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HAMAS: The Quest for Power
340 pages, Paperback
Published August 19, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 25, 2024
Fairly comprehensive and even-handed overview of the emergence of Hamas and the basis by which they steadily became a genuinely popular vehicle for discontent and ,more recently, nation-building in Gaza. Loses a star for using the term "bromance" to describe intragroup alliances within the Palestinian movement.
October 12, 2024
This is not the first book you should jump to if you've never read a book on the Israel-Palestine conflict, because it will only obliquely elude to in passing the planned ethnic cleansing by even early Israeli governments that Ilan Pappé's The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine will, or just how skewed the so-called peace process brokered by Bill Clinton was, as Noura Erakat's Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine will. (E.g. recognition of Palestine was off the table.)
But if you are already steeped in the context and appreciate the causes for the establishment of a group such as Hamas, then this is a trove of information that limits itself to the scope of detailing what Hamas is, how it came about (in terms of logistics rather than political context), how it won 56% seats with 44% of the vote in the 2006 elections. (Fatah independents vs Fatah official candidates split the vote; the manifesto was toned down and excluded mention of the destruction of Israel in its manifesto; there was a strong protest vote at seeing Fatah and the peace-talks fail, and Fatah's corruption, compared with Hamas's clean image.) Notes how, pre-Jared Kushner and Donald Trump, in 2017, Hamas revised its 1988 founding charter and dropped its call to destroy Israel, and agreed to a transitional Palestinian state in east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.
Shows Hamas's ugliness in university settings: from harassment of uncovered women, to violent internecine war with Fatah resulting in the deaths of opponents and civilians, including women and children, to the cold-blooded murder of festival goers on October 7th.
The book could have gone further into investigating the question of whether Israel provided explicit direct support to Hamas in its early days, rather than just circumstantial statements about wanting to see a counterweight to Fatah, wanting to see a civil war after the 2006 election, and outright neglect in the early days (after the progenitor to Hamas started going beyond social and religious work).
Also, worryingly, the authors seem to suggest that it was Hamas that broke the December 2008 truce in one part of the book (by saying that they fired or allowed militants to fire rockets into Israel), but then in their timeline attribute this to militants within Gaza. This is a glaring omission of detail and much passive voice and something that really should have been clarified in a book about Hamas. This cannot be summarised in a line and the authors ought to have examined the evidence and analysis of the evidence.
But if you are already steeped in the context and appreciate the causes for the establishment of a group such as Hamas, then this is a trove of information that limits itself to the scope of detailing what Hamas is, how it came about (in terms of logistics rather than political context), how it won 56% seats with 44% of the vote in the 2006 elections. (Fatah independents vs Fatah official candidates split the vote; the manifesto was toned down and excluded mention of the destruction of Israel in its manifesto; there was a strong protest vote at seeing Fatah and the peace-talks fail, and Fatah's corruption, compared with Hamas's clean image.) Notes how, pre-Jared Kushner and Donald Trump, in 2017, Hamas revised its 1988 founding charter and dropped its call to destroy Israel, and agreed to a transitional Palestinian state in east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.
Shows Hamas's ugliness in university settings: from harassment of uncovered women, to violent internecine war with Fatah resulting in the deaths of opponents and civilians, including women and children, to the cold-blooded murder of festival goers on October 7th.
The book could have gone further into investigating the question of whether Israel provided explicit direct support to Hamas in its early days, rather than just circumstantial statements about wanting to see a counterweight to Fatah, wanting to see a civil war after the 2006 election, and outright neglect in the early days (after the progenitor to Hamas started going beyond social and religious work).
Also, worryingly, the authors seem to suggest that it was Hamas that broke the December 2008 truce in one part of the book (by saying that they fired or allowed militants to fire rockets into Israel), but then in their timeline attribute this to militants within Gaza. This is a glaring omission of detail and much passive voice and something that really should have been clarified in a book about Hamas. This cannot be summarised in a line and the authors ought to have examined the evidence and analysis of the evidence.
