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{{Short description|Values and positions of Hamas}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
The '''Hamas Covenant''' or '''Hamas Charter''', formally known in English as the '''Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement''', was originally issued on 18 August 1988 and outlines the founding identity, stand, and aims of [[Hamas]] (the Islamic Resistance Movement).<ref name="avalon"/> A new charter was issued by Hamas leader [[Khaled Mashal]] on 1 May 2017 in [[Doha]].<ref name=CNNqiblawi>{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/01/middleeast/hamas-charter-palestinian-israeli/|title=Hamas says it accepts '67 borders, but doesn't recognize Israel|publisher=CNN|author1=Tamara Qiblawi|author2= Angela Dewan|author3= Larry Register|date=1 May 2017|access-date=3 May 2017}}</ref>

The original Charter identified Hamas as the [[Muslim Brotherhood]] in Palestine and declares its members to be [[Muslims]] who "fear [[God in Islam|God]] and raise the banner of [[Jihad]] in the face of the oppressors." The charter states that "our struggle against the Jews is very great and very serious" and calls for the eventual creation of an [[Islamic state]] in Palestine, in place of [[Israel]] and the [[Palestinian territories|Palestinian Territories]],<ref>
[https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/27/international/middleeast/27mideast.html?ex=1298696400&en=25164615c0b5f11c&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss "Israeli Official Says Hamas Has Made Abbas Irrelevant"] ''[[The New York Times]]'', 27 February 2006
</ref> and the obliteration or dissolution of Israel.<ref name="coh">{{cite web
|url=http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/docs/880818a.htm
|title=The Covenant of the HAMAS - Main Points
|website=Intelligence Resource Project
|publisher=Federation of American Scientists
|access-date=2 May 2017}}
</ref><ref>
[https://books.google.com/books?id=gdKnUys3mWAC&pg=PA45&lpg=PA45&dq=sela+%22hamas+charter%22+israel+mishal&source=bl&ots=hVv-YxOd26&sig=HF1zXn8LlUXkCzI4l5Vp3sJhea0&hl=en&ei=g5SQSZHwIYKqsAOTxcWYCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA175,M1 The Palestinian Hamas By Shaul Mishal, Avraham Sela]. ''Google Books''. Retrieved 9 February 2009.
</ref> It emphasizes the importance of jihad, stating in article 13, "There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors."<ref name="Hamas Covenant-13">
{{cite web
|title=Hamas Covenant 1988
|url=http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp
|website=Yale Law School Avalon Project
|access-date=7 September 2014
|quote=[part of Article 13 of the Covenant] There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors.}}</ref>
The charter also states that Hamas is humanistic, and tolerant of other religions as long as they "stop disputing the sovereignty of Islam in this region".<ref>
[http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp Article 31 of the Hamas Charter (1988)] Yale Law School: The Avalon Project</ref> The Charter adds that "renouncing any part of Palestine means renouncing part of the religion" of Islam.<ref name=avalon>{{cite web
|url=http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp
|title=Hamas Covenant 1988: The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement
|access-date=15 February 2009
|work=The Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy
|publisher=Yale Law School
|date=18 August 1988 }}</ref> The original charter was criticized for its violent language against all Jews, which some commentators characterized as [[incitement to genocide]].<ref name="Gourevitch"/><ref name=Goldberg/>

