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丨賲丕爻 賲賳 丕賱丿丕禺賱: 丕賱賯氐丞 睾賷乇 丕賱賲乇賵賷丞 毓賳 丕賱賲賯丕賵賲賷賳 賵丕賱卮賴丿丕亍 賵丕賱噩賵丕爻賷爻
氐丨賮賷 賷丨賰賷 兀丨丿丕孬丕 賲鬲毓賱賯丞 亘賮賱爻胤賷賳 / 丨賲丕爻 賲鬲乇賰夭丕 毓賱賶 鬲噩乇亘鬲賴 賵 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 丕賱鬲賷 毓丕賷卮賴丕 卮禺氐賷丕 . 賲鬲乇噩賲 毓賳 丕賱賳爻禺丞 丕賱廿賳噩賱賷夭賷丞 賱賱賰鬲丕亘 .
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
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344 people want to read
About the author
Zaki Chehab
5听books6听followersZaki Chehab (born 1956) is an Arab journalist. The Political Editor for the London-based broadsheet Al Hayat and a Senior Editor for the Arabic TV channel LBC, he has covered the Middle East for a variety of newsmedia including The Guardian, CNN, and the BBC. Chehab has covered numerous Middle Eastern conflicts, including the Lebanese Civil War, the 1982 Lebanon War, the First Intifada, and the wars in Yemen, the Gulf and Afghanistan.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 30, 2020
I appreciate the effort the author made but I got some comments in which the author wasn鈥檛 right and was bias :
1- He talks in a very gentle way about Mohammad Dahlan while he is the head of the snake. He was responsible for the civil war in 2006-2007 with his assassinations against Hamas members.
2- He describes the resistance as violence and the bombing as suicidal while they are in defense for our lands and as a reaction for the Isreali injustice. Bombers are martyrs.
3- He believes in what so called ( the security of 鈥淚sreal鈥�). No peace and no security as long as they still occupy us. Our lives are not safe so their鈥檚 shouldn鈥檛 be. They killed a handicapped young guy in Jerusalem today for no reason but suspecting that he was holding a gun while he was holding a doll. They also killed a father for 5 children yesterday in Nabi-Saleh village by shooting on his car.
4- He keeps on saying about Hamas killing Fateh members denying the fact that all of it was as a reaction to stop the blood stream from running in Gaza. Also, Fateh started it when she refused to admit the defeat in the election. Fateh used to kill any person who has a beard because it鈥檚 religious people mark. Many many Hamas members died due to Fateh actions. Go and search for that.
5- basically, Hamas Ideology says 鈥渄on鈥檛 kill unless you kill a person who murdered and you鈥檙e sure that he is the one who did it鈥�.
6-You say that Abbas described Hamas government as a retired government because they attacked Fateh in Gaza. This s a lie; he tried to put the obstacles in Hamas face to interrupt the government and make it fail. He deprived the government from many ministers. He deprived it from the army control showing his intentions. He worked as hard as he can to fail the government and apply more pressure on it. Hamas had no choice but controlling Gaza after seeing the plans against her. So don鈥檛 you ever say that Abbas made it a retired government after she controlled Gaza. This was a pretension. He already planned for that.
6-You say that the leadership of Hamas is penetrated while you only mentioned one example who has been caught eventually.
1- He talks in a very gentle way about Mohammad Dahlan while he is the head of the snake. He was responsible for the civil war in 2006-2007 with his assassinations against Hamas members.
2- He describes the resistance as violence and the bombing as suicidal while they are in defense for our lands and as a reaction for the Isreali injustice. Bombers are martyrs.
3- He believes in what so called ( the security of 鈥淚sreal鈥�). No peace and no security as long as they still occupy us. Our lives are not safe so their鈥檚 shouldn鈥檛 be. They killed a handicapped young guy in Jerusalem today for no reason but suspecting that he was holding a gun while he was holding a doll. They also killed a father for 5 children yesterday in Nabi-Saleh village by shooting on his car.
4- He keeps on saying about Hamas killing Fateh members denying the fact that all of it was as a reaction to stop the blood stream from running in Gaza. Also, Fateh started it when she refused to admit the defeat in the election. Fateh used to kill any person who has a beard because it鈥檚 religious people mark. Many many Hamas members died due to Fateh actions. Go and search for that.
5- basically, Hamas Ideology says 鈥渄on鈥檛 kill unless you kill a person who murdered and you鈥檙e sure that he is the one who did it鈥�.
6-You say that Abbas described Hamas government as a retired government because they attacked Fateh in Gaza. This s a lie; he tried to put the obstacles in Hamas face to interrupt the government and make it fail. He deprived the government from many ministers. He deprived it from the army control showing his intentions. He worked as hard as he can to fail the government and apply more pressure on it. Hamas had no choice but controlling Gaza after seeing the plans against her. So don鈥檛 you ever say that Abbas made it a retired government after she controlled Gaza. This was a pretension. He already planned for that.
6-You say that the leadership of Hamas is penetrated while you only mentioned one example who has been caught eventually.
October 22, 2023
I have had this book for more than a decade and never hit around to reading it, until the events of Oct 7 2023 changed things. Hoping to get an understanding of this organisation that launched the attack against Israel on that day, I decided it was time to finally read it.
The author is a Palestinian though he has a British passport. His parents then when the book was written (2006) was still living as displaced people in one of the camps in Lebanon.
I must admit that I only know broadly about the conflict in the Middle East, and trying to know precisely what is happening then and now is probably next to impossible for any lay person. Particularly at this time (2023), with social media ol from both sides adding to the misinformation and disinformation.
