Essay: Democratic approach to Hamas Movement

Between theory and practice
Hamas victory in the legislative elections in 2006
First, it is necessary to refer to the wrong view, which was adopted by the Muslim Brotherhood since the fifties of the last century until the outbreak of the first Palestinian Intifada 1987, that is not to adopt the armed struggle against the occupation, and put itself as competitor and restraint for the nascent Palestinian National Movement and it’s warfare against the occupation, and prioritized the social agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood represented in islamization of society and postponing the confrontation with the occupier, but it comes to atone the national movement and accuse it of disloyalty. This situation remained until the moment of the outbreak of the first intifada, which Muslim brotherhood announced, influenced by street pressure and fidgeting of its social base, the break of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
This change was seen as an achievement for the Palestinian nationalism, as the joint of influenced power represents the political Islam in Palestine besides the national movement, and its participation in open confrontation against the occupation. But trend of affairs changed, when Hamas became the most prominent challenger to the PLO\’s on the domestic level, and trod a solitary path away from the national forces and the Unified National Leadership of the intifada. The Palestinian leadership couldn’t persuade Hamas to join the PLO, and also failed to agree on a communal program of events during the first Intifada .
Hamas was born in a historical, political, intellectual and social context, its emergence had ups and downs, and passed several phases since the establishing of Muslims brotherhood in Egypt. Undoubtedly, the phenomenon of emission is not Immediate but historical and common, and has happened repeatedly across religions and communities though the contrariety of political and social levels, where religion plays an active role in the ideological structure of state apparatus, and uses the religious symbols and statements, as basic tools to justify policies and practices and legitimize them .
Hamas movement’s attitude of democracy, while democracy is the rule of the people for the people, while Shura gives the governorship to God, Hamas as a branch of the Muslim brotherhood prefers democracy, so it followed a new strategy, as a way of changing, due to failure to achieve a political success, under a closed and authoritative political system, and society politically lukewarm. Since the main objective it is to build an Islamic state, and the application of Islamic law immediately, it recognized that this aim is difficult to be achievable on the ground which pushed it to practice a more moderate policy, and formed a practical vision for the political reality, and as the democracy and principles of human rights, knew it’s route to the speech of the Muslim Brotherhood in general, and privately Hamas, It recognized that democracy is not incompatible with Islamic law, and the Sharia “consultation”, such as democracy commands to respect freedoms, women\’s rights … etc. .
There is mistiness and contradiction in the theory and practice of Hamas about democracy, where some see it as a tactic in order to reach the desired goal, which is the application of the Shura after the establishment of the Islamic Caliphate State, Ismail Radwan, Hamas leader says “when Hamas launches the term democracy, it means Shura ((الشورى in Islam, which gives way for people to choose their leadership, and that doesn\’t mean to make any contradiction with the Islamic belief .
PLO’s attitude towards Hamas movement was not based on a deep understanding of political Islam, its role, the specificity of the Palestinian case, and its relationship with the Muslim brotherhood and its branches, and the Office of General Guidance for the World Muslim Brotherhood, and it’s global financial commitments, and the political Islam’s capital as an oil phenomenon. And did not realize the level of influence of political Islam, the huge support provided, and the social and political range employed.
The National Movement did not accommodate what the islamization of the society afford of wide scope in terms of political action. Saying, for example, that Hamas is seeking to establish a theocratic state, may not mean more than granting the political entity a religious sanctity, i.e. above accountability and criticism. The failure of the PLO and Fatah movement, particularly, in the completion of the state program, through the course of the Oslo negotiations agreement, and by building a rule empty of corruption and favoritism, made Hamas first opposition force, citing on mistakes and practices of the Palestinian political authority, which presented propaganda material ready to Hamas, Weakened the authority, and multiplied the centers of power, and not to monopoly power, opened the door to Hamas to take advantage of the situation, and to grow and be stronger to became a power and authority within the authority, has huge potentials with big slogans played on people\’s emotions .