In 2008, the Hamas leader in Gaza, [[Ismail Haniyeh]], stated that Hamas would agree to accept a Palestinian state along the [[Green Line (Israel)|1967 borders]], and to offer a long-term truce with Israel.<ref>"[http://www.haaretz.com/news/haniyeh-hamas-willing-to-accept-palestinian-state-with-1967-borders-1.256915 Haniyeh: Hamas willing to accept Palestinian state with 1967 borders]". ''Haaretz''. (09-11-08) Retrieved 27 May 2011.</ref> In contrast to this, Hamas leader [[Mahmoud al-Zahar]] stated that any talk of the 1967 lines is "just a phase" until Hamas has a chance to "regain the land...even if we [Hamas] have to do so inch by inch."<ref>{{cite web|title=Hamas Leader Mahmoud Al-Zahhar Slams PA President Abbas for "Aimless Kangaroo-Like" Political Gymnastics and Says: We Will Not Relinquish Any Piece of Palestinian Land|url=http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/3051.htm|website=Memri TV|access-date=22 July 2014}}</ref> In 2009 interviews with the BBC, [[Tony Blair]] claimed that Hamas does not accept the existence of Israel and continues to pursue its objectives through terror and violence; [[Sir Jeremy Greenstock]] however argued that Hamas has not adopted its charter as part of its political program since it won the [[2006 Palestinian legislative election]].<ref name ="news.bbc.co.uk">
{{Cite news
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7823000/7823746.stm
|title=BBC Today Programme interview with Sir Jeremy Greenstock, January 12, 2009
|work=BBC News
|date=12 January 2009
|access-date=27 May 2010}}
</ref> Instead it has moved to a more secular stance.<ref name="new hamas"/> In 2010, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal stated that the Charter is "a piece of history and no longer relevant, but cannot be changed for internal reasons."<ref name="wrmea.com">[http://www.wrmea.com/component/content/article/351-2010-may-june/9051-mazin-qumsiyeh-on-the-history-and-practice-of-nonviolent-palestinian-resistance-.html Mazin Qumsiyeh on the History and Practice Of Nonviolent Palestinian Resistance]
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, May–June 2010, pp. 40-42.</ref> Hamas has moved away from its charter since it decided to run candidates for office.<ref name="new hamas">[https://web.archive.org/web/20080918090220/http://palestine-studies.org/journals.aspx?id=7087&jid=1&href=fulltext A 'new Hamas' through its new documents]". Khaled Hroub, ''Journal of Palestine Studies'', Vol 35, no. 1 (Summer 2006), p. 6. On web.archive.org</ref>

The 2017 charter accepted for the first time the idea of a Palestinian state within the borders that existed [[Green Line (Israel)|before 1967]] and rejects recognition of Israel which it terms as the "[[Zionist]] enemy".<ref name=CNNqiblawi/> It advocates such a state as transitional but also advocates "liberation of all of Palestine".<ref name=Mughrabi>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-hamas-document-idUSKBN17X1N8|title=Hamas softens stance on Israel, drops Muslim Brotherhood link|publisher=Reuters|author1=Nidal al-Mughrabi|author2= Tom Finn|date=2 May 2017|access-date=3 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/05/hamas-accepts-palestinian-state-1967-borders-170501114309725.html|title=Hamas accepts Palestinian state with 1967 borders|publisher=Al-Jazeera|date=2 May 2017|access-date=3 May 2017}}</ref> The new document also states that the group doesn't seek war with the [[Jewish people]] but only against Zionism which it holds responsible for "occupation of Palestine".<ref name=GuardianWintour>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/01/hamas-new-charter-palestine-israel-1967-borders|title=Hamas presents new charter accepting a Palestine based on 1967 borders|work=The Guardian|author=Patrick Wintour|date=2 May 2017|access-date=3 May 2017}}</ref> Mashal also stated that Hamas was ending its association with the [[Muslim Brotherhood]].<ref name=Mughrabi/> After a new charter was scheduled to be issued in May 2017, [[Israeli Prime Minister]] [[Benjamin Netanyahu]]'s office issued a statement in which it accused Hamas of trying to fool the world and also asked it to stop its terror activities for a true change.<ref>
{{cite news|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-dismisses-purportedly-friendlier-hamas-charter/|title=Israel dismisses purportedly 'friendlier' Hamas principles |publisher=The Times of Israel|date=1 May 2017|access-date=3 May 2017}}</ref>

==Background==
In 1987, twenty years after the [[Six-Day War]], the [[First Intifada]] (1987–1993) began.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7381369.stm|title=BBC NEWS - Middle East - 1987: First Intifada|website=news.bbc.co.uk|date=6 May 2008}}</ref> In the late 1980s, the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] sought a negotiated solution with Israel in the form of a [[two-state solution]]. This was not acceptable to Hamas, the [[Palestinians|Palestinian]] wing of the [[Muslim Brotherhood]],<ref name="Holtmann" /> and the covenant was written to bridge the ideological gap between the PLO and Muslim Brotherhood.<ref name="Mishal" /> According to Hamas's Deputy Foreign Minister Dr. [[Ahmed Yousef]], the Charter "was ratified during the unique circumstances of the Uprising in 1988 as a necessary framework for dealing with a relentless occupation".<ref name=Yousef>[http://www.palestinechronicle.com/hamas-charter-vision-fact-and-fiction Hamas Charter: Vision, Fact and Fiction] Palestine Chronicle (23 January 2011)Retrieved 27 May 2011</ref>

