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Hamas' Internal Challenge: The Political and Ideological Impact of Violent Salafist Groups in Gaza

(Strategic Assessment-INSS) Benedetta Berti - The official narrative portrays the Hamas government as solidly in charge of Gaza. However, the kidnapping and killing of an Italian activist by a local Salafist cell and the Salafists' repeated defiance of Hamas' restrictions on rocket fire against Israel have highlighted the tense relations between the Hamas government and the violent Salafist groups operating within Gaza. Salafism, a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam, has been present in Gaza since the early 1970s when, led by Sheikh Salim Sharab, a number of Palestinian clerics trained in Saudi Arabia returned to spread their vision of Islam. The Palestinian Salafist-jihadists are all interested in challenging Hamas and its government. This attitude has been effectively summarized by Kata'ib al-Tawhid's leader Abu Abdhallah, who stated that his group aims "to overthrow Hamas and set up an Islamic caliphate in Gaza." Despite their relative military weakness, the violent Salafist network embodies an ideological challenge to the Hamas government, questioning its Islamic identity and its commitment to fighting against Israel. In turn, these accusations have a concrete impact upon Hamas' policymaking, as the Islamist movement feels additional pressure to publicly demonstrate its support of jihad against Israel. Indeed, the violent Salafist cause has captured the allegiance of many dissatisfied members of Hamas' military wing. The writer is a research associate at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University.
2011-07-22 00:00:00
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