PLO and Hamas achieved the Palestinian national aspiration Research Paper

PLO and Hamas achieved the Palestinian national aspiration - Research Paper Example Hamas challenged PLO’s political agenda for Palestinian national territory and secular nationalism, in effect taking over the original Palestinian national aspiration, traditionally associated with the PLO, and situating them in an Islamic perspective. By appealing to an Islamic national aspiration, Hamas successfully merged everyday issues and religious dogma.     A conflict, growing over time, between Hamas, the PLO, and particularly Fatah, has continuously disrupted the realization of the Palestinian national goals of these organizations. Hamas firmly declined the proposals of Fatah and the PLO, wanting instead to build and legitimize itself as a political substitute. The conflict between the PLO and Hamas reached its climax during the alleged Madrid process—a chain of bilateral compromises between those with territorial demands and Israel.   Hamas’s doctrine recognizes the PLO as an â€Å"ally, father, brother, relative, friend† and Hamas prevent ed a military conflict with Fatah in the past. Hamas, under the headship of Sheikh Yasin, firmly condemned internal strife between Palestinian political groups for this would merely strengthen the position of Israel and undermine the Palestinian national aspiration.  Ã‚   From the very beginning, Hamas was unsure about the PLO, expressing, on the one hand, allegiance to its political autonomy and ideological identity and, on the other, a concern for coexistence.   The effort of Hamas to sustain a harmonious relationship with the PLO.... The conflict between the PLO and Hamas reached its climax during the alleged Madrid process—a chain of bilateral compromises between those with territorial demands and Israel.3 However, Hamas’s doctrine recognizes the PLO as an â€Å"ally, father, brother, relative, friend†4 and Hamas prevented a military conflict with Fatah in the past. Hamas, under the headship of Sheikh Yasin, firmly condemned internal strife between Palestinian political groups for this would merely strengthen the position of Israel and undermine the Palestinian national aspiration.5 From the very beginning, Hamas was unsure about the PLO, expressing, on the one hand, allegiance to its political autonomy and ideological identity and, on the other, a concern for coexistence.6 The effort of Hamas to sustain a harmonious relationship with the PLO, and eventually with the PA, revealed its political flaw with regards to the rising local, regional, and global support for the peace process between t he PLO and Israel.7 It was this idea of the weakness of its status that pushed Hamas to attempt to build an agreement with the PLO that would provide it with the opportunity to strengthen its capability and influence and boost its ranks. Moreover, its pursuit of organizational autonomy and identity encouraged Hamas to look for ways to frustrate the move of PLO toward suppression and hegemony. Literature Review The references used in this paper are both primary and secondary. The author used textbooks, peer-reviewed journal articles, newspapers, and magazines. The best primary references that are used in this paper are Mkhaimar Abusada’s Palestinian Party Affiliation and Political Attitudes toward the Peace Process, Omri Arens’s and Edward