FACULTY OF SOCIAL STUDIES Islamic Radicalism in the Palestinian Territories: A Comparative Analysis of Radical Islamist Groups in the West Bank and Gaza Strip Diploma Thesis BC. ET BC. TOMÁŠ KUBÍK Supervisor: Mgr. Josef Kraus, Ph.D. Department of Political Science Security and Strategic Studies Brno 2021 ISLAMIC RADICALISM IN THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF RADICAL ISLAMIST GROUPS IN THE WEST BANK AND GAZA STRIP Bibliografický záznam Autor: Bc. et Bc. Tomáš Kubík Fakulta sociálních studií Masarykova univerzita Katedra politologie Název práce: Islamic Radicalism in the Palestinian Territories: A Comparative Analysis of Radical Islamist Groups in the West Bank and Gaza Strip Studijní program: Magisterský studijní program Studijní obor: Department of Political Science Security and Strategic Studies Vedoucí práce: Mgr. Josef Kraus, Ph.D. Rok: 2021 Počet stran: 249 Klíčová slova: Islamismus, Radikalismus, Západní břeh, Pásmo Gazy, Hnutí Hamás, Nestátní ozbrojení aktéři 2 ISLAMIC RADICALISM IN THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF RADICAL ISLAMIST GROUPS IN THE WEST BANK AND GAZA STRIP Bibliographic record Author: Bc. et Bc. Tomáš Kubík Faculty of Social Studies Masaryk University Department of Political Science Title of Thesis: Islamic Radicalism in the Palestinian Territories: A Comparative Analysis of Radical Islamist Groups in the West Bank and Gaza Strip Degree Programme: Master's degree programme Field of Study: Security and Strategic Studies Supervisor: Mgr. Josef Kraus, Ph.D. Year: 2021 Number of Pages: 249 Keywords: Islamism, Radicalism, West Bank, Gaza Strip, Hamas Movement, Armed Non-State Actors 3 ISLAMIC RADICALISM IN THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF RADICAL ISLAMIST GROUPS IN THE WEST BANK AND GAZA STRIP Abstrakt Diplomová práce pojednává o aktuálním bezpečnostním problému re- gionu Blízkého východu – radikálním islamismu na palestinských územích Západního břehu Jordánu a Pásma Gazy. Autor analyzuje současný vývoj tohoto fenoménu a s využitím teorie nestátních ozbro- jených aktérů detailně zkoumá hlavní skupiny radikální islamistické scény, které v posledních letech aktivně působily v těchto teritoriích. Hlavní ambicí výzkumu je komparace těchto aktérů na Západním břehu a v Pásmu Gazy. Výzkum přišel se zjištěním, že obě oblasti se značně liší v množství radikálních islamistických elementů a charakteru jed- notlivých skupin. 4 ISLAMIC RADICALISM IN THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF RADICAL ISLAMIST GROUPS IN THE WEST BANK AND GAZA STRIP Abstract The diploma thesis is devoted to the current security problem of the Mid- dle East region – a radical Islamism in the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The author analyzes this phenomenon's current development and thoroughly examines the leading groups of the radical Islamist scene that have been active in these territories in recent years, using the theory of armed non-state actors. The research's main ambition is to compare these organizations in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The research concluded that the two areas differ substantially in the amount of radical Islamist elements and individual groups' fea- tures. 5 ISLAMIC RADICALISM IN THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF RADICAL ISLAMIST GROUPS IN THE WEST BANK AND GAZA STRIP Declaration of Authorship Hereby I solemnly declare that I wrote the following master's diploma thesis on the topic of Islamic Radicalism in the Palestinian Territo- ries: A Comparative Analysis of Radical Islamist Groups in the West Bank and Gaza Strip only by myself. All resources and sources of infor- mation used were appropriately cited in the text and are listed in the list of used sources and literature. Brno, January 18, 2021 ....................................... Bc. et Bc. Tomáš Kubík 7 ISLAMIC RADICALISM IN THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF RADICAL ISLAMIST GROUPS IN THE WEST BANK AND GAZA STRIP Acknowledgement At this point, I would like to express my great thanks to my supervisor Mgr. Josef Kraus, Ph.D., for help with choosing a topic and his valuable remarks that made my writing easier. Special thanks to Dr. Michael Barak for the provided interview, which contributed significantly to the re- search's final findings. The author also thanks Mr. Aymenn Jawad Al- Tamimi for consulting the results of the analysis. Last but not least, many thanks to my family and close friends, who supported me throughout my studies. Šablona DP 3.0.6-FSS (2019-11-29) © 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019 Masarykova univerzita 9 TABLE OF CONTENT Table of Content List of Figures 15 List of Tables 18 Note on Transliteration 19 Introduction 20 1 Theoretical Part 23 1.1 Overview of Previous Research on the Topic ................................. 