Chehab鈥檚 book is thus a bit of a breath of fresh air in this climate. Published shortly after the Israel-Hezbollah war of 2006 but just before the Hama-Fatah civil war later that year, I found it insightful, and provided a good overview of what Hamas is, it鈥檚 origins (Israel essentially funded it as an alternative to Fatah in the beginning, and to discredit Arafat, which they found to be more of a threat than Hamas then - talk about bad decisions - some parallels with the Americans funding Al Qaeda there), it鈥檚 operations, the worldview of its key players and objectives, and the influence and connections with external entities like the US, Egypt, Iran, Syria, and of course Israel.
One facet of the book which I like very much was that he got to talk with many key players in the movement, and also to hear from them about their views and intent. It鈥檚 evident that Chehab had been in this for a long time, given his connections and the people that he met. These were insightful, and skilfully woven into the book鈥檚 narrative.
The thing about reading this 2006 book in 2023 though is that a lot has passed in 17 years, and this render its last two chapters severely out of date, as Chehab discusses Hamas鈥檚 Future as well as the possible ways it could change (more moderate, less radical essentially). We all know how that has turned out - the right-wing government of Netanyahu is basically a god-sent for Hamas as these two genocidal regimes need each other to exist.
In that way, the observations that Chehab quoted of a former Israeli official (Ephraim Sneh) under the late Yitzhak Rabin鈥檚 administration remains relevant to this day, and is even more so now with Hamas鈥檚 terrorist attacks in 2023, and Israel鈥檚 retaliation by carpet bombing Gaza and likely invasion:
鈥淭he problem in the Middle East 鈥榠s not between Israel and the Palestinians but between the moderates and the fanatics鈥e must contain the hardliners who want to turn all of the Middle East into a Mogadishu鈥� Compromise and moderation are the only answer.鈥� (pg 222)
The author is a Palestinian though he has a British passport. His parents then when the book was written (2006) was still living as displaced people in one of the camps in Lebanon.
I must admit that I only know broadly about the conflict in the Middle East, and trying to know precisely what is happening then and now is probably next to impossible for any lay person. Particularly at this time (2023), with social media ol from both sides adding to the misinformation and disinformation.
Chehab鈥檚 book is thus a bit of a breath of fresh air in this climate. Published shortly after the Israel-Hezbollah war of 2006 but just before the Hama-Fatah civil war later that year, I found it insightful, and provided a good overview of what Hamas is, it鈥檚 origins (Israel essentially funded it as an alternative to Fatah in the beginning, and to discredit Arafat, which they found to be more of a threat than Hamas then - talk about bad decisions - some parallels with the Americans funding Al Qaeda there), it鈥檚 operations, the worldview of its key players and objectives, and the influence and connections with external entities like the US, Egypt, Iran, Syria, and of course Israel.
One facet of the book which I like very much was that he got to talk with many key players in the movement, and also to hear from them about their views and intent. It鈥檚 evident that Chehab had been in this for a long time, given his connections and the people that he met. These were insightful, and skilfully woven into the book鈥檚 narrative.
The thing about reading this 2006 book in 2023 though is that a lot has passed in 17 years, and this render its last two chapters severely out of date, as Chehab discusses Hamas鈥檚 Future as well as the possible ways it could change (more moderate, less radical essentially). We all know how that has turned out - the right-wing government of Netanyahu is basically a god-sent for Hamas as these two genocidal regimes need each other to exist.
In that way, the observations that Chehab quoted of a former Israeli official (Ephraim Sneh) under the late Yitzhak Rabin鈥檚 administration remains relevant to this day, and is even more so now with Hamas鈥檚 terrorist attacks in 2023, and Israel鈥檚 retaliation by carpet bombing Gaza and likely invasion:
鈥淭he problem in the Middle East 鈥榠s not between Israel and the Palestinians but between the moderates and the fanatics鈥e must contain the hardliners who want to turn all of the Middle East into a Mogadishu鈥� Compromise and moderation are the only answer.鈥� (pg 222)
January 4, 2024
賰鬲丕亘 氐睾賷乇 丕賱丨噩賲 賲賵噩賴 賱賱賯丕乇卅 丕賱睾乇亘賷貙 賷噩賲毓 賰丕鬲亘賴 爻賱爻賱丞 兀禺亘丕乇 賵賲賯丕亘賱丕鬲 賵賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲 賲賳卮賵乇丞 噩賲賾毓鬲 賵乇鬲亘鬲 賱鬲賯丿賲 氐賵乇丞 毓賳 丨乇賰丞 丨賲丕爻 賲賳 丕賱賳卮兀丞 賵丨鬲賶 賵氐賵賱賴丕 賱賱賮賵夭 亘兀睾賱亘賷丞 丕賱賲噩賱爻 丕賱鬲卮乇賷毓賷 毓丕賲 2006..
