This report and its appendixes provide background information on
Hamas, or the Islamic Resistance Movement, and U.S. policy towards
it. It also includes information and analysis on (1) the threats
Hamas currently poses to U.S. interests, (2) how Hamas compares
with other Middle East terrorist groups, (3) Hamas's ideology and
policies (both generally and on discrete issues), (4) its
leadership and organization, and (5) its sources of assistance.
Finally, the report raises and discusses various legislative and
oversight options related to foreign aid strategies, financial
sanctions, and regional and international political approaches. In
evaluating these options, Congress can assess how Hamas has emerged
and adapted over time, and also scrutinize the track record of
U.S., Israeli, and international policy to counter Hamas. Hamas is
a Palestinian Islamist military and sociopolitical movement that
grew out of the Muslim Brotherhood. The United States, Israel, the
European Union, and Canada consider Hamas a terrorist organization
because of (1) its violent resistance to what it deems Israeli
occupation of historic Palestine (constituting present-day Israel,
West Bank, and Gaza Strip), and (2) its rejection of the off-and-on
peace process involving Israel and the Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO) since the early 1990s. Since Hamas's inception
in 1987, it has maintained its primary base of political support
and its military command in the Gaza Strip-a territory it has
controlled since June 2007-while also having a significant presence
in the West Bank. The movement's political leadership is currently
headquartered in exile in Damascus, Syria. Hamas receives
assistance and training from Iran, Syria, and the Lebanese Shiite
militant group Hezbollah. Hamas is often discussed alongside other
groups in the region that engage in militant and terrorist
activities to achieve their ends, yet Hamas has confined its
militancy to Israel and the Palestinian territories-distinguishing
it from the broader aspirations expressed by Al Qaeda and its
affiliates. The overarching U.S. goal regarding Hamas is to deter,
transform, marginalize, or neutralize it so that it no longer
presents a threat to Israel's security, to a peaceful and lasting
resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or to other U.S.
interests-either in its own right or as a proxy of Iran or other
actors. Various legislative and policy initiatives designed to
accomplish this goal have at most achieved temporary or partial
success. It is possible to conclude that U.S. and other
international support for Israel and the Palestinian Authority/PLO
dominated by Fatah (Hamas's main rival faction) has been
counterproductive to some extent when comparing Hamas's domestic,
regional, and international strength in the early 1990s-measured by
factors such as popularity, military force, and leverage with other
actors (including Israel and Fatah)-to its current strength. The
Israeli-Egyptian closure regime in Gaza and various U.S. and
international initiatives constrain and isolate Hamas to a point
and may exacerbate its internal organizational tensions and
tactical disagreements. Yet, the threats Hamas continues to pose to
Israel, to prospects for a two-state solution and to the future of
Palestinian democracy present considerable risks and difficult
trade-offs for any U.S. policy decisions going forward.
General
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