March 5, 2025
’Hamas is an idea. You cannot bomb an idea out of existence,’ said Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s deputy prime minister. ‘If you are not happy with what Hamas is doing, convince the Palestinian people that they have a future and that Hamas is standing between them and that future. Thus far, that argument has not been made. Reality has not shown that. Palestinian people have been left with nothing left to lose on the West Bank and in Gaza. Are we not going to learn?’This very thorough text is probably as close to a neutral dissection of Hamas and its history as one could get. Drawing from countless different kinds of documented sources as well as author interviews collected over decades and updated after the group's impactful attack of October 7th 2023, this probably serves well as a reference book on the subject.
There is too much information to remember after just one read but the general history of the group's rise includes some especially interesting magnifications of specific elements like the use of social media as part of their tactics, the culture and strategy around suicide bombing, and the significance of women in that environment.
It won't deliver all of the answers, like nothing can, but it certainly helps putting Hamas into perspective a bit better.
March 8, 2025
Overall a very detailed and insightful account of Hamas’s ideological roots as an Islamist resistance group that does much to dispel the image many Westerners have of of Islamist militant resistance groups like Hamas and Hezbollah as “terrorists” (akin to al-Qaeda or ISIS).
Full of well-sourced details including primary sources from Hamas itself and interviews with Hamas leaders. It does have a slight pro-Israel “bias”, not so much in the factual record but in the interpretation of facts and the narrative, but the information remains useful regardless. That being said, people should read other accounts of Hamas that could better explain the narrative history that puts Hamas actions into a more appropriate context.
There is, however, one egregious factual error that is puzzling given the extensive documentary record surrounding one of Israel’s most infamous incursions into Gaza (at least before Oct 2023) — Operation Cast Lead.
The author claims, bluntly, that “Hamas ended [the ceasefire agreement with Israel]” (p. 206 in the 2024 Polity Press Paperback updated edition). This is demonstrably false and omits a key provocation: Israel’s cross border raid into Deir al-Balah in Gaza that broke the ceasefire and killed 6 Hamas militants. As this book was published originally in 2010, it is difficult to understand how the error was not amended in subsequent editions.
Full of well-sourced details including primary sources from Hamas itself and interviews with Hamas leaders. It does have a slight pro-Israel “bias”, not so much in the factual record but in the interpretation of facts and the narrative, but the information remains useful regardless. That being said, people should read other accounts of Hamas that could better explain the narrative history that puts Hamas actions into a more appropriate context.
There is, however, one egregious factual error that is puzzling given the extensive documentary record surrounding one of Israel’s most infamous incursions into Gaza (at least before Oct 2023) — Operation Cast Lead.
The author claims, bluntly, that “Hamas ended [the ceasefire agreement with Israel]” (p. 206 in the 2024 Polity Press Paperback updated edition). This is demonstrably false and omits a key provocation: Israel’s cross border raid into Deir al-Balah in Gaza that broke the ceasefire and killed 6 Hamas militants. As this book was published originally in 2010, it is difficult to understand how the error was not amended in subsequent editions.
May 31, 2025
A very thorough revision of their work, that was released in 2010. Now including insights and analysis of what lead to the events of October 2023 and its apocalyptic aftermath. I learned a lot about Hamas that I didn’t know before. I am no fan of Hamas and their conflation of religion & politics (exactly what is wrong with Israel, Afghanistan & Iran - clear proof that religion & politics MUST be kept separate), I understand where they are coming from and I wholeheartedly support their fight for freedom, and it is not surprising how Hamas is able to keep recruiting fighters: they are the children that have survived the wars since 2005: 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2021. Imagine how many new fighters will emerging and it tells you everything you need to know about why specifically Palestinian children are the primary target of the pariah genocidal regime in “Israel”: they are the future fighters and indigenous inhabitants. Don’t believe me? Listen to what the “Israeli” politicians themselves are saying on that very topic.
When it comes to the audio version of this book, I do have some criticism. The voice of the narrator is annoying and it gives me a headache and detracts from my overall impression of this otherwise very interesting and well-researched and well-documented book about Hamas. I wish he would have taken a different approach and not making weird voices and speak in s manner that sounds fake. But who knows, maybe he was asked to narrate in such manner.