Hamas as Islamic movement before anything, practices politics as one branch of the Islamic religion’s, and when the movement was criticized about mixing religion and politics, and its attempt to create a theocracy, they bragged of mixing religion with politics, because Islam is a political religion, cultural, social and political system, consists of general principles, does not differentiate between religion and state, and this qualifies Hamas and other Islamic movements to manage authority efficiently, if the actual and real terms of participation available. Hamas gained new experiences through their interaction with many other national factions (Alliance of ten opposition factions), and other political alliances, and tended to formulate new lexical words recognizing the existence of the other, and has been active through the ballot box in the student and Syndicate elections, and these experiences taught it a lot of experiences, which was reflected directly on its political discourse, and then we are now in front of a formulation of Hamas radically different from that of the last century .
And before the legislative election in 2006, Hamas presented different political speech and keen to present itself more political and less ideological, however, within the limits of its wide slogan- the Islam is the solution- and expressed obvious organizational efficiency and continuous ability, to present social service to the public as alternative for governmental chaos .
And from the desire to participate in democracy life in Palestinian Authority lands, Hamas decided to participate in legislative elections in spite of the difficulty of economical and political circumstances which Palestinian people passed over decades of the time. the movement slogan and the announced target to enter these elections was change and reform so it called the electoral list which it formed the name – change and reform- the name had its influential significance in Palestinian society in its inside lands and Hamas willingly entered elections in 2006 and seems that there is a tactic.
which made it decide to participate in these elections whereas it did not participate in the first legislative elections 1996, because the Palestinian Authority was in its beginning power and it had a popularity in the Palestinian street, Hamas was aware at that time that it would not be able to get the votes which qualify it to be strong opposition in legislative council and it seems that circumstances started to help it with the beginning of the authority weakness when the second Intifada broke out in 2000.
Hamas victory in legislative elections did not come from nothing but it was prepared by a series of vigorous preparations but in tight steps as preamble to this victory whether on the social level or military which made it qualified to this great victory exploiting the accumulations of its rival’s mistakes in other Palestinian national parties especially Fateh movement which was leading the Palestinian Authority.
The municipal council’s elections preceded the legislative elections in Palestinian Authority areas in 2005 but what interests us is the second course of the municipal councils elections and the procedure of municipal councils elections preceded the procedure of The speculator in the results of these municipal elections was able to discover number of significances which would have an outstanding effect on the political Palestinian arena in the close perspective. Hamas victory in number of municipal councils with an intensive population weight which reflected negatively on the popularity of Fateh movement represented in Palestinian Authority.
What Hamas had achieved of outstanding successes did not refer firstly to a large number of the people who joining to its rows but refer to the desire of mass people in change especially the faces that Palestinian mind kept so that the bore spread among all people because of their behavior and secondly for the more they suffer from worsening corruption and favoritism. Many of these people did not comprise under the banner of any from these organizations who is working on Palestinian arena. Thirdly and the most important that the movement dependence on the religious system influential which find a great success among religious young people groups especially who receives university education and even among normal educational class.
The secret beyond Hamas movement success is mainly due to the program which it adopted and succeeded till now in achieving which was the struggle and resistance program as well as social solidarity between the classes of the society which touched the deep heart of the people in the time when Fateh movement after the birth of the Palestinian Authority dried its military operations against Israel. Hamas filled the revolutionary and struggle vacuum which Fateh left for a long period of time then returned to it with broke of Al Aqsa Intifada in 28 September 2000 .
Thus, Hamas managed to depend on the cultural and doctrinal heritage and political position. and to find more than one exit to strict problematic political and ideological speech which it practiced from the opposition sites, so the speech about more than one vision became not located within the title of -Halal and Haram- but yield to standard which is known by transmitted, interests and bringing the advantages and preventing abuses and other many concepts in Islam doctrine which Hamas managed to utilize well through persuasion its cadres and supporters by its political positions validity. In spite of Hamas openness recently about the mechanisms of democracy such as: pluralism, peaceful transferring of authority, but we face the difficulty of saying that it turned to complete separation between two fields: political and religious so it developed to keep both of them in one public frame and it is considered that in the context of the influence first, on people. gathering, and mobilization. Secondly this located within its great attempts to distinguish itself from other national movements .
