Hamas and the Media: Politics and strategy

237 Pages·2016·4.353 MB·English

by  Wael Abdelal

Hamas and the Media
The Islamic resistance movement ‘Hamas’ is, arguably, one of the most
important Palestinian organisations in recent decades. Since Hamas’s establish-
ment, it has extensively utilised media as a means of mobilisation for its political
and ideological agendas, and its tactics have undergone a remarkable evolution,
from graffiti art to satellite broadcasting.
This book presents the first systematic and historical contextualisation of the
development of Hamas’s media strategy. It determines three key phases in
Hamas’s development and explores the complex and important relationship at
work between its politics and use of media. Assessing four elements of the
Hamas media strategy – the media message (discourse), the media objectives,
the infrastructure, and the target audience – this book tracks how Hamas grew its
media infrastructure, and looks at how the idea of resistance has permeated the
media discourse. Determining both tactical and strategic objectives and detailing
the various layers of the target audience, it offers the first in- depth academic
study of the Hamas media strategy.
This book’s exploration of the key role the media plays in the Palestinian
issue makes it a timely and relevant contribution to the study of the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict and a valuable resource for students, scholars and policy-
makers working in Middle Eastern studies.
Wael Abdelal is head of the Arts and Social Sciences department at the Univer-
sity College of Applied Sciences, Gaza, and a lecturer in media studies and
politics.
Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Democratization and
Government
Edited by Larbi Sadiki
Qatar University
This series examines new ways of understanding democratization and government in the
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Hamas and the Media
Politics and strategy
Wael Abdelal
First published 2016
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2016 Wael Abdelal
The right of Wael Abdelal to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-i n-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-i n-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN: 978-1-138-63916-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-63714-3 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear
To the memory of my kind and loving father,
I dedicate this work
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
List of illustrations viii
Preface ix
Acknowledgements x
1 Background: media strategy, the Arab and Palestinian media,
and Hamas and its media 1
2 Historicising the Palestinian media: hegemony, identity,
and resistance 22
3 Hamas’s project of resistance and the resistance media 46
4 Hamas’s media strategy, the context of the first intifada 68
5 Hamas’s media strategy post Oslo: from clandestine to public 94
6 Hamas’s media strategy: the context of the pairing of
governance and resistance ‘Hokoumat Moqawama’ 122
7 Reflections on the Hamas media strategy 162
8 Conclusion 192
Appendices 1–8 195
Glossary 206
References 207
Index 220
Illustrations
Figures
7.1 The Hamas target audiences 179
7.2 The determinants of the Hamas media discourse for the
different categories 180
7.3 The Hamas media department 183
Tables
6.1 PSR poll no. 27 (13–15 March, 2008) 133
6.2 PSR poll no. 28 (5–7 June, 2008) 133
6.3 PSR poll no. 30 (3–5 December, 2008) 134
7.1 Context and discourse 167
7.2 Examples of Hamas’s terminology 169
7.3 Approach to other countries 181
7.4 The media 182
Appendix 1 Media theory and definition 195
Preface
This book examines the Hamas media strategy in three different periods, and in
its historical and analytical context. The first period begins with the outbreak of
the Palestinian intifada in 1987 and ends in 1993. In this period, Hamas was
strictly a secret/underground organisation. The second stage is from 1994 to
2005. This period witnessed the establishment of the Palestinian National
Authority in 1994 and the second intifada. The third period begins after the 2006
elections, where Hamas came to power after its victory in the Palestinian legis-
lative council (PLC) elections.
The book is an empirical investigation which relies on two qualitative
methods: interviews and document analysis. It illustrates how the Hamas media
strategy developed over the periods mentioned and outlines the overall
media strategy. The research critically assesses four elements of the Hamas
media strategy: the media message (discourse), the media objectives, the infra-
structure, and the target audience. The present research concludes that Hamas,
since 1987, has developed a media strategy based on the four elements men-
tioned. In particular, it finds that the idea of resistance is the key element of the
Hamas media discourse. Political and ideological/religious agendas and impulses
drive Hamas’s discourse. Second, it finds that there are two types of objective –
tactical and strategic. The former are subject to the context, while the latter are
based on ideological political agendas. Third, it finds that there are five ‘circles’
of target audience which Hamas considers in its media strategy. Finally, it finds
that the Hamas media infrastructure expanded from 1987 to the present by using
the maximum capacity of the media outlets and benefited from the new media
institutions which fall under the rubric of ‘independent media’. Overall, the book
is the first in-d epth academic study on Hamas’s media strategy.