Hamas formed in 1987 when the first Intifada forced the quietist-confrontationist split

Evidence

In 1987, in the context of the first Intifada, the debate between the quietists and the confrontationists broke out into the open and led to the formation of Hamas, a group dedicated to the liberation of Palestine. Here is how one Islamist put it: “Why should Islam be viewed as a separate entity to what is going on in the region, confined to mosques and cut off from social and political life? This question lies in the minds of hundreds of Palestinian youths in the Gaza Strip, youths who are dedicated to Islam and have also participated in resistance to the Israeli occupation. Their answer: let us engage in active resistance to the occupation because the occupation not only affects the land; it also aims to uproot Islam.” — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 320

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Israel licensed Hamas’s predecessor because Islamists opposed the secular left — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 399

Broader Connections

• Israel licensed Hamas’s predecessor because Islamists opposed the secular left #responds-to (0.60) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 399