Due to the Israeli understanding in the difficulty of eliminating the Palestinian resistance, or even defeat it. Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon was forced to withdraw the Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip in September 2005, and the dismantling of the settlements. Sharon was forced to withdraw the troops from Gaza Strip, due to the ferocity of Palestinian resistance first, then a good reason cannot be ignored, which was making confusion in the Palestinian land, as a prelude to a civil war between the Palestinian factions. Sharon and his plans, which have already succeeded at least partly, he has taken advantage of the disharmony between the Palestinian factions to push the Palestinian arena to the roar of a civil war. We have seen the end of that year, a simplified rehearsal for this war in armed conflict that broke out between regulatory: Fatah and Hamas, and the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. It was an experience (rehearsal) for the future for the worst because after the legislative elections, leading to what might be described as the “Algeriation of the Palestinian Authority lands”, .Algeriation means that Palestine should wear the same dress as Algeria did after the parliamentary elections which took place in the early nineties of the last century and converted those lands to accumulate in a pool of blood from sacrificed yesterday for the independence of their territory .
Palestinian political division and its impact on the process of democratic transformation
After the emergence of unexpected results of the legislative elections in early 2006, circumstances changed and changed the Palestinian politics combination upside down, the Palestinians divided into groups and teams, and began the political division beating its doors in the Palestinian political arena, and we are now witnessing a sharp disagreement between the various programs of the Palestinian factions . As a result, the Palestinian cause is suffering from misery, at the hands of the factions and organizations, as well as the matter of the Palestinian Authority, after the deficit has been proven to achieve the promise of the people, when they signed the Declaration of Principles (Oslo), From liberating them from the yoke of occupation and to live in an independent state.
Legislative elections were held with rejection of Israel and US, in addition to the European Union, Due to Hamas participation, and their threats to cut off financial aid to the Palestinian Authority in the case of Hamas victory or, Hamas participation in forming the next Palestinian government, but that elections have gained a great importance to the levels: national and international, due to conditions and factors which the elections were conducted, and its result. These findings formed the element of surprise, provoked strong reactions and variability between welcome, dismissive and conservative, those responses added additional importance for the elections.
Whatever the matter, it has become difficult to study Palestinian democracy after this disfiguring, as a result of the differences between the two movements: Fatah and Hamas, which led to the failure to convene the elected Palestinian Legislative Council, after Hamas taking over Gaza Strip in the summer of 2007, and the formation of an emergency government in the West Bank, and the invitation of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah to the presidential and legislative elections, losing the experience of Palestinian democracy, hailed by international observers, all of what has been achieved in the past years .
In the words of Dr. Youssef Rizqa, political adviser to Ismail Haniyeh, prime minister in the dismissed Hamas government, the political reality on the ground in the West Bank and Gaza before the second legislative elections, was not consistent with the Palestinian political regime and the texts of reference, the political regime: a constitutional, democratic, respectful of pluralism, It encourages participation and separates the authorities, and gives the Legislative Council the wide powers in performance and monitoring, budgeting and accountability. However, the field realities on the ground, between 1996-2006, showed that all above were just slogans, and tells the influential spirit dictatorship, showing partisan theft of government, institutions, and harnessing of the party, or personal interests, which resulted in the absence of serious institutions of power and law before the participation of Hamas in the elections, and resulted in the rejection of the election results, and the devolution of power after the victory of Hamas .
Whatever the case is, Hamas after its victory in the legislative elections, has worked to postpone the applying of the Islamic Sharia, Hamas gave only general characteristics of the form and the identity of the Palestinian political regime of the Islamic point of view, and refused to go into this issue, because of the priorities of the national democratic liberation. Because it did not impose restrictions on the social life of the citizens, and personal freedoms, what is practiced on the ground with regard to Social Profile policy process, is the Movement: political, social and reflect the political and social interactions and moved and behaved as other parties also re-elected, and continues to influence in the community, and the position power, and not be dragged into a war on the unveiling, liquor, etc., and bet on the small gains of reforming the institutions of power. Perhaps Hamas sought through its presence in power, and even when it was in opposition to the Islamization of society, as a prelude to the Islamization of Palestinian regime at a later date, the official road gradually, such as the use of religious discourse in many of the political issues, and raise the green flag .
Hamas also approved to respect the political and party pluralism, and sought to find common ground with others to achieve common goals, as dictated by the circumstances, to rich Palestinian arena with various political currents, it also move under the authority does not adopt Islamic thought .
