Hamas and Negotiations


The journalist:  "What is the troop strength of Hamas."

The friend answered without hesitation:  "One billion".

I understood the sentiment. It is rooted in an understanding of how a Muslim views their place in the greater world; rooted in the concept of Islamic Waqf; and anchored with an understanding of kalam.

The classical Arabic name for Syria is Sham.  But also collapsed into the envelope of  Sham are the regions of Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine.  Four regions.  Each one with significant importance which is potentiated when the four are viewed as snapped together. From both a historical and eschatological perspective,  the Islamic sentiment is strong.

So we have a puzzle piece regarded as Palestine.  It is a significant Islamic Waqf.  But we also have a geopolitical stronghold with a military flank which has a strong adherence to the word Bitanah.  This line of thought is interwoven into the Hamas Articles of Confederation.  

So where is this word used in the Qur'an?

"Oh you who believe!  Take not as your Bitanah (advisors, protectors, consultants, helpers and friends) those outside your religion (pagans, Jews, Christians, and hypocrites)....  Surah Imran 118

What makes the document a true challenge is that it is both isolationist and proactively aggressive in a back and forth manner.  Bitanah - with a bloody fight. A bloody fight, with no white flag. So while Hamas will have a faction which is willing to deal with and make concessions with the state of Israel, there are other factions which will reject the same because they are focused on a different Article in the document.

The problem - is that the document is flawed and lacks cohesion.  It was undoubtedly written by parties in disagreement with each other - as opposed to our own Constitution, which was penned by men who found common ground.  The Hamas document presents as foxholes of thought. This is why it has never worked. And this is why leadership will never fully move toward regional peace. They each inhabit their favorite foxhole.

Hamas presents as a challenge because of the unique nature of their primary document.  The adherents have placed their faith in a deeply flawed piece of writing.  How to completely remove the document from the negotiation table, to deconstruct it in such a manner that it is neutralized, is the real question. Because when our behavior is predicated by such a narrow focus - flexibility ceases to exist.

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