Hamas as a Political Party: Democratization in the Palestinian Territories
2012; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 25; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/09546553.2013.733273
ISSN1556-1836
AutoresTavishi Bhasin, Maia Carter Hallward,
Tópico(s)Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts
ResumoAbstract Why do violent movements participate in elections? To answer this question, we examine Hamas's formation of the Reform and Change Party and its iconic victory in the 2006 elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council. We argue that Hamas's formation of this party was a logical step, following nearly two decades of participation in local and municipal elections. Hamas's need to attract resources from external donors, who make funding decisions based on civilian support for the movement, best explains why Hamas decided to participate in local elections in the early 1990s, taking Hamas on a path that eventually led to its 2006 legislative victory. Hamas's foray into elections was consistent with its dual strategy of directing violence against Israel and building Palestinian support through welfare services. We demonstrate that changes in political opportunities (Fatah's decline and the increase in Hamas's popularity), institutional incentives (lax electoral laws and the holding of municipal elections), and the rise of moderate voices within Hamas explain the timing of its entry into legislative elections. Finally, we discuss Hamas's electoral victory, the need for cooperation between Fatah and Hamas, and the role played by international actors as significant factors influencing prospects for peace and democratization in the region. Keywords: democratizationHamasPalestinian Authoritypolitical partiessocial movements Notes Are Hovdenak, "Hamas in Transition: The Failure of Sanctions," Democratization 16, no. 1 (2009): 59–80; Graham Usher, "The Democratic Resistance: Hamas, Fatah, and the Palestinian Elections," Journal of Palestine Studies 35, no. 3 (2006): 20–36. Usher (see note 1 above). 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Wendy Pearlman, "Spoiling Inside and Out: Internal Political Contestation and the Middle East Peace Process," International Security 33, no. 3 (2009): 79–109; Ammar Dweik, The Legal Framework of Political Party Registration in Palestine: A General Overview in Light of the Election Experience, paper read at Palestinian Political Landscape, Best Eastern Hotel, Ramallah, March 16, 2005. Hanan Mikhail-Ashrawi, This Side of Peace (New York: Touchstone, 1995); Souad Dajani, "Nonviolent Resistance in the Occupied Territories: A Critical Reevaluation," in Stephen Zunes, L. R. Kurtz, and S. B. Asher, eds., Nonviolent Social Movements: A Geographical Perspective (Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2008), 52–74. Central Elections Commission-Palestine, Electoral System—PLC Elections (2009), http://www.elections.ps/template.aspx?id=143. Marsha Pripstein Posusney, "Multi-Party Elections in the Arab World: Institutional Engineering and Oppositional Strategies," Studies in Comparative International Development 36, no. 4 (2002): 34–62. Hamas actually engaged in a critical analysis of its options for participating in the 1996 elections and did not automatically decide to boycott despite the fact that it was against the elections on principle due to its objection to the Oslo Accords. For more on this deliberation, see Mishal and Sela, The Palestinian Hamas: Vision, Violence, and Coexistence (note 29 above). Jerusalem Media and Communications Center, Presidential Elections 2005 Coverage: Palestinian First Elections 1996, http://www.jmcc.org/politics/pna/election/election96.htm. For a thorough study on the political polarization of Palestinian society between those supporting Arafat and the Oslo Accords and those against, see Amaney A. Jamal, Barriers to Democracy: The Other Side of Social Capital in Palestine and the Arab World (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2009). Michel Warschawski, Toward an Open Tomb: The Crisis of Israeli Society (New York: Monthly Review Press, 2004). Quartet, A Performance-Based Roadmap to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, 2003, http://www.un.org/media/main/roadmap122002.html. Khalil Shikaki, "Sweeping Victory, Uncertain Mandate," Journal of Democracy 17 (2006): 116–130. Pearlman (see note 32 above). H. Malka, "Forcing Choices: Testing the Transformation of Hamas," The Washington Quarterly 28 (2005): 37–54; International Crisis Group, "Enter Hamas: The Challenges of Political Integration," Middle East Report (Amman/Brussels: PSR Survey Research Unit, Public Opinion Poll #9, 2003), http://www.pcpsr.org/survey/polls/2003/p9a.html. Even though Hamas was not part of the PLO, it was treated as if it was a PLO faction for the purposes of registration. Dweik, "The Legal Framework of Political Party Registration in Palestine" (see note 32 above). Van Cott (see note 6 above); and Neto and Cox (see note 16). Usher (see note 1 above); and Wiegand (see note 3). Jeroen Gunning, Hamas in Politics (New York: Columbia University Press, 2009); and Mishal and Sela (see note 29 above). Mishal and Sela (see note 29 above). Weinstein (see note 7 above), 7–16. Gunning (see note 47 above). Ibid. Aaron D. Pina, Fatah and Hamas: The New Palestinian Factional Reality, Electronic Report, CRS Web 2006, March 3, 2010, http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RS22395.pdf. Wiegand (see note 3 above). International Crisis Group (see note 43 above); Mishal and Sela (see note 29 above). H. Baumgarten, "The Three Faces/Phases of Palestinian Nationalism, 1948–2005," Journal of Palestine Studies 34 (2005): 25–48. Malka, "Forcing Choices: Testing the Transformation of Hamas" (see note 43 above). Are John Knudsen, "Crescent and Sword: The Hamas Enigma," Third World Quarterly 26 (2005): 1373–1388. Mishal and Sela (see note 29 above); Wiegand (see note 3 above). Mishal and Sela (see note 29 above). Unfortunately, the actual results of this poll are not available, to the best of our knowledge. Ibid. and Wiegand (see note 3 above). Mishal and Sela (see note 29 above). Ibid. Ibid. Gunning (see note 47 above). Ibid. S. Assad, Palestinian Elections: At the Core of Palestinian Calls for Reform, October 9, 2004, http://world.mediamonitors.net/Headlines/Palestinian-Elections-At-the-Core-of-Palestinian-Calls-for-Reform. Also Gunning (see note 47 above). Dweik (see note 32 above). International Crisis Group (see note 43 above). Wiegand (see note 3 above). Mishal and Sela (see note 29 above). Gunning (see note 47 above). Ibid. and Mishal and Sela (see note 29 above). Baumgarten (see note 55 above). Weinstein (see note 7 above), 169–197. Jeroen Gunning, "Terrorism, Charities and Diasporas: Contrasting the fundraising practices of Hamas and al Qaeda among Muslims in Europe," in Thomas Biersteker and Sue Eckhert, eds., Countering the Financing of Terrorism (New York: Routledge, 2007), 93–125; Don Van Natta Jr. and Timothy L. O'Brien, "Flow of Saudis' Cash to Hamas is Scrutinized," The New York Times, September 17, 2003, http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/17/world/flow-of-saudis-cash-to-hamas-is-scrutinized.html; Council on Foreign Relations, Backgrounder on Hamas, http://www.cfr.org/israel/hamas/p8968#p8. Mishal and Sela (see note 29 above). Gunning (see note 75 above); Jeroen Gunning, Hamas: Democracy, Religion, Violence (New York: Columbia University Press, 2010). Gunning (see note 75 above); Kim Murphy, "Hamas Victory Is Built on Social Work," L.A. Times, March 2, 2006, http://articles.latimes.com/2006/mar/02/world/fg-charity2; Matthew Levitt and Dennis Ross, Hamas: Politics, Charity, and Terrorism in the Service of Jihad (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007), 143. McGeary (see note 65 above); and Levitt and Ross (see note 78 above), 143. Levitt and Ross (see note 78 above). Gunning (see notes 47 and 75 above); Kim Murphy (see note 78 above). Mishal and Sela (see note 29 above). Gunning (see notes 47 and 75 above); Levitt and Ross (see note 78 above). Ibid. Nathan J. Brown, "Aftermath of the Hamas Tsunami." Web Commentary. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, https://carnegieendowment.org/files/BrownHamasWebCommentary.pdf. Gunning (see notes 47 and 75 above); and Nathan Brown (see note 85 above); Levitt and Ross (see note 78 above), 143. Levitt and Ross (see note 78 above), 143–145; and Timothy L. O'Brien (see note 75). Levitt and Ross (see note 78 above), 155–160. Gunning (see notes 47 and 75 above); Kim Murphy (see note 78 above) and Ibid. Gunning (see note 75 above), 100. Levitt and Ross (see note 78 above), 170. Gunning (see note 77 above), 144. Brown (see note 85 above), 2. Levitt and Ross (see note 78 above), 155–160. Weinstein (see note 7 above), 169–197. A number of scholars have explored the connection between participation in elections and the act of governance and moderation of Islamic movements. See for example Vickie Langohr, "Of Islamists and Ballot Boxes: Rethinking the Relationship between Islamisms and Electoral Politics," International Journal of Middle East Studies 33, no. 4 (2001): 182; Carrie Rosefsky Wickham, "The Path to Moderation: Strategy and Learning in the Formation of Egypt's Wasat Party," In F. Volpi, ed., Political Islam: A Critical Reader (New York: Routledge), 172–193. Mahjoob Zweiri, "The Hamas Victory: Shifting Sands or Major Earthquake?," Third World Quarterly 27, no. 4 (2006): 675–687. Pearlman (see note 32 above). Ian Fisher and Stephen Erlanger, "Israelis Batter Gaza and Seize Hamas Officials," The New York Times, June 29, 2006, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/29/world/africa/29iht-gaza.2080300.html. Sherifa Zuhur, Ali Abunimah, Haim Malka, and Shibley Telhami, Hamas and the Two-State Solution: Villain, Victim or Missing Ingredient?, Paper presented at the Symposium: Hamas and the Two-State Solution, Gold Room of Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill, April 11, 2008. Daniel Byman, "How to Handle Hamas," Foreign Affairs 89 (2010): 45–62. Nathan Thrall, "Our Man in Palestine," New York Review of Books, October 14, 2010, http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/oct/14/our-man-palestine/. Ibid. Khaled Abu Toameh, "The Palestinians: Who's Afraid of Elections?," Hudson New York, June 15, 2010, http://www.hudson-ny.org/1371/palestinian-elections. Ethan Bronner and Isabel Kershner, "Fatah and Hamas Announce Outline of Deal," New York Times, April 27, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/world/middleeast/28mideast.html. Mustafa Barghouti, Presentation to a Group of U.S. and European visitors, March 2010. Recorded by author. Karl Vick, "On the Run, the Palestinian Youth Movement May Yet Get Its Way," Time, March 27, 2011, http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2061661,00.html. Roee Nahmias, "Poll: Gazans disappointed with Hamas," Ynetnews, 2010, from http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3979386,00.html. Zuhur, Abunimah, Malka, and Telhami (see note 100 above). Weinstein (see note7 above), 169–197. Virginia Tilley, "A Palestinian Declaration of Independence: Implications for Peace," Middle East Policy 17, no. 1 (2010): 52–67. Additional informationNotes on contributorsTavishi Bhasin Tavishi Bhasin is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and International Affairs at Kennesaw State University. She holds a PhD from Emory University. Maia Carter Hallward Maia Carter Hallward is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and International Affairs at Kennesaw State University. She received her PhD from American University's School of International Service.
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