-Caveat Lector- Israel vs Hamas: When Push Comes to Shove By News Analysis By John K. Cooley ABCNEWS Thursday August 02 08:00 PM EDT .... >From Benefactor to Foe Hamas emerged in the 1980s as an offshoot of the old Muslim Brotherhood, a militant organization founded in Egypt in the 1920s. Equipped with a tough fighting arm, the Muslim Brotherhood fought Israel in the 1948 war. Their guerillas also helped oust the British from their occupation of Egypt in the early 1950s. Today, the Brotherhood is formally outlawed in Egypt but continues to be influential in Jordan, where it lives on as Hamas. Israeli authorities initially encouraged and secretly aided Hamas in the 1980s as a useful religious counterweight to Arafat's more secular Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in Gaza. But Hamas turned against its Israeli benefactors during the first intifada in 1987. With the help of Muslim Brotherhood cadres, it created its fighting and terrorist wing, named the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades after the Palestinian leader who fought the British occupiers of Palestine in the 1930s. Today, the organization continues to provide social and community services including the operation of schools and hospitals in the West Bank and Gaza. Hamas is especially popular in Gaza, where the economic conditions are worse than the West Bank. A Challenge to Arafat Although Hamas poses a challenge to Arafat's leadership, the aging Palestinian leader has been careful not to antagonize the organization fearing the wrath of Hamas' tens of thousands of supporters and sympathizers. On its part, Hamas remains opposed to the Oslo peace process and in the run-up to the 1996 Israeli elections, launched heavy suicide attacks in Israel, killing 56 Israelis. Their bloody attacks helped to elect hard-line Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister. Like Netanyahu, Sharon has consistently and successfully used "peace with security" as a campaign slogan. But the election slogans have quickly faded into violence as Sharon's government, now committed to assassinating active Hamas and other Palestinian resistance leaders, threatens to bring the tottering Middle East peace initiatives to the brink of all-out war. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
