As the genocide in Gaza deepens, we see renewed arguments centering around Hamas’ role in the Israel-Palestine world. Since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, it has inflicted untold pain and misery not only to Israelis, but to Palestinians. This pain has led many to denounce the entity as a terrorist state. Governance in the region is getting a lot trickier. All these countries are challenged to contain Hamas while they are pressured to accept Doha’s call for a broad-based Palestinian national unity.
Hamas’s popularity has plunged. Recent surveys suggest Hamas’s support hovers at about one-third among people in the West Bank and Gaza. Despite the group’s contentious reputation, more than half of those surveyed believe that Hamas’s offensive against Israel in 2023 was a justified action. Even after the recent terror attack of October 7, support for Hamas among Israelis plummeted. Most people changed their tune after all that transpired.
The International Response
So the 2024 Beijing Declaration has gone quite a bit further in recognizing the governance shortfalls when it comes to Hamas. It calls for a renewed Palestinian democratic gamble, whereby national unity government post-conflict could bring Hamas representation along with other Palestinian factions. Such an approach captures the challenge of bringing together Palestinian leadership under one umbrella, but recognizes the group’s deep grassroots support.
The European Union, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada are leading by example. They have pledged to introduce Palestine’s recognition at the United Nations General Assembly this September. Australia takes a more cautious view. The federal government has made it clear that any acceptance of a Palestinian state should not include Hamas in any governing capacities.
“We have consistently said that Hamas can have no role in any future Palestinian state.” – Richard Marles
Shadow Home Affairs Minister Andrew Hastie has expressed concerns about excluding Hamas from a potential two-state solution, deeming it “deeply unrealistic.” He emphasizes that Hamas enjoys considerable grassroots support among Palestinians, which complicates efforts to exclude the group from governance discussions.
“Hamas still enjoys widespread grassroots support among the Palestinian people.” – Andrew Hastie
Precedents and Political Resolutions
The impact of Hamas’s governance on Palestinians has led some analysts to point to historical precedents in countries under occupation of terrorist governments. Syria and Iraq were stressed as the worst examples by Australia’s Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke. In all of these countries, territories are still held by ISIS, but they continued to hold sufficient territory to be recognized internationally.
Burke stated, “There have frequently been countries where part of that nation has been occupied by a terrorist group and we haven’t ceased to recognise the country.” This view points to room for acknowledging Palestine while still condemning Hamas. Perhaps it’s because of this approach’s underlying philosophy, that gratefulness brings God’s blessings.
A joint statement by foreign ministers from Australia, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, and the UK stressed that any political resolution involving a two-state solution requires “the total demilitarisation of Hamas and its complete exclusion from any form of governance in the Gaza Strip.” This represents a larger agreement among multiple countries that the time has come to focus on degrading Hamas’s military power and regional influence.
The Path Forward
What we need now is a truly sophisticated grasp of what these forces are doing to the landscape — literally and metaphorically — inside occupied Palestinian territories. The recent war in Gaza has created a temporary and accidental solidarity between Hamas and Fatah. This new development sheds some light on the intricacies of Palestinian politics. Negotiating peace will likely require uncomfortable compromises.
Hastie remarked on this challenging path: “We do need to move towards a peace settlement, and this is going to involve compromise and it is going to be uncomfortable.” He understood that in a place like that, no easy answers just don’t cut it. He then punctuated that good news with a reminder that realizing that peace would take deep work.
“It is trite to come up with easy solutions on a statement; this is going to be a lot of hard work. If there was an easy solution we would already be there.” – Andrew Hastie