While the PLO was nationalistic, it was more secular in nature, while Hamas subscribed to a neo-[[Salafi]] jihadi theology and nationalism.<ref name="Holtmann">[https://books.google.com/books?id=UBfHsIlcQE8C&pg=PA16&dq=hamas+charter&ei=jFspTOn0OYy6yQTn7d3kCg&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=false The PLO Charters of 1964 and 1968 and the Hamas Charter of 1988] By Philipp Holtmann</ref> Hamas was a shift from the Muslim Brotherhood's more universal Islamic vision to a focus on Palestinian nationalism and a strategy of armed struggle, or violent [[jihad]].<ref name="Mishal">[https://books.google.com/books?id=AO-tZkbPDKYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=hamas+charter&ei=x1spTPKYCJ6GygTO8OWLCg&cd=2#v=onepage&q=hamas%20covenant&f=false ''The Palestinian Hamas: vision, violence, and coexistence''] Shaul Mishal, Avraham Sela.</ref> Its political goals were identical to those of the [[Palestinian National Covenant|PLO's charter]] and was essentially an armed struggle to retrieve the entire land of [[Mandatory Palestine|Palestine]] as an Islamic [[waqf]].<ref name="Mishal" />

The movement later came under pressure to update its founding charter issued in 1988 which called for Israel's destruction and advocated violent means for achieving a Palestinian state.<ref name=CNNqiblawi/> The original charter's tone and casting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as part of an eternal struggle between Muslim and Jews became an obstacle for the movement to be able to take part in diplomatic forums involving Western nations. The new charter also sought to question the ability of [[Fatah]] and its leader [[Mahmoud Abbas]] to act as the sole legitimate representative for the Palestinians.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/world/the-new-hamas-charter-explained-20170502-gvx10t.html|title=The new Hamas charter explained|author=Maher Mughrabi|date=2 May 2017|publisher=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref> In addition, its ties to the Muslim Brotherhood had also damaged relationship with [[Egypt]] which considers the movement to be a terrorist organisation.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-hamas-document-idUSKBN17X1N8?il=0|title=Hamas softens stance on Israel, drops Muslim Brotherhood link|author1=Nidal al-Mughrabi|author2= Tom Finn|date=May 2017|work=Reuters}}</ref>

==Relevance in the 21st century==
Dr. Ahmed Yousef, an adviser to [[Ismail Haniyeh]] (the senior political leader of [[Hamas]]), claimed that Hamas has changed its views over time since the charter was issued in 1988.<ref name=Yousef/> In 2010 Hamas leader [[Khaled Meshaal]] stated that the Charter is "a piece of history and no longer relevant, but cannot be changed for internal reasons."<ref name="wrmea.com"/>

In 2006, Hamas proposed government programme, which stated that "the question of recognizing Israel is not the jurisdiction of one faction, nor the government, but a decision for the Palestinian people."<ref>[http://www.lebanonwire.com/0603MLN/06031214MAF.asp Israel's Likud, Hamas square off over future relations] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111127031443/http://lebanonwire.com/0603MLN/06031214MAF.asp |date=27 November 2011 }}(12 March 2006)Retrieved 31 May 2011</ref> However many remain sceptical of Hamas's new stance, and view it as a ploy to hide its true agenda, "but it is equally true that the "new" discourse of diluted religious content—to say nothing of the movement's increasing pragmatism and flexibility in the political domain—reflects genuine and cumulative changes within Hamas."<ref name="new hamas"/>

Contrastingly, Mahmoud Zahar, co-founder of Hamas, said in 2006 that Hamas "will not change a single word in its covenant." In 2010, he reaffirmed a major commitment of the covenant saying "Our ultimate plan is [to have] Palestine in its entirety. I say this loud and clear so that nobody will accuse me of employing political tactics. We will not recognize the Israeli enemy."<ref name=Goldberg2014>{{cite web|last1=Goldberg |first1=Jeffrey |title=What Would Hamas Do If It Could Do Whatever It Wanted?|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/08/what-would-hamas-do-if-it-could-do-whatever-it-wanted/375545/|publisher=The Atlantic |access-date=3 May 2017|date=August 4, 2014}}</ref>