23 1.2 Definition of Key Concepts ..................................................................... 26 1.2.1 Islamism .............................................................................................. 26 1.2.2 Salafism ............................................................................................... 29 1.2.3 Salafi Jihadism ................................................................................... 30 1.2.4 Jihadism ............................................................................................... 31 1.2.5 Takfirism ............................................................................................. 32 2 Analytical Frameworks 33 2.1 Characteristics of Armed Non-State Actors ..................................... 33 2.2 Behavioral dynamics and relations between Armed Non-State Actors ............................................................................................................. 35 2.2.1 Categories of Armed Non-State Actors’ Relations .............. 39 3 Objectives and Methodology 42 3.1 Research Objectives and Questions .................................................... 42 3.2 Research Design ......................................................................................... 44 3.3 Research Methods ..................................................................................... 45 3.4 Applied Theories ........................................................................................ 46 3.5 Research Scope ........................................................................................... 47 3.6 Data Collection ............................................................................................ 48 3.7 Limits of the Research ............................................................................. 50 11 TABLE OF CONTENT 4 Comparative Analysis 52 4.1 Historical Background of Radical Islamism in the Palestinian territories ..................................................................................................... 52 4.1.1 The Origin of Palestinian Radical Islamism ........................... 52 4.1.2 The Beginning of the Radicalization Process ........................ 54 4.1.3 The First Intifada and Evolution of the Hamas Movement 57 4.1.4 The Second Intifada and Hamas' Takeover of Gaza ........... 59 4.2 Current State ............................................................................................... 63 4.2.1 West Bank ........................................................................................... 66 4.2.2 Gaza Strip ............................................................................................ 70 4.3 Characteristics of Radical Islamist Groups in the West Bank ... 78 4.3.1 Hizb-ut-Tahrir ................................................................................... 78 4.3.2 Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades ........................................................... 87 4.3.3 Hamas' activities .............................................................................. 93 4.4 Characteristics of Radical Islamist Groups in Gaza Strip ........... 95 4.4.1 Hamas (Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades) .................................. 96 4.4.2 Palestinian Islamic Jihad ............................................................. 104 4.4.3 Popular Resistance Committees .............................................. 111 4.4.4 Jaysh al-Islam (Army of Islam) ................................................. 120 4.4.5 Jaysh al-Ummah (Army of the Nation) .................................. 126 4.4.6 Harakat as-Sabirin Nasran li-Filastin (Sabireen Movement) 133 4.4.7 Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem 141 4.4.8 Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade (Islamic State in Gaza) ........ 148 4.4.9 Other Groups ................................................................................... 154 4.5 Summary and Comparison of Groups' Characteristics ............. 157 4.5.1 Summary ........................................................................................... 157 4.5.2 Comparison ...................................................................................... 160 12 TABLE OF CONTENT 4.6 The Behavioral Dynamics and Relations between the Groups ........................................................................................................................ 164 4.6.1 West Bank ......................................................................................... 164 4.6.2 Gaza Strip .......................................................................................... 168 4.6.3 Comparison ...................................................................................... 178 4.7 Summary of the Analysis .....................................................................