賲賳 丕賱賲賱丕丨馗丕鬲 丕賱賴丕賲丞貙 賵氐賮 丕賱卮賷禺 賷丕爻賷賳 亘賭"丕賱亘乇丕噩賲丕鬲賷 丕賱匕賷 賱丕 鬲賯賮 賲亘丕丿卅丞 丕賱丿賷賳賷丞 丕賲丕 鬲丨賯賷賯 丕賴丿丕賮賴" 賵賱賰賳 賴匕賴 丕賱氐賵乇丞 賱賲 兀噩丿 賲丕 賷孬亘鬲賴丕 兀賵 賷丿賱賱 毓賱賷賴丕. 賵賰匕賱賰 丕賱丕毓鬲賯丕丿 亘兀賳 廿爻乇丕卅賷賱 丕爻鬲賴丿賮鬲 賯賷丕丿丕鬲 丨賲丕爻 "丕賱賲毓鬲丿賱丞" 賵賱賰賳 廿爻乇丕卅賷賱 賳賮爻賴丕 丕睾鬲丕賱鬲 賯賷丕丿丕鬲 賵氐賮賴賲 亘丕賱賰丕鬲亘 亘賭"丕賱賲鬲卮丿丿賷賳" 賲賳 兀賲孬丕賱 毓亘丿 丕賱毓夭賷夭 丕賱乇賳鬲賷爻賷 賵睾賷乇賴.
丕賱賮賯乇丞 丕賱禺鬲丕賲賷丞 賲賱禺氐丞 賱賲丕 鬲卮賴丿賴 丨賲丕爻 亘毓丿 毓賲賱賷丞 胤賵賮丕賳 丕賱兀賯氐賶 賮賷 7 兀賰鬲賵亘乇 2023 賲賳 丨乇亘 廿爻乇丕卅賷賱賷丞 賲丿賲乇丞 囟丿 丕賱丨乇賰丞貙 賱賷乇丿 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賮賷 丌禺乇 賮賯乇丞 賲賳 賰鬲丕亘賴: "兀賲丕 丕賱賵丕賯毓 毓賱賶 丕賱兀乇囟 賮賷賯囟賷 亘兀賳 丨賲丕爻 賱賳 鬲匕賵亘 賵鬲禺鬲賮賷 賲賳 丕賱賲卮賴丿 丕賱爻丕卅丿 乇丕賴賳丕賸貙 賵賱賳 鬲賳噩丨 兀賷 毓賲賱賷丞 毓爻賰乇賷丞 賮賷 廿爻鬲卅氐丕賱賴丕... 丨賲丕爻 賱賷爻鬲 賯賵丞 丌鬲賷丞 賲賳 賰賵賰亘 丌禺乇" 賵賷毓鬲亘乇賴丕 噩夭亍購 賲賳 丕賱賲噩鬲賲毓 丕賱賮賱爻胤賷賳賷 賵毓賱賶 丕賱毓丕賱賲 賵丕賱爻賱胤丞 丕賱賮賱爻胤賷賳賷丞 丕賱鬲賮丕賵囟 賲毓賴丕.
賲賳 丕賱賲賱丕丨馗丕鬲 丕賱賴丕賲丞貙 賵氐賮 丕賱卮賷禺 賷丕爻賷賳 亘賭"丕賱亘乇丕噩賲丕鬲賷 丕賱匕賷 賱丕 鬲賯賮 賲亘丕丿卅丞 丕賱丿賷賳賷丞 丕賲丕 鬲丨賯賷賯 丕賴丿丕賮賴" 賵賱賰賳 賴匕賴 丕賱氐賵乇丞 賱賲 兀噩丿 賲丕 賷孬亘鬲賴丕 兀賵 賷丿賱賱 毓賱賷賴丕. 賵賰匕賱賰 丕賱丕毓鬲賯丕丿 亘兀賳 廿爻乇丕卅賷賱 丕爻鬲賴丿賮鬲 賯賷丕丿丕鬲 丨賲丕爻 "丕賱賲毓鬲丿賱丞" 賵賱賰賳 廿爻乇丕卅賷賱 賳賮爻賴丕 丕睾鬲丕賱鬲 賯賷丕丿丕鬲 賵氐賮賴賲 亘丕賱賰丕鬲亘 亘賭"丕賱賲鬲卮丿丿賷賳" 賲賳 兀賲孬丕賱 毓亘丿 丕賱毓夭賷夭 丕賱乇賳鬲賷爻賷 賵睾賷乇賴.
丕賱賮賯乇丞 丕賱禺鬲丕賲賷丞 賲賱禺氐丞 賱賲丕 鬲卮賴丿賴 丨賲丕爻 亘毓丿 毓賲賱賷丞 胤賵賮丕賳 丕賱兀賯氐賶 賮賷 7 兀賰鬲賵亘乇 2023 賲賳 丨乇亘 廿爻乇丕卅賷賱賷丞 賲丿賲乇丞 囟丿 丕賱丨乇賰丞貙 賱賷乇丿 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賮賷 丌禺乇 賮賯乇丞 賲賳 賰鬲丕亘賴: "兀賲丕 丕賱賵丕賯毓 毓賱賶 丕賱兀乇囟 賮賷賯囟賷 亘兀賳 丨賲丕爻 賱賳 鬲匕賵亘 賵鬲禺鬲賮賷 賲賳 丕賱賲卮賴丿 丕賱爻丕卅丿 乇丕賴賳丕賸貙 賵賱賳 鬲賳噩丨 兀賷 毓賲賱賷丞 毓爻賰乇賷丞 賮賷 廿爻鬲卅氐丕賱賴丕... 丨賲丕爻 賱賷爻鬲 賯賵丞 丌鬲賷丞 賲賳 賰賵賰亘 丌禺乇" 賵賷毓鬲亘乇賴丕 噩夭亍購 賲賳 丕賱賲噩鬲賲毓 丕賱賮賱爻胤賷賳賷 賵毓賱賶 丕賱毓丕賱賲 賵丕賱爻賱胤丞 丕賱賮賱爻胤賷賳賷丞 丕賱鬲賮丕賵囟 賲毓賴丕.