Regarding to how Hamas can raise the damage, and how it can conduct the reform process; according to Dr. Rizqa, we may agree in many modalities, and disagree in others, but we all agree on the importance of ending Security and political chaos, spread safety and security among the people, and resorting to the law in disputes. In this sense we can read the experience of Hamas and its government in the eradication of the security chaos, and provide the blessings of security and safety to the community, as the largest positive tender to Hamas experience in governance, and also as a requirement for all, including foreign nationals working in the Gaza Strip.
The financial and administrative corruption reached a great amount under the Palestinian\’s Authority Presidents: Yasser Arafat, then Mahmoud Abbas, and this corruption hit everyone without presenting any plan to reform, and that was the punishment that Hamas succeed in the elections, and build itself on its political program, reform and change and beating at the hands of financial and administrative corruption. Hamas and its experience in the authority also says; it has succeeded in suppressing the financial corruption, cleansing power from institutions, succeeded less in the administrative area, and put the financial and administrative systems on a straight road, but they are entered in the suffering of lack of money, the scarcity of jobs because of the blockade, suffering has its purely political reasons, and nothing to do with financial and administrative experience, did not register financial embezzlement on any Hamas official during its experience rule, and also did not register external borrowing on the government.
Ismail Haniyeh revealed in his speeches, for a bitter reality in the political experience of Hamas, when he said: (We have been in government and we were not in power); this was the reality in the Palestinian tenth government, the government of national unity that followed, were not security institution obeys its order, but working against it, the ministries did not respond to the will of the government, but came out in demonstrations against it, and also did not embassies abroad respond to the decisions of the Secretary of State, but was working against him .
After the formation of Hamas to the 10th Palestinian government, The USA and the European union impose political and financial siege on this government, and it seems that some of national factions with some Arab countries accept this siege which attempting to stop Hamas from adopting its ideology which based on not confessing Israeli state and then joins to current compromise solutions in this region. As the Arabic proverb says “desperate diseases must have desperate remedies” means to fail Hamas\’s experiment in rule through Mass discontent from Hamas as a result of siege, which leads to destroy its Popularity between Palestinians.
It seems that policy starts to succeed, in September 2006 Palestinian authority suffered from paralysis situations in its foundations and governmental institutions as a result of continuing strikes which general sectors announced because of their claim of their delayed salary , Note that the issue of delay in payment of salaries was before the second legislative elections, and immediately Hamas accused Fateh of Politicize these strikes to gain more Palestinians sounds who asked to the elimination of government to end the siege. so Hamas considered that as a part of internal and external conspiracy which aim to eliminate the government and weaken the popularity of Hamas between Palestinians .
In spite of Mekka treaty in 8th February 2007 between Hamas and Fateh and the result was the formation of 11th Palestinian government or as it was called national unity government and although Hamas made some political concession trying to Get out of the political impasse.
But this government didn\’t last long and the Political bickering continued between two sides, because of that Hamas decided to put an end to all that which may be cruel end, but it was unsurprisingly to those who watched the internal Palestinian situation closely, so Hamas decided in the middle of June at the same year to resolve the legitimacy matters to control Gaza strip or as it was called inversion against legitimate by Fateh faction and presidential institution. So may be Fateh accept the control of Hamas on Gaza as a real fact.
Through watching bloody events that took place between the two parties, when the Hamas took over Gaza by force of arms. it seems to us that President Mahmoud Abbas had known of this Hamas plan. in terms of his refusal to visit the Gaza Strip after these events. And he justified that has had prepared a tunnel to assassinate him. and giving up of the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority\’s military to Hamas was done with a lot of questions marks because of the lack of national security men who resist the attackers of Hamas. except he Palestinian Preventive Security which is considered a mortal enemy to Hamas, which means that the leadership of the Palestinian Authority, was not reluctant of what Hamas had done. It seems that the purpose behind this behavior is that, controlling Gaza by Hamas by using power, that may lead to spread of hatred against the Authority employees and Gazans.
