Hamas

Abstract

Since many scholars tend often to ignore the social and political roles played in order to achieve its goals, and instead focus on its military behavior and reliance on violence as the most prominent component to define it, this chapter attempts to discuss the other definitions of Hamas. These beside its definition as a national liberation movement, based on the different roles that it plays in Palestine. It tries to shed light on its identity as an Islamic movement that adopted armed struggle to achieve liberation, and how its identity ends up shaping its position and understanding on the Palestinian cause.