Read
September 4, 2019I read this book for my History EE research. It was very useful to my specific topic but other than that, it was interesting to see the view of the author on such events. The author met with many important figures and had met them multiple times and he gave an account of what their conversations about and the history of the organization. I enjoyed reading this for research as well.
May 3, 2025
This is an important book that helps the reader understand Hamas beyond the "terrorist organization" label given to it by the US and its allies - it is a political organization comparable to any political party that engages in a variety of actions, one of them being military. It also helps to explain the context of how the group started. Things that stood out to me:
- The founder of Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, was a paraplegic refugee (almost all the Hamas leaders have been refugees) who gave religious sermons talking about the importance of jihad. He also set up a bunch of community aid and sports activities. When Yassin wanted a license from Israel to open a building esp for the organization, it was given to them despite Israel knowing basically everything about the ideology of the organization. Israel turned a blind eye to Hamas as it was growing, and even aided it in its growth, so it could oppose leftist resistance movements like the PLO. They actively helped promote the growth of religion extremism within Gaza.
- Some of the biggest obstacles to the growth of resistance movements in Palestine are Palestinian spies for Israel. These people were recruited by Israel either through blackmail, threats to their family, or bribery with large sums of money. There is a very interesting chapter in the book that gives profiles on a number of spies. Many of them initially started by replying to a job ad for an international journalist or academic position, where they were asked to write pieces or studies about their community. Only after they had spent a while doing this (and getting paid) would their handlers reveal that they were Israeli, and that it was too late to back out now (they'd most likely be murdered for their betrayal).
- When Hamas's military wing was first formed they had only one machine gun, an old Russian gun from the 60s, that they had taken after killing a spy. For a while, they were just passing that one gun back and forth between one another.
- Israel limits the number of security/law enforcement/military related jobs Palestinians can have to 76,000 people (in the entirety of Palestine).
- Israel intentionally tried to build a connection between Hamas and al Qaeda, an Islamist fundamentalist group with a very negative reputation internationally. Despite the differences in ideology between the two groups (Hamas is a group looking for national liberation through religious doctrine while al Qaeda is a religious fundamentalist group with unclear goals about restarting a caliphate through terroristic actions) Israel would create false al Qaeda cells within Gaza to lure Palestinians into joining. The book gives multiple examples of Israeli agents contacting Palestinians under false identities claiming to be from al Qaeda and sending them money to join the group.
- Benjamin Netanyahu has been in government for decades, and has been Prime Minister for over 20 years.
- A disturbing fact about how Israel sent false intelligence to the USA that Libya had bombed a nightclub in Berlin in the 80s. This fake intelligence led Reagan to bomb multiple Libyan cities.
Final thoughts:
This book was written in 2007, and the last 2 chapters are devoted to the future of Hamas and Palestine/Israel relations. Chehab focuses on what Hamas should do both to garner international allies and to govern within Gaza. Obviously, he does not predict what has happened. Despite the history of Israel's ethnic cleansing in Palestine, I do think Israel in 2007 was a very different country to the one that it is today. Back then I actually think there was some hope or belief in the inevitability of a peace process. There were multiple dovish Israeli Prime Ministers and members of government who were open to some kind of agreement - or at least the idea of carpet bombing Gaza was out of the question for them. But looking at this book in 2025, though, it seems laughable to think there was hope for negotiation, or a happy ending. The "peace process" is definitely over, and we should get rid of the fantasy that many liberals are still carrying around about a 2 state solution.
2 quotes that sum it up for me:
1. From Ephraim Sneh, head of Civil Administration in Yitzhak Rabin's government: "Hamas will not change... I think the only way to defeat Hamas which is as dangerous, or almost as dangerous as Hezbollah, is to give hope of a political future to the Palestinian people through the implementation and fulfilment of their vision of an independent Palestinian state. Without this prospect, Hamas cannot be defeated because Hamas is building on despair and poverty."
2. Concluding paragraph of the book: "The facts on the ground are that, whatever Hamas' political fortunes, they are not just going to melt into the background, nor will any military action succeed in eradicating them. The idea that the Israeli army could destroy Hamas by rolling in the tanks and raining down the missiles brings to mind a chilling American comment during the Vietnam War: 'We destroyed that village in order to save it.' This strategy did not work in Vietnam and it will not work with Hamas."
At the end, no amount of force can eradicate the human drive towards liberation.
- The founder of Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, was a paraplegic refugee (almost all the Hamas leaders have been refugees) who gave religious sermons talking about the importance of jihad. He also set up a bunch of community aid and sports activities. When Yassin wanted a license from Israel to open a building esp for the organization, it was given to them despite Israel knowing basically everything about the ideology of the organization. Israel turned a blind eye to Hamas as it was growing, and even aided it in its growth, so it could oppose leftist resistance movements like the PLO. They actively helped promote the growth of religion extremism within Gaza.
- Some of the biggest obstacles to the growth of resistance movements in Palestine are Palestinian spies for Israel. These people were recruited by Israel either through blackmail, threats to their family, or bribery with large sums of money. There is a very interesting chapter in the book that gives profiles on a number of spies. Many of them initially started by replying to a job ad for an international journalist or academic position, where they were asked to write pieces or studies about their community. Only after they had spent a while doing this (and getting paid) would their handlers reveal that they were Israeli, and that it was too late to back out now (they'd most likely be murdered for their betrayal).
- When Hamas's military wing was first formed they had only one machine gun, an old Russian gun from the 60s, that they had taken after killing a spy. For a while, they were just passing that one gun back and forth between one another.
