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Hamas and the United States: Conflicting Visions and Policies in Palestine from 1987 to 2020

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Hamas and the United States: Conflicting Visions and Policies in Palestine from 1987 to 2020 HAMAS AND THE UNITED STATES: CONFLICTING VISIONS AND POLICIES IN PALESTINE FROM 1987 TO 2020 A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY MUSTAFA KARAKAYA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS FEBRUARY 2021 Approval of the thesis: HAMAS AND THE UNITED STATES: CONFLICTING VISIONS AND POLICIES IN PALESTINE FROM 1987 TO 2020 submitted by Mustafa KARAKAYA in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in International Relations, the Graduate School of Social Sciences of Middle East Technical University by, Prof. Dr. Yaşar KONDAKÇI Dean Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Oktay Fırat TANRISEVER Head of Department Department of International Relations Prof. Dr. İhsan DAĞI Supervisor Department of International Relations Examining Committee Members: Prof. Dr. Özlem TÜR (Head of the Examining Committee) Middle East Technical University Department of International Relations Prof. Dr. İhsan DAĞI (Supervisor) Middle East Technical University Department of International Relations Assist. Prof. Dr. Bayram SİNKAYA Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University Department of International Relations I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last Name: Mustafa KARAKAYA Signature: iii ABSTRACT HAMAS AND THE UNITED STATES: CONFLICTING VISIONS AND POLICIES IN PALESTINE FROM 1987 TO 2020 Karakaya, Mustafa M.S., Department of International Relations Supervisor: Prof. Dr. İhsan Dağı February 2021, 167 pages As the First Intifada broke out in 1987, Hamas and the US appeared as two powerful actors in the Palestinian politics, while the former emerged domestically in opposition to the PLO the latter reasserted itself forcefully as an external power. This thesis aims to explore the question of how the interaction between these two distinct actors with very different objectives and methods have shaped the Palestinian politics. In so doing this thesis examines the conflicting visions and policies of Hamas and the United States regarding Palestine during the period stretching from 1987 to 2020 adopting a chronological narration and uncover the outcomes of this conflict for the Palestinian politics. The thesis argues that, in this period of thirty-three years, Hamas has largely followed a radical, militant and Islamist agenda but also proved many times to be a flexible and pragmatic movement in both its aims and methods, while the US acted as a peace broker between the parties claiming to be impartial, however, in critical junctures it seemed to have sided with Israel. The thesis also demonstrates that this sharp conflict between the visions and policies of Hamas and the US has influenced some developments in the Palestinian politics such as the signing of the Oslo Accords, the violence in the mid-1990s, Hamas’ electoral victory in 2006, the division of power iv in the Palestinian politics, the failure of the reconciliation attempts between Fatah and Hamas, and the destruction of Gaza by Israel’s operations. Key Words: Hamas, the United States, Palestine, Israel v ÖZ HAMAS VE AMERİKA BİRLEŞİK DEVLETLERİ: 1987’DEN 2020’YE FİLİSTİN’DE ÇATIŞAN VİZYON VE POLİTİKALAR Karakaya, Mustafa Yüksek Lisans, Uluslararası İlişkiler Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. İhsan Dağı Şubat 2021, 167 sayfa 1987’de Birinci İntifada’nın başlamasıyla, Hamas ve ABD Filistin siyasetinde iki güçlü aktör olarak öne çıkmıştır. Hamas, Filistin Kurtuluş Örgütü’ne muhalif yerli bir hareket olarak ortaya çıkarken, ABD ise bir dış güç olarak Filistin siyasetinde varlığını daha güçlü bir şekilde hissettirmeye başlamıştır. Bu tez, birbirinden çok farklı amaç ve yöntemlere sahip bu iki aktör arasındaki etkileşimin Filistin siyasetini nasıl şekillendirdiği sorusuna yanıt aramaktadır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda, tez Hamas ve Amerika Birleşik Devletleri’nin 1987’den 2020’ye kadar uzanan dönemde Filistin’e dair çatışan vizyon ve politikalarını tarihsel bir anlatımla incelemeyi ve bu çatışmanın Filistin siyaseti için doğurduğu sonuçları incelemektedir. Tez, bu otuz üç yıllık süre boyunca, Hamas’ın genel olarak radikal, militan ve İslamcı bir siyaset izlemekle birlikte amaç ve yöntem bakımından aslında oldukça pragmatik ve esnek bir hareket olduğunu, ABD’nin ise İsrail ve Filistinliler arasında tarafsız olma iddiasındaki bir barış arabulucusu rolü oynamaya çalıştığı halde, kritik dönemeçlerde İsrail’in tarafında yer aldığını savunmaktadır. Tez ayrıca Hamas ve ABD’nin vizyon ve politikalarındaki bu sert çatışmanın; Oslo sürecinin başlaması, 1990’ların ortasında yaşanan şiddet olayları, Hamas’ın 2006’daki