Hamas' Influence on the Political Development in the Gaza Strip Through Combining Power and Resistance (2005-2014(

The researcher has chosen to discuss the topic of " Hamas' Effect on The Political Development in Gaza Strip By Its Way of Combining Authority and Resistance " for a number of considerations which formed a sense of importance and motivation for him to do so. On one hand, Hamas represents a unique experience in the field of authority that is based upon ruling and armed resisting at the same time in spite of the recentness of this experience. On the other hand, what makes this topic of a great importance is the way Hamas has managed to maintain its authority despite the harsh circumstances surrounding it in Gaza strip manifested in the siege imposed upon Gaza by the Israeli occupation alongside whit its allies. It is of great value to study the novel methods Hamas adopts to continually provide the besieged people of Gaze with the services and hope of a better future despite the difficulties faced by Hamas's authority in doing so. Through studying Hamas' performance on the political, military, and media level, this study aims to find out the extent of harmony Hamas has managed to establish between authority and resistance and the way this harmony has affected the political development and Hamas itself. This study depends on the descriptive analytical method and employs both statistical and Non-statistical indicators in addition to a number of interviews and media material. By asking to what extent has Hamas' experience in authority has contributed to the elevation of the political development and trying to figure out the strategy Hamas adopted in its confrontation with Israel; the study eventually will be examining the hypotheses the researcher demonstrates here. The examined hypotheses indicates that Hamas' experience in ruling and resisting has managed to enhance the political development in a way the goes in harmony with the peculiar Palestinian situation. Moreover, this experience has set up the proper atmosphere for sustaining and developing Hamas' armed resistance. Consequently, this experience has inclined Hamas to be more pragmatic in balancing its interests and principles alongside with its armed resistance and political action which by the end has lead Hamas to have a more mature and developed political experience. This study consists of three chapters. The first one presents the introduction to the topic which provides the main argument, questions, hypotheses, methodology, and previous studies. Inspired by the particularity of the Palestinian case this introduction also conveys an updated definition of the political development with its fields and related concepts. The second chapter presents the reader with the political path of Hamas during 2005-2014 starting with its historical background. The chapter moves on to present some important events Hamas has been through such as the legislative elections, the Palestinian resistance and Hamas' confrontations with the Israeli occupation, and bringing to the fore the role of the political update in enhancing the developmental process and developing the efficiency of the Palestinian armed resistance. The last chapter exhibits the apparent indicators of the political development during the ruling phase of Hamas. The researcher here also tends to note down the manifestation of pluralism, freedoms, and the implementation of the principle of political and military partnership. This chapter finally provides an analytical study of Hamas' speech and ending up with the conclusion of the study. Finally, the researcher concludes that Hamas' development on the resistance level has also been accompanied by a similar one on the political level. Hamas has also benefitted from employing technology in changing the situation around and envisioning the paths and the stands to be taken by the party. Hamas has also proved its capability of taking the lead of both the political and military level in harmony while sustaining its well established character at the same time. The study mainly recommends reconsidering and fixing the educational system in a way that may serve building a scientifically and professionally sufficient generation that is capable of planning and establishing a community on solid bases. This study can work as a valuable feedback for the academic and political elites and the decision makers in the area of political development.