cofty : The charter of Hamas...
The Charter of Hamas to which you link was written in 1988 shortly after the First Intifada began. The PLO was seeking a two-state solution with Israel which was not acceptable to the Muslim Brotherhood who considered that Palestine belonged to the Palestinians. The Charter was written to bridge the gap between the PLO and the Muslim Brotherhood and was quite radical in its aims.
Since becoming a part of government in 2006 it has been argued that Hamas has become more pragmatic as those who have to govern often do. In the Institute for Palestine Studies, Volume 35, No. 4 Khaled Hroub writes :
Since Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections in January 2006, its political positions as presented in the Western media hark back to its 1988 charter, with almost no reference to its considerable evolution under the impact of political developments. The present article analyzes (with long verbatim extracts) three recent key Hamas documents: its fall 2005 electoral platform, its draft program for a coalition government, and its cabinet platform as presented on 27 March 2006. Analysis of the documents reveals not only a strong programmatic and, indeed, state building emphasis, but also considerable nuance in its positions with regard to resistance and a two-state solution. The article pays particular attention to the sectarian content of the documents, finding a progressive de-emphasis on religion in the three.
The entire article can be read here. Please note that I have read the PDF myself and there don't seem to be any viruses but let the reader beware. I quite accept that this might be an iron fist in a velvet glove but also consider that within Hamas there are probably different factions, some more radical than others. I certainly have reservations that the Lillian Goldman Law Library is going to portray Hamas in a positive light.
My background is that I come from South Africa where I lived as a "priveleged" white under the apartheid system. I left the country in 1987 and visited Israel and other countries before settling in the UK. The similarities to the way the government of the day treated black people in South Africa and the way Palestinians were treated in Israel was startling. I am hardly surprised that both had resistance movements which turned to violence. I cannot condone either but neither can I condone those whose repressive policies produced such movements. As the Bible says, you will reap what you sow.
