Hamas pursues active and passive resistance under conditions of occupation. This effectively enables the group to establish political legitimacy, garner civilian support and justifies its use of political violence.
Passive and active resistance has been an enduring feature of the Palestinian national struggle, used and re-used in the politico-ideological tracks of successive political organisations. The Hamas practice and discourse of territorial struggle both propels and reinterprets this norm – and in doing so, blurs traditional boundaries between civilians and combatants and continues to foster the notion of ‘heroic warfare’ in Palestinian society.
Singh, Rashmi. 2012. University of Maryland (Abridged)