- Israel limits the number of security/law enforcement/military related jobs Palestinians can have to 76,000 people (in the entirety of Palestine).
- Israel intentionally tried to build a connection between Hamas and al Qaeda, an Islamist fundamentalist group with a very negative reputation internationally. Despite the differences in ideology between the two groups (Hamas is a group looking for national liberation through religious doctrine while al Qaeda is a religious fundamentalist group with unclear goals about restarting a caliphate through terroristic actions) Israel would create false al Qaeda cells within Gaza to lure Palestinians into joining. The book gives multiple examples of Israeli agents contacting Palestinians under false identities claiming to be from al Qaeda and sending them money to join the group.
- Benjamin Netanyahu has been in government for decades, and has been Prime Minister for over 20 years.
- A disturbing fact about how Israel sent false intelligence to the USA that Libya had bombed a nightclub in Berlin in the 80s. This fake intelligence led Reagan to bomb multiple Libyan cities.
Final thoughts:
This book was written in 2007, and the last 2 chapters are devoted to the future of Hamas and Palestine/Israel relations. Chehab focuses on what Hamas should do both to garner international allies and to govern within Gaza. Obviously, he does not predict what has happened. Despite the history of Israel's ethnic cleansing in Palestine, I do think Israel in 2007 was a very different country to the one that it is today. Back then I actually think there was some hope or belief in the inevitability of a peace process. There were multiple dovish Israeli Prime Ministers and members of government who were open to some kind of agreement - or at least the idea of carpet bombing Gaza was out of the question for them. But looking at this book in 2025, though, it seems laughable to think there was hope for negotiation, or a happy ending. The "peace process" is definitely over, and we should get rid of the fantasy that many liberals are still carrying around about a 2 state solution.
2 quotes that sum it up for me:
1. From Ephraim Sneh, head of Civil Administration in Yitzhak Rabin's government: "Hamas will not change... I think the only way to defeat Hamas which is as dangerous, or almost as dangerous as Hezbollah, is to give hope of a political future to the Palestinian people through the implementation and fulfilment of their vision of an independent Palestinian state. Without this prospect, Hamas cannot be defeated because Hamas is building on despair and poverty."
2. Concluding paragraph of the book: "The facts on the ground are that, whatever Hamas' political fortunes, they are not just going to melt into the background, nor will any military action succeed in eradicating them. The idea that the Israeli army could destroy Hamas by rolling in the tanks and raining down the missiles brings to mind a chilling American comment during the Vietnam War: 'We destroyed that village in order to save it.' This strategy did not work in Vietnam and it will not work with Hamas."
At the end, no amount of force can eradicate the human drive towards liberation.
March 2, 2009
This added some clarity to my understanding of this never ending bullshit that is the conflict/occupation. his access to hamas members was pretty remarkable.
October 28, 2024
this is an ok book. i expected more investigation from a book written by a journalist.
the book delved into their funding, the arming, their relationship to Syria and Iran, as well as with the PLO and arafat. but he was just reporting. also expected from a journalist. so i found no insights. just history and quotations from his interview with palestinian leaders, which is absolutely interesting and useful. i just wanted more.
and as an Egyptian, i was keen to know their role in the suicide bombings between 2004-2006 in Egypt, but as it is recurring in some parts the book the author doesn't explain much beyond retelling known facts in reports. i wanted to know why would hamas even help al-qaeda? what benefit would they reap from going against cairo, considering that egypt has always mediated negotiations between hamas and israel. the author here doesn't even bother to point out how ideologically and theologically different hamas and al-qaeda. i found this fatal to any non-muslim readers.
the book misses the point on the many topics it discusses. it doesn't go deep enough.
i am amazed at how many leaders were assassinated by israel with so little consequence. i am also amazed that both arafat and mossad just left hamas from the sixties to the nineties to their own devices. i was surprised that arafat (who is always been portrayed as enemy of hamas) allowed millions of dollars to be transferred to them willy-nilly, what's stranger, is the amount of money they indeed had (also the author here points out the fact that 50% of palestinians live under the poverty line of two dollars a day)
the relationship between hamas and the marxist-leftist (popular front and democratic front, both in the PLO) is beyond my understanding. and still the author never attempted to explain this either when he talk about goerge habash or jihad gibril, who assisted in training hamas in the eighties in lebanon (hamas was new at the time without any military experiences, unlike these leftists groups)
the author concludes beautifully that hamas was result of PLO failure, and the PLO failure was due to israel and their desire to occupy and brutalize innocents
the book delved into their funding, the arming, their relationship to Syria and Iran, as well as with the PLO and arafat. but he was just reporting. also expected from a journalist. so i found no insights. just history and quotations from his interview with palestinian leaders, which is absolutely interesting and useful. i just wanted more.
and as an Egyptian, i was keen to know their role in the suicide bombings between 2004-2006 in Egypt, but as it is recurring in some parts the book the author doesn't explain much beyond retelling known facts in reports. i wanted to know why would hamas even help al-qaeda? what benefit would they reap from going against cairo, considering that egypt has always mediated negotiations between hamas and israel. the author here doesn't even bother to point out how ideologically and theologically different hamas and al-qaeda. i found this fatal to any non-muslim readers.
the book misses the point on the many topics it discusses. it doesn't go deep enough.