In 2011, Atallah Abu al-Subh, the former Hamas minister of culture, said that "the Jews are the most despicable and contemptible nation to crawl upon the face of the [[Earth]], because they have displayed hostility to [[Allah]]. [[God in Islam|Allah]] will kill the Jews in the hell of the world to come, just like they killed the believers in the hell of this world."<ref name=Goldberg2014/>

Per [[Nathan Thrall]], an analyst working for the [[International Crisis Group]], the original charter had been a long source of embarrassment among the reformists in the movement.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/02/world/middleeast/hamas-khaled-meshal-gaza.html|title=Hamas Leader Plays Final Hand: Trying to Lift Group's Pariah Status|work=The New York Times|author=Declan Walsh}}</ref>

==Content==
===1988 charter===
*'''Article 1''' describes Hamas as an Islamic Resistance Movement with an ideological programme of Islam.<ref name=avalon/>
*'''Article 2''' of Hamas' Charter defines Hamas as a "universal movement" and "one of the branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine".<ref name=avalon/><ref name="Mishal"/><ref name="Walther">[https://books.google.com/books?id=tDJ3kxhz90EC&pg=PA48&dq=hamas+charter&ei=zlopTIDoBp-gygSftMHVCQ&cd=3#v=onepage&q=hamas%20charter&f=false HAMAS Between Violence and Pragmatism] By Marc A. Walther</ref><ref name="Barsky">{{Cite web |url=http://www.ajc.org/atf/cf/%7B42D75369-D582-4380-8395-D25925B85EAF%7D/HAMAS2006.PDF |title=pg 4 [[American Jewish Congress]] Yehudit Barsky ''HAMAS- The Islamic Resistance Movement of Palestine'' |access-date=26 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100622095814/http://www.ajc.org/atf/cf/%7B42D75369-D582-4380-8395-D25925B85EAF%7D/HAMAS2006.PDF |archive-date=22 June 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*'''Article 3''' the Movement consists of "Muslims who have given their allegiance to Allah".<ref name=avalon/>
*'''Article 4''' the Movement "welcomes every Muslim who embraces its faith, ideology, follows its programme, keeps its secrets, and wants to belong to its ranks and carry out the duty," <ref name=avalon/>
*'''Article 5''' Demonstrates its [[Salafi movement|Salafist]] roots and connections to the Muslim brotherhood, declaring Islam as its official religion and the [[Quran|Koran]] as its [[constitution]].<ref name=avalon/>
*'''Article 6''' Hamas is uniquely Palestinian,<ref name=avalon/> and "strives to raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine, for under the wing of Islam followers of all religions can coexist in security and safety where their lives, possessions and rights are concerned." It claims that the world will descend into chaos and war without Islam, quoting [[Muhammad Iqbal]].<ref name=avalon/><ref name="Mishal"/>
*'''Article 7''' describes Hamas as "one of the links in the chain of the struggle against the Zionist invaders" and claims continuity with the followers of the religious and nationalist hero [[Izz ad-Din al-Qassam]] from the [[1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine|Great Arab Revolt]] as well as the Palestinian combatants of the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War|First Arab-Israeli War]]. It adds a [[hadith]] claiming that at the [[Last Judgment|Day of Judgment]] all Jews will be killed.<ref name=avalon/><ref name="Barsky"/>
*'''Article 8''' The Hamas document reiterates the Muslim Brotherhood's slogan of "Allah is its goal, the Prophet is the model, the Qur'an its constitution, ''jihad'' its path, and death for the sake of Allah its most sublime belief."<ref name=avalon/><ref name="Mishal"/>
*'''Article 9''' adapts Muslim Brotherhood's vision to connect the Palestinian crisis with the Islamic solution and advocates "fighting against the false, defeating it and vanquishing it so that justice could prevail".<ref name=avalon/>
*'''Article 11''' Palestine is sacred (''waqf'') for all Muslims for all time, and it cannot be relinquished by anyone.<ref name=avalon/>
*'''Article 12''' affirms that "Nationalism, from the point of view of the Islamic Resistance Movement, is part of the religious creed".<ref name=avalon/>
*'''Article 13''' There is no negotiated settlement possible. Jihad is the only answer.<ref name=avalon/>
*'''Article 14''' The liberation of Palestine is the personal duty of every Palestinian.<ref name=avalon/>
*'''Article 15''' "The day that enemies usurp part of Muslim land, Jihad becomes the individual duty of every Muslim". It states the history of the [[Crusades]] into Muslim lands and says the "Palestinian problem is a religious problem."<ref name=avalon/>
*'''Article 16''' Describes how to go about educating future generations, with an emphasis on [[Islamic studies|religious studies]] and [[History of Islam|Islamic history]].<ref name=avalon/>
*'''Article 17''' Declares the role of women in Islamic society to be the "maker of men." It condemns Western organizations such as the [[Freemasonry|Freemasons]], [[Rotary International|Rotary Clubs]], and [[Intelligence agency|intelligence agencies]] as "saboteurs" for promoting subversive ideas on women.<ref name="avalon" />
*'''Article 18''' Defines the role of women as [[Homemaking|homemakers]] and [[Parenting|child-rearers]], providing education and moral guidance to men.<ref name="avalon" />
*'''Article 19''' Promotes the value of [[art]] while promoting [[Islamic art]] over "[[Jahiliyyah|Jahili]]" art forms.<ref name="avalon" />
