Muslim politics in Palestine

Palestine politics are probably the tensest politics around the world. They influence the whole Muslim world and they influence majority politics of the world. From the other side, all major political players influence Palestine politics. Or at least, they all try.
Contemporary history of Palestine  
The 1948 war between Arabs and Israelis declared Israel’s independence. The war divided Palestine into the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. During this war Israel captured some parts of Palestine. The rest, the West Bank became under control of Jordan and the Gaza Strip under control of Egypt. The two Palestinian territories got two different policies. Neither of them reflected real need of the community (1), but rather a will of Jordanian and Egyptian administrators. The war forced some 300 000 to become refugees. (2)
Years which came after the 1948 war contoured Palestinian nationalism. It was framed in bounding the community together and in making collective decision to remain on the soil which didn’t fall to Israel.
The Gaza Strip   
Before the 1948 war, the Gaza Strip was poorest part of the country. (3) Politics of Gaza Strip after the 1948 war were seen in support or opposition to the mufti Amin al-Husseini (1895-1974). The majority Gazans were with those who supported the Mufti. 
Before the war 1948, the Gaza Strip have had small branches of Islamic movement reflected in Muslim brotherhood. The movement attracted new members very quickly but gained no popularity. This small Muslim brotherhood members will become a foothold for Muslim brotherhood who will later become real political force.     
After the 1948 war, the Gaza Strip hosted some 200 000 new refugee citizens. The new Gaza Strip needed a new political orientation which will be filled by Muslim brotherhood among others. By the early 1950s it was clear that the movement is seeking dominance over the Gaza, which they didn’t win because of the coup in Egypt. New government restricted Muslim brotherhood activities in Egypt which negatively affected the movement in the Gaza Strip as well.
The West Bank
The West Bank political activities were guided by Jordanian authorities. The West Bank was administered under Jordanian Ministry of Waqf Affairs. Other political organisations were Muslim Brotherhood and Liberation Party, both predominantly Islamic movements. Muslim brotherhood was incorporated into the administered Jordanian structures and was transformed in moderate Islamic movement. The Liberation Party advocated radical Islamic agenda. 

The second Israeli occupation and the first Intifada
The six-day war (1967) between Israel and Arab states (Egypt, Jordan and Syria), which resulted in occupation of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Old City of Jerusalem, Golan Heights and Sinai Peninsula (4), helped in uprising Islamic movements in the Middle East. The loss of the war was sign of failure of Arab nationalism. New political approach was needed, and Islamic movements took advantage of failure of nationalism. After the six-day war in Palestine, national movements dominated over Islamic movements. The PLO (Palestine Organisation Organisation) which was founded in 1964 by Egyptian president Nasser (d.1970) was restructured after the war. In 1969 Yasser Arafat became president of PLO and dedicated his leadership to liberation of the whole Palestine through armed struggle. The PLO dominated the West Bank. In the Gaza Strip dominated national fedayeen forces who fought against Israeli occupation. The fedayeen were defeated early 1971 which resulted in shifting of political power in the Gaza Strip. Early 70s prominent Islamic leader, Sheikh Yassin (d. 2004) gained attention among Gazans. He was influenced my Muslim brotherhood and its founder Hassan al-Banna (d.1949). 1973 he founded charity society called Mujama (Islamic congress).  
Until the 1986, in both, Gaza Strip and the West Bank rose religious revivalism. Tension between religious organisation and PLO was on the rise. The second ten years of occupation (1977-1986) brought in focus Islamic Jihad who advocated political violence. During this time Gaza became epicentre of political Islam. Mujama (Muslim Brotherhood) led by Shaikh Yassin extended its influence over Gaza Strip through education (Islamic University of Gaza established in 1978) and through charity works. 
Early 1980 brought Islamic Jihad organisation. The organisation was comprised of four organisation who advocated a holy war for liberating the occupied land.  Islamic Jihad challenged Palestinian nationalists as well. 
In 1986 and 1987 members of Islamic Jihad provided the spark, by killing Israeli citizens (5), for the Intifada. The 1987 spontaneous protests and demonstrations rose in popular uprising which set on fire all occupied territories. The Intifada brought new political factor in Gaza, which will later rule the Gaza, the Islamic Resistance Movement, known as Hamas. Hamas was founded in February 1988. It is sometimes considered to be founded as a wing of Muslims Brotherhood. (6) It described itself (in covenant) as “a wing of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine” (The covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), (Jerusalem, 1988), Article 1. 
Hamas grow rapidly. Its spiritual leader Ahmad Yassin made great impact in establishing Hamas as a leading political force in the Gaza Strip. In administrative terms, Hamas was divided into political wing, intelligence sector and military wing (named Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam). 
Hamas used the second Intifada to make own goals and to put them on the first plan. Hamas wanted Islamic rule over the Palestinian territory and wanted to end Israeli occupation of the whole Palestine. Hamas tried to direct the Intifada to this direction.   
The first Intifada lasted until 1991 and the Madrid conference. This conference started peace process negotiations which resulted in signing the Oslo Accord. With the Oslo Accord PLO recognized Israelis right to exist and rejected violence in its political activity. From the other side, Israel recognized the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people.










1.	Islamic Politics in Palestine. Beverley Milton-Edwards. IB Tauris, London 1996. 
2.	The Birth of Palestine Refugee Problem 1947-1949. B Morris. Cambridge 1987. 
3.	The Palestine economy. G. Abed. Taylor and Francis Ltd. London 2014.
4.	Encyclopaedia Britannica. Online. 
5.	Gaza Tense as Terrorist Trial Opens. Bradley Burston. The Jerusalem Post. 13 May 1987, p.2.
6.	The Palestinian National Movement: Politics of Contention, 1967-2005. Amal Jamal. Indiana University Press. 2005