i am amazed at how many leaders were assassinated by israel with so little consequence. i am also amazed that both arafat and mossad just left hamas from the sixties to the nineties to their own devices. i was surprised that arafat (who is always been portrayed as enemy of hamas) allowed millions of dollars to be transferred to them willy-nilly, what's stranger, is the amount of money they indeed had (also the author here points out the fact that 50% of palestinians live under the poverty line of two dollars a day)
the relationship between hamas and the marxist-leftist (popular front and democratic front, both in the PLO) is beyond my understanding. and still the author never attempted to explain this either when he talk about goerge habash or jihad gibril, who assisted in training hamas in the eighties in lebanon (hamas was new at the time without any military experiences, unlike these leftists groups)
the author concludes beautifully that hamas was result of PLO failure, and the PLO failure was due to israel and their desire to occupy and brutalize innocents
December 25, 2024
兀賲丕 丕賳 爻兀賱鬲賳賷 毓賳 賰鬲丕亘 賷丨賰賷 鬲丕乇賷禺 兀賵賱賷丕亍 丕賱賱賴 丕賱禺囟乇 丕賱氐丕賲丿賷賳 賲賳匕 賲丕 賷夭賷丿 毓賱賷 丕賱兀乇亘毓賲丕卅丞 賷賵賲 賵丨丿賴賲 賲賳匕 亘丿丕賷丞 丕賱胤賵賮丕賳 兀賲丕賲 丕賱賯賵賷 丕賱毓馗賲賷 丕賱兀賰亘乇 賮賷 丕賱毓丕賱賲 賲噩鬲賲毓賷賳 賮賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賱賷爻 亘兀賮囟賱 丕禺鬲賷丕乇 賱賰 貙 乇亘賲丕 賰丕賳鬲 丕賱賲賰鬲亘丞 丕賱毓乇亘賷丞 卮丨賷丨丞 賱賱睾丕賷丞 賮賷 賴匕賴 丕賱噩夭卅賷丞 賵賱賰賳 賴匕丕 賱丕 賷毓賳賷 兀賳 鬲爻鬲賯賷 賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲賰 賲賳 丕賱賯丕氐賷 賵丕賱丿丕賳賷 - 賵丕賱賵睾丿 - 丿賵賳 鬲孬亘鬲 貙 賱丿賷賰 賲匕賰乇丕鬲 賯丕丿丞 丕賱丨乇賰丞 賵亘毓囟 丕賱賰鬲亘 賱賱賲丨爻賵亘賷賳 毓賱賷賴賲 賵賰鬲亘 兀禺乇賷 鬲丿乇爻 丕賱鬲噩乇亘丞 賱賳賯丿賴丕 賱丕 賱鬲賵孬賷賯賴丕 貙 兀賲丕 丕賳 兀乇丿鬲 兀賰孬乇 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賳氐丕賮丕 丨鬲賷 丕賱丌賳 鈥� 賮賷賲丕 賯乇兀鬲 兀賳丕 鈥� 賷賲賰賳 兀賳 鬲賯乇兀 丕賱賳氐賮 丕賱孬丕賳賷 賲賳 賰鬲丕亘 丕賯@鬲賱 禺丕賱丿 賱賱氐丨丕賮賷 亘賵賱 賲丕睾賾賵賵 毓賳 丕賱氐毓賵丿 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷 賱賴賲 賲賳匕 丕賱鬲兀爻賷爻 賵丨鬲賷 丕賱2006賲 鬲賯乇賷亘丕 貙 兀賲丕 賴匕丕 丕賱乇噩賱 賮賷禺賱胤 丕賱丨丕亘賱 亘丕賱賳丕亘賱 貙 賵賷丿爻 丕賱爻賲 賮賷 賰孬賷乇 賲賳 丕賱毓爻賱 賵亘胤乇賷賯丞 賲爻鬲賮夭丞 貙 賷毓胤賷賰 賰賲 賰亘賷乇 賲賳 丕賱賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲 丕賱鬲丕乇賷禺賷丞 丕賱氐丨賷丨丞 孬賲 賷囟毓 卮亘賴丕鬲 賵丕卮丕毓丕鬲 賵兀賰丕匕賷亘 毓賱賷 賱爻丕賳 賲賳鬲賯丿賷賴賲 兀賵 賲賳丕賮爻賷賴賲 賵賰兀賳賳丕 賮賷 亘乇賳丕賲噩 廿禺亘丕乇賷 賷丿賾毓賷 丕賱丨賷丕丿賷丞 賮賴賵 賲囟胤乇 賱毓乇囟 賰賱 丕賱丌乇丕亍 賵賴匕丕 鬲囟賱賷賱 賮賷 孬賵亘 丕賱賲賴賳賷丞.
賵毓賱賷 匕賰乇 丕賱丕禺亘丕乇 賵丕賱賲賴賳賷丞 賮丕賱賰鬲丕亘 亘兀賰賲賱賴 賲賰鬲賵亘 毓賱賷 胤乇賷賯丞 丕賱兀賮賱丕賲 丕賱賵孬丕卅賯賷丞 丕賱鬲賷 賰賳丕 賳卮丕賴丿賴丕 賯丿賷賲丕 賵賳馗賳 賮賷 胤乇賷賯鬲賴賲 鬲賱賰 丕賱賲賴賳賷丞 賵丕賱丨賷丕丿 貙 賰丕賳鬲 賴匕賴 兀賷丕賲 毓丕亘乇丞 賯亘賱 兀賳 賷賮鬲鬲 丕賱胤賵賮丕賳 賵兀賵賱賷丕丐賴 賰賱 鬲賱賰 丕賱兀賵賴丕賲 賵賷賰卮賮賵丕 夭賷賮賴丕 貙 賵兀賳 丕賱賯賵賲 亘賱丕 丨賷丕丿 賵賱丕 賲賴賳賷丞 賵賱丕 兀禺賱丕賯 賵兀賳賴賲 亘丕賱丿乇噩丞 丕賱兀賵賱賷 兀氐丨丕亘 賲氐賱丨丞 - 亘毓囟賴賲 氐丕丨亘 毓賯賷丿丞 兀賷囟丕 - 鬲丨乇賰賴賲 兀胤賲丕毓賴賲 賵兀丨賯丕丿賴賲 丕賱丿丕禺賱賷丞 賵兀賷丿賵賱賵噩賷丕鬲賴賲 賯亘賱 賴匕丕 貙 賵賯亘賱 兀賳 賷馗賴乇 兀賯亘丨 賵噩賴 賱賲 賷賰賳 兀丨丿 賷鬲禺賷賱賴 賮賷 鬲睾胤賷丕鬲賴賲 賵亘乇丕賲噩賴賲 禺賱丕賱 毓丕賲 賰丕賲賱 兀賵 賷夭賷丿.
