thereby marking the end of the unity government that Hamas and Fatah had formed earlier in the year. Said <http://www.ft.com/cms/s/6a069b66-1a4a-11dc-8bf0-000b5df10621.html> Hamas military spokesman Islam Shahawan: "We are telling our people that the past era has ended and will not return. The era of justice and Islamic rule has arrived." In the more populous West Bank, by contrast, Fatah's position remained relatively secure. The Hamas government had been unable to establish its Executive Force militia there because of Israel's military presence in the region. Hamas publishes <http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=IA39307> a biweekly, London-based children's magazine titled Al-Fateh, which regularly characterizes Jews as "murderers of the prophets"; lauds parents who encourage their sons to kill Jews; and, according to the Middle East Media Research <http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=IA39307> Center, incites youngsters to "jihad and martyrdom and glorification of terrorist operations and of their planners and perpetrators." Each issue features an installment of "The Story of a Martyr," presenting the "heroic deeds" of a Muslim who died in a suicide bombing or who was killed before committing such crimes by the Israeli Defense Forces. Click here <http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=IA39307> to view some examples of the text and illustrations contained in this Hamas production. Hamas' current worldwide leader is Khaled <file:///C:/Program%20Files/Common%20Files/Microsoft%20Shared/Stationery/ind ividualProfile.asp?indid=793> Mash'al, who first became a member of the Hamas Political Bureau in 1996. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. 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