Hamas government was able to achieve many achievements during the international embargo which was imposed on Gaza strip such as administrative and financial reform inside governmental institutions and rising the efficiency of the workers in public administrations, a new human resources department was set up and put new mechanism of training and development and many employees in public sector took many training courses to suit the practical needs and the government had worked to activate the internal supervision which reflected positively on the performance of the employee after observing the discipline of the employees in financial affairs and they committed in official signatures of the new government in all ministries .
And therefore, the Palestinian division is odd and exceptional situation that has its own causes that made it and pushed it to forefront. and it is not a part of selective, political experience to Hamas in controlling. the division and then stumbled reconciliation, cannot be thrown in the Hamas-face without Fateh. The two parts is responsible for this situation and its continuation. However, the division situation practically means Palestine is led by two parts that they have different political implementations, one of them in West bank and the other in Gaza strip, and its result in not good for Palestinians.
The democratic transformation of Hamas after the legislative elections
When Hamas decided to participate in the legislative elections, its goal was not to build a new democracy, but to liberate Palestine in all possible means. so there is no any obstacle for Hamas to discuss democratic affairs in Palestinian field which is considered for Hamas as a helping factor to reach to liberation, Hamas experience in democratic field is not enough because it happens in this society which is not ready to practice true democracy process.
And it is still trying to do it. it is a society which based on social, mental structures that prevent growing and developing of democracy in good way.
However, Hamas political speech witnessed many important changes, because this speech was influenced by social environment and political reality that bounded it. concerning of Hamas situation from democracy, it started to take care of democratic principles cases before the election, and the human rights inside Palestinian society. whereas these cases were not existed on its agenda in this big shape that we see now. The lateness of Hamas to deal with democracy because of two factors.
The first: religion and democracy don\’t match in intellectual levels. and the historical age that form for both. The other, Israeli occupation that effects on Palestinian reality .
As it was in changing and reformation bloc that Hamas used in its legislative elections, this movement inspires its principles from Islamic Sharia, and it is the main source of Sharia.
Islam is overall system that respects human and keeps it rights and oblige his duty, with parallel with the right of society. the movement believes in dialogue culture and respects all the opinions, providing that will not object with doctrine, but the main contradiction from the point of view of Hamas with the occupation, so Ismail Haniya said, his government will not impose its social program and it will use strategy that depend on: Firstly: understanding the trauma till reaching to take the initiative. Secondly: formative ambiguity, especially facing the external pressure.
So Hamas can\’t whatever its leaders declaimed. in spite of privacy of Palestinian situation to take out from its principles and intellectual address, and disavow its principles as it is described on of Islamic movement. and it stands on the same space in the main aspect that is Islamize the society and regime. In spite of all assurances, the back ground that controls most of the situations that the leaders declaim, has a waste of historical distance and mix between thought and religion. And it starts from govern ship idioms and the legacy authority and analytic reading to all the realities.
So the moving of Hamas from opposition to judgement position, will force it to make great ideological and structural changes, but it will not reach to the step of disavowal of its basic principles and its governmental program won\’t include the candidness of its intellectual principles to this movement, especially these which arise argument, but the program will judge to the principle with flexibility and may be formative ambiguity as Ismael Haniya said “we will confirm that Islam is overall system for life and Sharia is the basic source to rules” .
In response to the accusations; that Hamas used the democratic institutional building in order to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, which is gradually acceding to it; it avers that the pillars of this authority are obstructed the development of democracy, and the proof of this is the past experience, while its role was always pro-democracy .
Hamas has studied early Palestinian political system experience after the signing of the Oslo agreement; and saw that all the institutions and powers in the hands of the executive branch, and in the hands of President Yasser Arafat, and that agreement and its annexes postponed the fundamental rule of law and political components; the loss of the elements of their sovereign decisions in life management .
In creating suitable climate, which help to achieve the goals of the Palestinian people, in freedom, and independence, and keep the right people in the affairs management, and self-determination and the truth, and the dissemination of justice and equality between people, and the preservation of public freedoms and to end the administrative, financial and moral corruption., and modernize legislation and administrative systems, and caring in the human element. which requires constitutional reforms; as input for comprehensive political reforms and development and it is clear that the Palestinian political system is witnessing a major changing in power relations between its doers, but the stability on the new situation requires in addition to the time, more of intellectual, structural and organizational transformations and Hamas desires to rebuild this system but it did not pose an integrated vision yet and only emphasis on some general principles like partnership and the separation of authorities whereas it is too early to judge the behavior of Hamas government. but that is what happened in the first session of the elected Legislative Council .and the selection of the leadership of the new council is not reassuring. to vote is always easy mechanism for resolving and not desiring to build consensus, especially in the sensitive issues, Hamas is not acting out of power only, but according to the traditions of its work since its foundation as a comprehensive alternative, and there are legitimated caveats and fears, surrounded the future of the entire Palestinian political system .