丕賱賲毓賱賵賲丞 丕賱賲鬲賰乇乇丞 毓賳 丿毓賲 丕賱賰賷丕賳 賱丕賳卮丕亍 丕賱丨乇賰丞 噩丕亍鬲 賴賳丕 毓賱賷 賱爻丕賳 賲丨賲丿 丿丨賱丕賳 乇卅賷爻 噩賴丕夭 丕賱兀賲賳 丕賱賵賯丕卅賷 丕賱賲鬲賵丕噩丿 賮賷 丕賱賯胤丕毓 賵賯鬲 賰鬲丕亘丞 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賵賱賯丕亍 丕賱賲丐賱賮 貙 丕賱匕賷 丕賱鬲賯丕賴 賴賵 賵丕賱賰孬賷乇 賲賲賳 兀亘胤丕賱賳丕 賲賲賳 丕乇鬲賯賵丕 賲賳 賷賵賲賴丕 賵丨鬲賷 丕賱丌賳 貙 賵賴賷 賰匕亘丞 兀禺乇賷 鬲丨丕賵賱 鬲兀賵賷賱 兀賵 鬲亘乇賷乇 鬲乇賰賴賲 賱賱卮賷禺 賱賷毓賲賱 爻賳賵丕鬲 賮賷 丕賱毓賲賱 丕賱禺賷乇賷 賵丕賱丿毓賵賷 賲賳 禺賱丕賱 丕賱賲爻丕噩丿 賵丕賱噩賲毓賷丕鬲 丿賵賳 兀賳 賷鬲毓乇囟 賱賴 丕賱丕丨鬲賱丕賱 丕賱匕賷 乇丌賴 賯丿 賷氐賱丨 賷賵賲丕 賲丕 賱賲賳丕賮爻丞 毓乇賮丕鬲 貙 賮兀乇睾賵丕 賵兀夭亘丿賵丕 兀賳賴賲 賲賳 鬲乇賰賵賴 毓丕賲丿賷賳 賱丕 賲囟胤乇賷賳 賵丕賮鬲乇囟賵丕 兀賳 賲噩乇丿 鬲乇賰賴 賱賱毓賲賱 賵丕賱丕賳鬲卮丕乇 賵爻胤 丕賱賳丕爻 賴賵 丿毓賲 賮賷 丕賱鬲兀爻賷爻 貙 兀賱丕 鬲毓爻丕 賱賴賲 噩賲賷毓丕.
January 8, 2024
賰鬲丕亘 "丨賲丕爻 賲賳 丕賱丿丕禺賱" 賱賱氐丨賮賷 夭賰賷 卮賴丕亘 賷毓鬲亘乇 賵孬賷賯丞 鬲丿賵賷賳賷丞 鬲乇賰夭 毓賱賶 賳卮兀丞 丨乇賰丞 丨賲丕爻 賵胤亘賷毓丞 毓賲賱賴丕. 賷購賯丿賽賾賲 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賳馗乇丞 丿丕禺賱賷丞 賱丨乇賰丞 丨賲丕爻 賲賳 賲賳馗賵乇 丕賱氐丨賮賷 丕賱匕賷 毓丕卮 賵卮賴丿 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 賲賳 丕賱丿丕禺賱. 賷乇賰夭 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 毓賱賶 丕賱鬲丕乇賷禺 賵丕賱鬲胤賵乇 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷 賵丕賱丕噩鬲賲丕毓賷 賱丨賲丕爻貙 賵賷爻鬲賳丿 廿賱賶 賲氐丕丿乇 賲鬲毓丿丿丞 賲賳 丿丕禺賱 丕賱丨乇賰丞.
賲賳 丕賱噩丿賷乇 亘丕賱匕賰乇 兀賳 鬲賯賷賷賲 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賷毓鬲賲丿 毓賱賶 丕賱丌乇丕亍 賵丕賱賲丨丕賰賲丕鬲 丕賱卮禺氐賷丞 賱賱賯乇丕亍 丕賱賲禺鬲賱賮賷賳貙 丨賷孬 賷賲賰賳 兀賳 賷賰賵賳 賱丿賶 丕賱兀卮禺丕氐 鬲賯賷賷賲丕鬲 廿賷噩丕亘賷丞 兀賵 爻賱亘賷丞 賲禺鬲賱賮丞 亘賳丕亍賸 毓賱賶 丌乇丕卅賴賲 賵賲毓鬲賯丿丕鬲賴賲 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷丞 賵丕賱丕噩鬲賲丕毓賷丞. 廿匕丕 賰賳鬲 賲賴鬲賲賸丕 亘丕賱賲賵囟賵毓貙 賮賯丿 賷賰賵賳 賲賳 丕賱賲賮賷丿 賯乇丕亍丞 丕賱賲乇丕噩毓丕鬲 賵丕賱丌乇丕亍 丕賱賲禺鬲賱賮丞 丨賵賱 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賯亘賱 兀賳 鬲賯乇乇 賲丕 廿匕丕 賰賳鬲 鬲乇睾亘 賮賷 賯乇丕亍鬲賴 兀賲 賱丕.
