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Israel and Hamas

From , former About.com Guide

The relationship between Israel and Hamas was neither always adversarial in the way it is now, nor has it been static since Hamas emerged in the late 1980s as a political, as well as social, force in the West Bank and Gaza. Rather, the relationship, which reached a climax in Israel's attack on Gaza in December 2008, evolved in the larger context of Israeli - Palestinian relations.

1. 1988 Hamas is Founded

Hamas logo

Hamas was created in the late 1988 out of group associated with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. At the time, most Palestinians viewed the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) a coalition organization headed by Yasir Arafat, as their legitimate representative. Rather than clamping down on Hamas when it first emerged, Israel permitted it room to grow, hoping it would serve as a counterweight to the PLO.

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2. 1993 Hamas Opposes Oslo Accords

Oslo Handshake

The Oslo Accords, widely hailed as a historic breakthrough, created a Palestinian governing authority and a measure of self-rule under the governance of PLO head Yasir Arafat. Hamas opposed the Oslo Accords on ideological grounds, since the partial territory did not reflect the Islamist vision of a unified state in all of historic Palestine. However, this pure vision also had practical value for Hamas, since the group's apparent purity of national vision could be leveraged against Arafat. By comparison, Arafat could appear to be compromising the nation.

Hamas and another group, Islamic Jihad, introduced violent tactics, including suicde bombing, to derail progress on the Oslo path.

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3. 1993 - 2000 Oslo Fails, Hamas' Fortunes Rise

Despite the pledges made at Oslo, the path toward increasing Palestinian autonomy got off to a rocky start. Palestinians doubted Israeli sincerity, since Israel continued to permit settlers to expand into in the West Bank. The election of Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu as the Israeli Prime Minister in 1996 further derailed the process for several years, since the conservative Likud party was generally opposed to Oslo. Arafat's Palestinian Authority did not or could not clamp down on planned attacks by groups such as Hamas, and was widely seen as ineffective. Hamas, in the same period, provided badly needed education and medical services. The failure of Oslo and Hamas' provision of services helped Hamas garner more support.

4. 2000 Second Intifada, Hamas Strength Grows

Rally Supports Islamic Jihad 2003Abid Katib/Getty Images
The second intifada, or uprising, began in the autumn of 2000, following a summer of failed peace talks at Camp David. The immediate provocation was a visit by the then head of the Likud party, Ariel Sharon, to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The deeper cause of the uprising, however, was Palestinian frustration over the accumulated failure of the promises of Oslo. Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other groups' use of suicide bombing appeared, at this point, to be part of a more coordinated effort to achieve strategic parity with the Israeli military. Hamas gained power vis-a-vis Fatah, and an increasing number agreed with Hamas' rejection of a truce between Fatah and Israel.

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5. 2005-2007 Hamas vs. Fatah

Hamas Police Arrest a Fatah Supporter, Gaza 2007Abid Katib/Getty Images
Palestinian presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections, conducted in three stages, were held over the course of 2005 and into early 2006. Hamas won municipal seats throughout the West Bank and Gaza, and surprised the world when it won 76 of 132 parliamentary seats in the parliamentary election on January 25, 2006. The victory gave Hamas the right to form the government. In the meantime, clashes between Fatah, the formerly dominant party, and Hamas grew in intensity. These resulted in a miniature war in the summer of 2007, which concluded with Hamas' takeover of the Gaza strip. Fatah remained in control of the West Bank.

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6. 2008 Israel Strikes Gaza

Wounded Palestinian in Israeli attack on shopping center, Gaza 2008Adel Katib/Getty Images
On December 27, 2008, the Israeli military began a series of air strikes in the Gaza strip, the Palestinian territory between Israel's southernmost border and Egypt. The immediate cause of the strikes was the increasing number of rocket attacks launched from the Hamas ruled territory into Israel following the end of a cease-fire in early December. Israel's strategic goals were not clear at the outset, but did reflect an accumulating history of antagonism between Israel and Hamas, and Hamas and Fatah.
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