Overview

Both accessible and authoritative,Understanding Hamas provides much-needed insight into a widely misunderstood movement whose involvement in a just resolution of the Israel/Palestine conflict will be critical. Across Western mainstream discourse, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has been subjected to intense vilification. Branding it as ""terrorist"" or worse, this demonization intensified after the events in Southern Israel on October 7, 2023. This book does not advocate for or against Hamas. Rather, in a series of rich and probing conversations with leading experts, it aims to deepen understanding of a movement that is a key player in the current crisis. It looks at, among other things, Hamas's critical shift from social and religious activism to national political engagement; the delicate balance between Hamas's political and military wings; and its transformation from early anti-Jewish tendencies to a stance that differentiates between Judaism and Zionism.

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9781682196342

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Reviews

"""An accessible and thorough primer grounded in genuine expertise on the history of Palestinian resistance."" —Max Blumenthal ""Truly important ... should be read by everyone seriously interested in understanding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."" —John J. Mearsheimer ""Makes the case for engaging the movement as opposed to trying to ostracize it and destroy it."" —Fawaz A. Gerges ""In a world of information warfare, in which little is true and every slur is plausible, reliable access to facts is invaluable … Understanding Hamas tells it like it is."" —Amb. Chas W. Freeman, Jr. ""Vital and timely ... No one can deal with the Palestinian Question, or with Gaza, without understanding, and coming to terms with Hamas."" —Jonathan Kuttab ""I couldn’t put it down and highly recommend it to anyone concerned about the plight of the Palestinian people."" —Medea Benjamin"

""An accessible and thorough primer grounded in genuine expertise on the history of Palestinian resistance."" —Max Blumenthal ""Truly important ... should be read by everyone seriously interested in understanding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."" —John J. Mearsheimer ""Makes the case for engaging the movement as opposed to trying to ostracize it and destroy it."" —Fawaz A. Gerges ""In a world of information warfare, in which little is true and every slur is plausible, reliable access to facts is invaluable … Understanding Hamas tells it like it is."" —Amb. Chas W. Freeman, Jr. ""Vital and timely ... No one can deal with the Palestinian Question, or with Gaza, without understanding, and coming to terms with Hamas."" —Jonathan Kuttab ""I couldn’t put it down and highly recommend it to anyone concerned about the plight of the Palestinian people."" —Medea Benjamin ""The West’s dominant media tell us little about Hamas' history or ideology, relying instead on “terrorist” clichés. This new book cuts through them to explain."" —The Black Agenda Report ""Understanding Hamas quickly provides the reader with the fundamental building blocks for an informed debate. It’s a shame that for the most part the mainstream has drowned this out under a cacophony of atrocity propaganda."" —Morning Star ""The book repeatedly denies any intention of trying to build support for Hamas, but the conversations offer a comprehensive picture—with a wealth of supporting detail—of Hamas"" —Washington Report on Middle East Affairs ""Understanding Hamas provides a detailed and nuanced analysis of the organisation and its history, showing that it cannot be dismissed as merely a terrorist organisation"" —Counterfire

Author Information

Helena Cobban is a former columnist for The Christian Science Monitor. . . , a Professor of Middle Eastern Politics and Conflict Studies at King's College London, is the author of a 2010 book on Hamas and a founder of the field of critical terrorism studies. . and a former senior analyst on Israel-Palestine for the International Crisis Group. .

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