賲賳 丕賱噩丿賷乇 亘丕賱匕賰乇 兀賳 鬲賯賷賷賲 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賷毓鬲賲丿 毓賱賶 丕賱丌乇丕亍 賵丕賱賲丨丕賰賲丕鬲 丕賱卮禺氐賷丞 賱賱賯乇丕亍 丕賱賲禺鬲賱賮賷賳貙 丨賷孬 賷賲賰賳 兀賳 賷賰賵賳 賱丿賶 丕賱兀卮禺丕氐 鬲賯賷賷賲丕鬲 廿賷噩丕亘賷丞 兀賵 爻賱亘賷丞 賲禺鬲賱賮丞 亘賳丕亍賸 毓賱賶 丌乇丕卅賴賲 賵賲毓鬲賯丿丕鬲賴賲 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷丞 賵丕賱丕噩鬲賲丕毓賷丞. 廿匕丕 賰賳鬲 賲賴鬲賲賸丕 亘丕賱賲賵囟賵毓貙 賮賯丿 賷賰賵賳 賲賳 丕賱賲賮賷丿 賯乇丕亍丞 丕賱賲乇丕噩毓丕鬲 賵丕賱丌乇丕亍 丕賱賲禺鬲賱賮丞 丨賵賱 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賯亘賱 兀賳 鬲賯乇乇 賲丕 廿匕丕 賰賳鬲 鬲乇睾亘 賮賷 賯乇丕亍鬲賴 兀賲 賱丕.
November 27, 2023
Highly recommend for anyone wanting to learn about the history of Hamas and the last 4 decades of the crisis of Palestine and Israel. It stops in 2007 so it wont catch you up, but it gives deeper access to key leaders of various Palestinian groups from a journalistic lens.
November 29, 2024
I'm glad I read it, but it was a slog - it gets way too far into the weeds in some sections and skims over others that I was interested in knowing more about. But still, a worthwhile read that provided me with valuable context.
December 30, 2024
"Hamas is not some alien guerrilla force. It is someone's brother, neighbour, or the guy who gives your son money for his education."
March 15, 2013
This book is very journalistic and is more a less a compilation of articles dealing with the history of Hamas's politics and militarization from the 1980s through to 2007. There are innumerable names of assassinated militants, nefarious Israeli operations, and internecine Palestinian turf wars. This is not a work that will stand the test of time (it is poorly edited and more descriptive than it is analytical), but the conclusion that Hamas can not simply be liquidated through violence and that the West will have to engage with this political force is true enough. Still, I am quite sure there are better books on Palestine, Hamas, and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
March 5, 2013
Informative if some what depressing. I didn't know about Israel's role in its formation or really understand the difference between it and the PLO before reading this. In the light of recent events I'm not surprised Palestinians feel that Hamas offers hope but it is a depressing indictment of the situation currently. Reading this and corresponding information on the Jewish perspective makes me think that there is no solution available that will satisfy both sides
July 19, 2010
毓賲賷賯 ()
December 8, 2011
爻賷乇賴 匕丕鬲賷賴 睾賷乇 賰丕賲賱賴 賱賱丨賲丕爻..丕爻賱賵亘 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 噩毓賱 賲賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賲賲賱 噩丿丕
賰丕賳 亘丕賱丕賲賰丕賳 丕賮囟賱 賲賲丕 賰丕賳
賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲 賲賴賲賴 噩丿丕 賵賲賮賷丿賴 賱賲賳 丕乇丕丿 丕賳 賷毓乇賮 賲賳 賴賷丕 丨賲丕爻
賰丕賳 亘丕賱丕賲賰丕賳 丕賮囟賱 賲賲丕 賰丕賳
賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲 賲賴賲賴 噩丿丕 賵賲賮賷丿賴 賱賲賳 丕乇丕丿 丕賳 賷毓乇賮 賲賳 賴賷丕 丨賲丕爻
June 21, 2012
賲賳 丕賱睾乇賷亘 丕賳 賷爻禺乇 丕賱卮禺氐 賳賮爻賴 賮賷 鬲賰乇賷爻 賰乇丕賴賷丞 噩賲丕毓賴/ 賲噩賲賵毓丞 賱丕 賱卮賷亍 賵丕賳賲丕 賱禺賱丕賮賴 賲毓賴賲
February 24, 2013
賰鬲丕亘 賲賯亘賵賱 賳爻亘賷丕 賰丕賳 賲賲賰賳 賷賰賵賳 兀賮囟賱 丕匕丕 乇鬲亘鬲 丕丨丿丕孬 鬲賰賵賷賳 丕賱丨乇賰賴 兀賵賱丕 孬賲 丕賱爻賷乇賴 丕賱匕丕鬲賷賴 賱丕卮禺丕氐 丕賱丨乇賰賴
September 8, 2014
A great, objective history and analysis of Hamas. Extremely impressive for a subject matter which, to this point at least, has not been the focal point of many authors.
December 10, 2014
Good inside account and good historical book about the origins of Hamas.
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