seçim zaferi, Filistin siyasetindeki bölünme, El Fetih ile Hamas arasındaki uzlaşma girişimlerinin şu ana dek başarıya vi ulaşamaması ve Gazze’nin İsrail operasyonlarıyla yıkıma uğratılması gibi olayların meydana gelmesinde etkili olduğunu ileri sürmektedir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Hamas, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri, Filistin, İsrail vii For my caressing and self-sacrificing mother... viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First of all, I would like to express my gratefulness to my supervisor, Prof. Dr. İhsan Dağı, for his immense contributions to the making of this thesis. Without his wisdom, patience and kindness, this work would not have been possible. Likewise, i would like to thank the members of the examining committee, Prof. Dr. Özlem Tür and Assist. Prof. Dr. Bayram Sinkaya, for their valuable comments and criticisms that gave this work its final shape. I also would like to thank all the people from whom I have learned something until this day, as pursuing knowledge is one of my biggest passions in life. I am also thankful to my family members who have supported me in all stages of my life. Finally, I would like to thank Mümin Gençoğlu, my housemate in Ankara, for his company and support during my M.S. education in METU. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM.............................................................................................................iii ABSTRACT................................................................................................................iv ÖZ................................................................................................................................vi DEDICATION...........................................................................................................viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...........................................................................................ix TABLE OF CONTENTS..............................................................................................x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS....................................................................................xiv CHAPTERS 1. INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................1 1.1. Historical and Regional Context of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.................1 1.2. Research Question and Arguments.............................................................4 1.3. Methodology and Scope.............................................................................6 1.4. Structure of the Thesis................................................................................7 2. HAMAS: ITS FOUNDATION, IDEOLOGY, OBJECTIVES AND METHODS...................................................................................................................9 2.1. Foundation of Hamas..................................................................................9 2.1.1. Earlier Roots of Hamas................................................................9 2.1.2. Causes of Radicalization............................................................11 2.1.3. Hamas Founded.........................................................................12 2.2. Major Characteristics of Hamas................................................................14 2.2.1. Actors and Organization............................................................14 2.2.2. Ideology.....................................................................................16 2.2.3. Methods.....................................................................................20 x 2.3. Hamas and the World................................................................................24 2.3.1. Hamas and Israel........................................................................24 2.3.2. Hamas and the Region................................................................25 2.3.3. Hamas and Great Powers...........................................................26 3. HAMAS AND US POLICIES DURING THE FIRST INTIFADA AND OSLO PROCESS..............................................................................................28 3.1. Period of First Intifada.............................................................................28 3.1.1. The Intifada...............................................................................28 3.1.2. Policies in the Early Times of the Intifada................................29 3.1.3. Hamas’ Militarization and Shamir’s Plan.................................32 3.1.4. Madrid Process..........................................................................35 3.2. Oslo Process.............................................................................................40
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