When it comes to the audio version of this book, I do have some criticism. The voice of the narrator is annoying and it gives me a headache and detracts from my overall impression of this otherwise very interesting and well-researched and well-documented book about Hamas. I wish he would have taken a different approach and not making weird voices and speak in s manner that sounds fake. But who knows, maybe he was asked to narrate in such manner.
December 25, 2025
Here we have a somewhat updated timeline, yet presented with horribly outdated analysis.
To be fair, the book’s greatest strength lies in its clear and structured presentation of events. It traces Hamas’s evolution with care and restraint, offering a largely fair and readable account that makes a genuine effort to balance competing narratives in a deeply polarized conflict. As a chronological overview, it is coherent, well written, and accessible.
The problem is 'balanced' BBC whitewashing isn't whats called for in the midst of a live streamed genocide. And where the book falls horribly short is in its analytical framework.
Many of the authors assumptions about motives, power dynamics, and international behavior are glaringly dated, particularly in light of more recent exposure of Israeli state conduct, international lobbying, and the manipulation of American foreign policy, not mention other 'client list' antics.
These dynamics fundamentally affect the environment in which Hamas operates, yet they remain under-examined. They also provide critical insights into historical events such as Clinton's motives- but it seems this would have been too real to explore for the authors...
As a result, the book offers a valuable piece of the puzzle, but never the whole picture. It informs, but ultimately stops short of explaining the deeper structures shaping the conflict today.
To be fair, the book’s greatest strength lies in its clear and structured presentation of events. It traces Hamas’s evolution with care and restraint, offering a largely fair and readable account that makes a genuine effort to balance competing narratives in a deeply polarized conflict. As a chronological overview, it is coherent, well written, and accessible.
The problem is 'balanced' BBC whitewashing isn't whats called for in the midst of a live streamed genocide. And where the book falls horribly short is in its analytical framework.
Many of the authors assumptions about motives, power dynamics, and international behavior are glaringly dated, particularly in light of more recent exposure of Israeli state conduct, international lobbying, and the manipulation of American foreign policy, not mention other 'client list' antics.
These dynamics fundamentally affect the environment in which Hamas operates, yet they remain under-examined. They also provide critical insights into historical events such as Clinton's motives- but it seems this would have been too real to explore for the authors...
As a result, the book offers a valuable piece of the puzzle, but never the whole picture. It informs, but ultimately stops short of explaining the deeper structures shaping the conflict today.
May 4, 2025
This is an incredibly interesting and well structured book about the ins and outs of Hamas, and its lengthy history in Palestine. It was a very long read that took me a long time to get through because of how much information was packed in here.
It’s a very good book that presents both sides of the conflict very well. I wouldn’t read this again because of its slow pacing and lengthiness but it’s great nonfiction that I would recommend to anyone who wants a much greater understanding of Hamas and the conflict.
It’s a very good book that presents both sides of the conflict very well. I wouldn’t read this again because of its slow pacing and lengthiness but it’s great nonfiction that I would recommend to anyone who wants a much greater understanding of Hamas and the conflict.
Read
April 24, 2025I definitely appreciate that this book covers up to 2024 because there’s so few publications on Hamas from the last 10 years or so. I thought it was a little too diplomatic towards Israel at times (you can call it unbiased if you like, but I think in the context of the 75+ year occupation being truly unbiased would include consistent criticism), but generally informative with interviews with Palestinian citizens, members of Hamas, and Israelis.
November 8, 2024
Comprehensive and analytical, this book gives a facts-driven overview of Hamas, its history, and its goals and aspirations. It’s very up to date - with analysis running into 2024, although much has changed since the start of the year. It’s not a perfect book - the structure is a little confusing at times - but I would recommend it to anyone who is trying to get to the bottom of the issue.
February 12, 2025
A great lecture about the tangled complex situation around there.
May 19, 2025
The book is very well written, however the jury is still out on future of Gaza and Hamas after all the destruction and death of all the Palestinian people.
July 31, 2025
Relatively***** balanced and informative
August 15, 2025
Succinct, important and unbiased. It takes a bold author to give Hamas a perspective, while not outright condemning the perspective, as must all real scientists.
December 10, 2025
good read
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews