Collusion in the name of democracy: The EU and Palestine

Last December, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas dissolved the Palestinian Legislative Council and indicated that elections would be held within six months. The decision was rejected by Palestinian factions, notably Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Hamas deemed the decision “an invalid political decision because it is issued by an illegal body”….

BOOK REVIEW: Hamas, Jihad and Popular Legitimacy

Veering away from the disparaging rhetoric that characterises the West’s intentional misrepresentation of Hamas, Tristan Dunning’s informative treatise Hamas, jihad and popular legitimacy (Routledge 2016) employs a rigorous dissection of how resistance has shaped recognition of the movement in Palestine. He looks at this both as an alternative to the corruption embodied by the Palestinian Authority, as…

A Fragmented Palestinian Resistance

Whether in Gaza or the occupied West Bank, Israel has perfected its strategy of normalising violence against Palestinians. As attention shifts away from the Great Return March protests in Gaza, in which participants continue to be injured or murdered by Israeli forces on the border, there is a lull in the frenzied reporting about Palestinians…

BOOK REVIEW: Hamas and the Media – politics and strategy

Wael Abdelal’s informative treatise, “Hamas and the Media: politics and strategy” draws upon the issue of counter-hegemony to portray the relevance and importance of resistance media, in this case, the role which the media has played to further the politics of Hamas. The counter-hegemonic narrative is paramount in this study. As the author describes, the…

BOOK REVIEW: Hamas and Civil Society in Gaza

Meticulously researched, Hamas and Civil Society: Engaging the Islamist Social Sector (Princeton University Press, 2011) is a significant study of Hamas and Gaza’s social institutions. The evolution of Hamas brought about radical change in Gaza’s society – bolstered and hindered by Israel’s illegal occupation. Established in 1987, Hamas was largely regarded as a terrorist organisation…

Amid torture accusations, the PA consolidates its links with the CIA

The news that the US and the Palestinian Authority are planning for CIA Director Gina Haspell to visit Ramallah comes just as Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report which accuses Hamas and the PA of torture. Titled “Two Authorities, One Way, Zero Dissent”, is based on a two-year investigation during which 86 cases in Gaza and the occupied…