The Foreign Policy of Hamas: Ideology, Decision Making and Political Supremacy

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Despite the boycott Hamas was subjected to since its victory in the 2006 parliamentary elections, it has become a significant player on the international stage. It boasts a territory identifiable by its borders, internationally recognized cease-fire lines and effective authority over a population. This book, a study in international relations, shows how Hamas willingly mobilizes Palestinian internal issues to establish its legitimacy on a global scale, and at the same time, uses its relations with non-Palestinian players to compete against its political rivals on the Palestinian national stage. Leila Seurat reveals that Hamass foreign and internal policy are strongly intertwined and centred mainly on Hamass quest for recognition. The book then is a comprehensive diplomatic history of Palestine, focused on the political orientations of Hamas towards both Israel and other countries. Its coverage spans the movements victory in 2006 up until more recent momentous events, including, Hamas response to Trumps deal of the century and Israels announcement of the annexation of the Jordan Valley, as well as the proclamation of normalization accords between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and the impact of Covid19. The book is based on Leila Seurats extensive fieldwork and interviews with Hamass leading officials across the West Bank, Gaza, Damascus, Geneva and Beirut in addition to recent video-conferences planned by various NGOs and attended by West Bank, Gaza and Diaspora Palestinians.

Reviews

The book stands out for its wide use of original source material together with many wide-ranging personal interviews. The approach used is quite fascinating, and allows the author to arrive at a new understanding of Hamas as a player in regional and international politics. -- Helga Baumgarten, Birzeit University, Palestine

Author Bio

Leila Seurat is Senior Lecturer at Sciences Po, Paris, France and Associate Researcher at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS), France. She has a doctorate in Political Science from the Paris Institute of Political Studies.