2017 Hamas charter

For the 1988 founding document for Hamas, see 1988 Hamas charter.

In May 2017 Palestinian political and military organization Hamas unveiled A Document of General Principles and Policies (وثيقة المبادئ والسياسات العامة لحركة حماس), also known as the 2017 Hamas charter,[1] "new charter",[2] or "current" charter.[3] It accepted the idea of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, i.e. comprising the West Bank and Gaza strip only,[4] on the condition that also the Palestinian refugees were allowed to return to their homes,[5] if it is clear this is the consensus of the Palestinians[6] ("a formula of national consensus"[7]); but at the same time this document strove for the "complete liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea",[7] and did not explicitly recognize Israel.[4] The new charter holds that armed resistance against an occupying power is justified under international law.[8][9]

While the 1988 Hamas Charter had been widely criticized for its antisemitism, the 2017 document stated that Hamas' fight was not with Jews as such because of their religion but with the Zionist project. However, Hamas fell short of repudiating the original, 1988 charter, saying it was a document of its time and the new document represented Hamas's position for now.

Views on the 2017 document varied. While some welcomed it as a sign of pragmatism and increased political maturity, and a potential step on the way to peace, many others dismissed it as a merely cosmetic effort designed to make Hamas sound more palatable while changing nothing about Hamas' underlying aims and methods. The revised charter did not formally repudiate or revoke the previous one, with Hamas co-founder Mahmoud al-Zahar saying that it is not a substitute for its founding charter.[10][11]

  1. ^ Radonic 2021; Ayoob & Lussier 2020, p. 125.
  2. ^ Alsoos 2021, p. 838; Ayoob & Lussier 2020, p. 124; Slater 2020, p. 334; Contemporary Review of the Middle East 2017, p. 393; Hroub 2017, p. 102; Brenner 2017, p. xii.
  3. ^ Luz 2023, p. 163.
  4. ^ a b "How Hamas aims to trap Israel in Gaza quagmire". Reuters. 4 November 2023.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "What will the Israeli-Palestinian conflict look like in 30 years?". The Jerusalem Post. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2024. Even Hamas in 2017 said it was ready to accept a Palestinian state with 1967 borders if it is clear this is the consensus of the Palestinians.
  7. ^ a b See articles 2 and 20 (etc.) in “A Document of General Principles and Policies (…) 1 May 2017 (…) "Hamas" ”, official English translation (hosted by the Internet Archive). Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  8. ^ Hroub 2017.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Al-Mughrabi, Nidal (10 May 2017). "Leading Hamas official says no softened stance toward Israel". Reuters.
  11. ^ Seurat, Leila (2022). The foreign policy of Hamas: ideology, decision making and political supremacy. I.B. Tauris. p. 62. ISBN 9781838607456.