Hamas will triumph

by Saybhan Samat

(January 06, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) On December 15th of December 2008, Hamas celebrated its 21st year of existence with a resolve to continue its resistance to the occupation of Palestine by the Zionist regime of Israel. Hardly two weeks passed when Israel began air-raids to dislodge Hamas from Gaza. Currently Israel has sent 4000 infantry backed by tanks in a determined effort to teach a lesson to the Palestinians who voted Hamas into power and to totally destroy the Hamas movement itself in Gaza. Dreaded weapons like cluster bombs supplied by the US and depleted uranium bombs are dropped from F-16 planes and helicopters more to kill and maim innocent men, women and children rather than Hamas fighters.

Israel planned the whole exercise in collaboration with the reactionary Arab regimes who themselves are aware that Hamas is also a threat to their own regimes. For 18 months the Zionists imposed on economic blockade on Gaza and Egypt closed the Rafa gate to starve the Palestinians in Gaza. The people in Gaza for the last 18 months lived in appalling conditions in what was effectively a giant concentration camp. Power, water, food and medicines were not available, while the world looked the other way. The humanitarian catastrophe was unprecedented. Now to precipitate matters war has been declared on the poor Palestinians.

It is indeed a marvel that Hamas survived the economic blockade and continues bombing Israel with its crude home-made rockets even today. Never in history has a movement offered resistance under such cruel circumstances with such confidence and bravery. The US , Israel and European allies of the Zionist regime have named Hamas a terrorists organization despite Hamas being an elected as political party at a free and fair conducted elections endorsed by even by former US president Jimmy Carter who was an observer at these elections. Any country that resists colonialism, neo-coloniasm and imperialism is termed terrorist, in order to leash state-terrorism on freedom fighters.

Israel the US and her European allies wants an outcome thus:- for Israel to remain over the whole of Palestine, with Jerusalem as it’s capital, sole control of the area borders and economy and military power and the legal right to impose it’s will anywhere in the territory as it pleases; while the Palestinians govern themselves in Bantustan like areas under Israel’s lordship which Israel will allow them to call a “ state” with state like institutions such as “ president” and “ security forces “ which will be only used against other Palestinians like Hamas, but which will have in reality little or more freedom or independence from Israel over lordship, than municipal authority has in other countries.

The Hamas sees these maneuverings and conspiracies together with all previous peace- talks that were held earlier as unacceptable. The Hamas rightly refuses to accept and recognize the Jewish state as, it is in reality an occupation, settler force that has colonized a land legitimately belonging to the Palestinians. They demand that all Palestinians living in the diasporas have the right of return to land that they were driven away from. For these principles for which Hamas stands for, they are resolutely prepared for resistance against Israel to liberate the whole of Palestine and make Jerusalem their capital.

Economic blockade, daily incursion of Israel troops into Gaza and the West Bank for killing suspected militants, arrest and imprisonment of Hamas parliamentarians and transforming Gaza into an open prison has not deterred Hamas.

The ability to pursue its goals with such resoluteness is because Hamas like Hizbullah and Islamic Jihad are movements formed on the basis of the Islamic religion where resistance to oppression is a sacred act of worship. In fact
Prophet Mohammed declared “ resistance to injustice is the highest form of piety.”
Hamas is not the official name of the organization which is rather Harakatul - Mujawamati - I- Islamiya, which translates in English as “ Islamic Resistence Movement.” Hamas is the common name, coming from the Arabic word “zeal.”
Hamas grew out of the Muslim Brotherhood, especially from a branch active in Gaza in religious, social and educational work. The Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood continue to have good inter relations and the two groups could be considered to be one entity. The first leader was Sheik Ahamad Yassin who held this position despite bad health until he was assassinated in 2004.

The intifada; the Palestinian public uprising that started in 1987 was the same year that Hamas was founded and was central in making Hamas the most important group in Palestine.

Hamas has never been willing to accept any compromises with the occupying Zionist regime. In Article 11 in their Charter they declare that no party has the right to give up any Palestinian land. Article 13 views jihad as the only solution to fight Israel, while other means like international conferences are regarded as “ a waste of time and kind of child’s play.’’

Hamas is also involved in a wide range of social programmes for poor Palestinians, programmes providing welfare, education, vocational training, health care and also jobs for the unemployed. Their main centre for activity is the Gaza strip, where they have provided a better welfare system than what the Palestinian Authority has offered. Many observers claim that this type of activity is the real focus of Hamas activities rather than political and military ones.

With such goals, it is inconceivable that Israel can subjugate this powerful organization which gets its inspiration and motivation from its religion Islam.
Like in Lebanon where the other Islamic organization Hizbullah which defeated Israel in 2006, Hamas will also humiliate the Zionists and its helpers and in the near future change the political landscape of the Middle- East by chasing out the leaders of the reactionary regimes there, who a collaborating with the US and her European allies and Israel. Besides now world public opinion is with the Palestinians. The hatred for the US, its European allies and Israel grows by the day after the world views horrific images of the massacre in Gaza of innocent men, women and children. - Sri Lanka Guardian