*'''Article 20''' Calls for action "by the people as a single body" against "a vicious enemy which acts in a way similar to [[Nazism]], making no differentiation between man and woman, between children and old people".<ref name="avalon" />
*'''Article 21''' Promotes "[[Social responsibility|mutual social responsibility]]" and urges members "to consider the interests of the masses as their own personal interests."<ref name="avalon" />
*'''Article 22''' Makes sweeping claims about Jewish influence and power.<ref name="avalon" /><ref name="Reform">[http://reformjudaismmag.org/Articles/index.cfm?id=1297 Reform Judaism Online ''The 'Protocols' of Hamas''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222160228/http://reformjudaismmag.org/Articles/index.cfm?id=1297 |date=22 December 2010 }} Steven Leonard Jacobs - Winter 2007</ref> It specifically claims that the Jews were responsible for instigating multiple revolutions and wars, including the [[French Revolution]], [[World War I]], and the [[Russian Revolution]]. It also claims that Jews control the [[United Nations]], and that they are supported by "the imperialistic forces in the [[Western Bloc|Capitalist West]] and [[Eastern Bloc|Communist East]]."<ref name="avalon" />
*'''Article 23''' Expresses support for all Islamic movements "if they reveal good intentions and dedication to Allah."<ref name="avalon" />
*'''Article 24''' Prohibits "slandering or speaking ill of individuals or groups."<ref name="avalon" />
*'''Article 25''' Discourages Islamic movements from seeking foreign support and expresses support for other Palestinian nationalist movements.<ref name="avalon" />
*'''Article 26''' Allows consultation with other Palestinian movements that are neutral in international affairs.<ref name="avalon" />
*'''Article 27''' Praises the PLO but condemns its [[Secularism in the Middle East|secularism]].<ref name="avalon" />
*'''Article 28''' Conspiracy charges against Israel and the whole of the Jewish people: "Israel, Judaism and Jews".<ref name="avalon" /><ref name="Reform" /> It claims that "Zionist organizations" aim to destroy society through moral corruption and eliminating Islam, and are responsible for [[Illegal drug trade|drug trafficking]] and [[alcoholism]].<ref name="avalon" />
*'''Article 30:''' Calls on "writers, intellectuals, media people, orators, educaters and teachers, and all the various sectors in the Arab and Islamic world" to pursue jihad.<ref name="avalon" />
*'''Article 31''' Describes Hamas as "a humanistic movement", which "takes care of human rights and is guided by Islamic tolerance when dealing with the followers of other religions". "Under the wing of Islam", it is possible for Islam, Christianity and Judaism "to coexist in peace and quiet with each other" provided that members of other religions do not dispute the sovereignty of Islam in the region.<ref name=avalon/>
*'''Article 32''' Hamas condemns as co-plotters the "imperialistic powers" seeking to corrupt all Arab countries one by one, leaving Palestine as the final bastion of Islam.<ref name="Reform" /> References ''[[The Protocols of the Elders of Zion]]''.<ref name=avalon/><ref name="MFA">[http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Terror+Groups/Analysis_of_the_1988_Hamas_Charter [[Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] ''Analysis of the Hamas Charter''] 8 January 2006</ref>
*'''Article 33''' calls upon Muslims worldwide to work for liberation of Palestine.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=nreL77ITXXoC&pg=PA141&dq=hamas+article+33&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj8gdCBwNTTAhUHS48KHd3bBm8Q6AEIMTAE#v=onepage&q=hamas%20article%2033&f=false The Fair Dinkum Jew: The Survival of Israel and the Abrahamic Covenant]</ref><ref name=avalon/>
*'''Article 34''' represents the Temple Mount in Jerusalem as the [[axis mundi]], the sacred point where divine cosmology and temporal history meet.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=56pMBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA198&dq=hamas+article+thirty+four&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiA1aaMxNTTAhXLt48KHaFgC50Q6AEISzAI#v=onepage&q=hamas%20article%20thirty%20four&f=false Practical Pacifism]</ref> Along with '''Article 35''' it compares Israel with an imperialist-colonialist movement. The articles reflect and draws upon past examples of Crusader and [[Battle of Ain Jalut|Mongol invasions]], both of which initially were successful but were eventually repelled.<ref>{{cite book|title=Insight Turkey: Quarterly Research and Information Journal with Focus on Turkey, Volume 11|publisher=Center for Intercultural Dialogue and Cooperation|page=118}}</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=ysdyCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA142&dq=hamas+charter+article+34+imperialist&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjYz5jnwdfTAhVKNI8KHSYsDC8Q6AEIGzAA#v=onepage&q=hamas%20charter%20article%2034%20imperialist&f=false A Social Psychology Perspective on The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Celebrating the Legacy of Daniel Bar-Tal,, Volume 2]</ref>
*'''Article 36''' outlines the goals of Hamas.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=-ETKCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA60&dq=hamas+charter+epilogue&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjWvqzryNTTAhWIN48KHd_YDEwQ6AEIGzAA#v=onepage&q=hamas%20charter%20epilogue&f=false Long-lasting peaces: Overcoming the war-peace hiatus for a sustainable future]</ref>

====Statements about Israel====

The Preamble to the 1988 Charter stated: ″Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam invalidates it, just as it invalidated others before it″.

==Antisemitism==
===Ideology===
According to [[Abraham Foxman]] of the [[Anti-Defamation League]], "The Hamas credo is not just anti-Israel, but profoundly [[anti-Semitic]] with racism at its core. The Hamas Charter reads like a modern-day ''Mein Kampf''." According to the charter, Jewish people "have only negative traits and are presented as planning to take over the world."<ref>[http://www.adl.org/PresRele/IslME_62/4877_62.htm] Anti-Semitism at Core of Hamas Charter. ADL Retrieved 27 May 2011 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525133139/http://www.adl.org/PresRele/IslME_62/4877_62.htm |date=25 May 2011 }}</ref> The 1988 Charter claimed that the Jews deserved God's/Allah's enmity and wrath because they received the Scriptures but violated its sacred texts, disbelieved the signs of Allah, and slew their own prophets.<ref name="Schenker">[https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=tecKLb2jIPoC&oi=fnd&pg=PA85&dq=hamas+charter+antisemitic&ots=lOZnTujlyK&sig=L3aaqR8kjuKixqin4b1BE3mCf6k#v=onepage&q=charter&f=false ''The Anti-Semitism of Hamas'' by Meir Litvak] in ''Islamophobia and anti-Semitism'' pg 87</ref> It quotes a saying of Muhammad from a [[hadith]]:

{{quote|The Day of Judgment will not come until Muslims fight the Jews, when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say, 'O Muslim, O servant of God, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.' Only the Gharkad tree would not do that, because it is one of the trees of the Jews.|Related by [[al-Bukhari]] and [[Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj|Muslim]].<ref name=avalon/>}}

Multiple commentators, including [[Jeffrey Goldberg]] and [[Philip Gourevitch]], have identified this passage as [[incitement to genocide]].<ref name="Gourevitch">{{cite news |last1=Gourevitch |first1=Philip |title=An Honest Voice in Israel |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/honest-voice-israel |access-date=9 May 2020 |work=The New Yorker |date=2 August 2014 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=Goldberg>{{cite news |last1=Goldberg |first1=Jeffrey |author-link1=Jeffrey Goldberg |title=What Would Hamas Do If It Could Do Whatever It Wanted? |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/08/what-would-hamas-do-if-it-could-do-whatever-it-wanted/375545/ |access-date=9 May 2020 |work=The Atlantic |date=4 August 2014}}</ref>

===Militant Jihad===
The 1988 Charter went further in detailing how Jihad against the Jews was a duty. "The day that enemies usurp part of Moslem land, Jihad becomes the individual duty of every Moslem. In face of the Jews' usurpation of Palestine, it is compulsory that the banner of Jihad be raised. To do this requires the diffusion of Islamic consciousness among the masses, both on the regional, Arab and Islamic levels. It is necessary to instill the spirit of Jihad in the heart of the nation so that they would confront the enemies and join the ranks of the fighters."<ref name=avalon/>

===Antisemitic canards===
The 1988 charter contained references to [[antisemitic canards]], such as the assertion that through shrewd manipulation of imperial countries and secret societies, Jews were behind a wide range of events and disasters going as far back in history as the [[French Revolution]].

<blockquote>With their money, they took control of the world media, news agencies, the press, publishing houses, broadcasting stations, and others. With their money they stirred revolutions in various parts of the world with the purpose of achieving their interests and reaping the fruit therein. They were behind the French Revolution, the Communist revolution and most of the revolutions we heard and hear about, here and there. With their money, they formed secret societies, such as Freemason, Rotary Clubs, the Lions and others in different parts of the world for the purpose of sabotaging societies and achieving Zionist interests. With their money they were able to control imperialistic countries and instigate them to colonize many countries in order to enable them to exploit their resources and spread corruption there.<ref name=avalon/></blockquote>

It continued by accusing the Jews of engineering World War I as a pretext to [[Abolition of the Caliphate|abolish the Caliphate]], create the [[League of Nations]], and influence the [[British government]] into drafting the [[Balfour Declaration]].<ref name="avalon" /> It echoed [[Propaganda in Nazi Germany|Nazi propaganda]] in claiming that Jews profited during [[World War II]].<ref name=Herf>{{cite web|last1=Herf|first1=Jeffrey |title=Why They Fight: Hamas' Too-Little-Known Fascist Charter|url=https://www.the-american-interest.com/2014/08/01/why-they-fight-hamas-too-little-known-fascist-charter/|publisher=The American Interest |access-date=3 May 2017|date=August 1, 2014}}</ref>

===Violence against Jews===
The 1988 document also quoted Islamic religious texts to provide justification for fighting against and killing the Jews, without distinction of whether they were in Israel or elsewhere.<ref>[http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/www.thejerusalemfund.org/carryover/documents/charter.html Hamas Charter (1988)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101111122811/http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/www.thejerusalemfund.org/carryover/documents/charter.html |date=11 November 2010 }}. Retrieved 27 May 2011.</ref> It presented the [[Arab–Israeli conflict]] as an inherently irreconcilable struggle between Jews and Muslims, and Judaism and Islam, adding that the only way to engage in this struggle between "truth and falsehood" was through Islam and by means of [[jihad]], until victory or martyrdom.

===Equivalence of anti-Zionism and antisemitism===
Historian [[Jeffrey Herf]] argued that unlike the PLO, which has distinguished their national [[Anti-Zionism|struggle against Zionism]] from general antisemitism (rhetorically, at least), Hamas, in their covenant, purposefully fused these two struggles into one against the Jews and their country.<ref name=Herf/>

==See also==
* [[Contemporary imprints of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion|Contemporary imprints of ''The Protocols of the Elders of Zion'']]
* [[Fatah–Hamas conflict]]
* [[Human rights in the Palestinian territories]]
* [[Islamic fundamentalism]]
* [[List of political parties in the State of Palestine]]
* [[Palestinian political violence]]
*[[Incitement to genocide]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp An English translation of the 1988 Covenant]
* [http://hamas.ps/en/post/678 Official translation of the 2017 Charter]

[[Category:Hamas|Covenant]]
[[Category:1988 establishments in the Israeli Civil Administration area]]
[[Category:1988 documents]]
[[Category:2017 documents]]
[[Category:History of Palestine (region)]]
[[Category:Palestinian nationalism]]
[[Category:Politics of the Palestinian National Authority]]
[[Category:Anti-Zionism in the Palestinian territories]]
[[Category:Islam and antisemitism]]
[[Category:Muslim Brotherhood]]
[[Category:Jihad]]
[[Category:Palestinian politics]]
[[Category:Party platforms]]

Hamas Covenant - Revision history

CleanupBot at 11:08, 29 January 2022