It seems that Hamas merely political slogans regarding multiple aspects of corruption within the Palestinian Authority institutions, more than strained itself in access to the political process or pay attention to the internal Palestinian situation which was collapsing. so it didn\’t resolve its position of power in terms of being a legitimate or not. and it stayed inside organizational vision. criticisms that were launched on the Palestinian system, and the lack of democracy and there were many negative phenomena and the accusation of corruption to some of people who have power in the authority. these accusations that were existed, Hamas started to build its own election manifesto. does not justify its failure to develop plans and programs realism to improve the entire Palestinian situation; was able to battle reform and change, does not justify its failure to develop plans and programs realism to improve the entire Palestinian situation. It was able to battle of reform and change, straighten power performance, and contribute to the treatment of these issues, and fight since the inception of power, which became aware of it in late, without detracting from its role in the resistance, but merely criticism and watching the performance of power, and to try to win it, and employ it in their favor, thus opening the floodgates to widespread corruption in the institutions of power .
A Hamas belief in the conviction of political pluralism, and take the Lebanese Hezbollah model can be emulated, through openness, positive interaction with various political and intellectual spectrum committed to national constants. It is clear; that enthusiastic accept other political forces, as shown by its experience in the opposition; as a legitimate opposition forces. Hamas soon as they arrive to the orientation centers in the Palestinian Authority, has been developed slowly by virtue of the responsibilities placed on it; it is now groping increasingly need to deal with the rest of the national factions and the need to address the concerns and needs of the public into care, which would contribute to the process of evolution Democratic, but this does not mean that will change the enthusiasm of its ideology, whatever the circumstances, Because it is an integral part of the Muslim Brotherhood part, but will work within the new political tactic, not a pledge by the Palestinian arena .
Therefore; Hamas\’s participation in the electoral process, indicating at the same on the qualitative change in its approach and strategy; as this review means accepting the rules of the democratic game, as drawn by the Oslo agreement and its annexes, even dislikes that Hamas. Hamas\’s participation in the elections kept her sentence conditions and regulations, of including: the adoption of the principle of a peaceful solution, and negotiation to resolve the conflict with Israel within the borders of a temporary entity, That it does not affect the national constants, as part of new strategies may resort to the movement later .
And Haniyeh – by Mejdalani – focused on two important issues, it is vital that the debate begins around them, and in all seriousness among Palestinian intellectuals, regardless of intellectual attitudes and colors of party, especially since the majority of political forces, especially those who claim that they are still in Marxism sites Leninism did not exiting, These forces, have not shown an opinion or attitude towards the religious state, which Hamas has sought to set up, whether in Gaza or in Palestine .
Whatever happened, Hamas leaders are struggling to deny any tendency for their movement toward islamization of Gaza strip by force. they confirmed that their movement is looking forward to find is Turkish model, not Taliban model as in Afghanistan. as Hamas says “Erdogan not Taliban”, but the effect of this opinion in controversial, especially after the dismissal of Dr. Ahmad Yousef and Ghazi Hamad from their positions as counselors to Haniya in October 2006 because they were the ones who support this opinion. therefore, Hamas government is under the siege of enemies abroad which allow to military factions inside and outside Hamas to adopt radical approach. however, that isn\’t against basic principles of Hamas, but it makes it go on forward. which is contrary to the programmatic way that Hamas cares to show it. the deal of Haniya government with civil non-governmental organizations are good examples of that. at the beginning Hamas didn\’t care about these organizations. But it returned back and cares about them. And later it reduced their number by half, the reaction of salam Fayyad government to this was closing hundreds of civil organizations affiliated to Hamas in west bank .
Although, since the extension of Hamas and took over Gaza strip, its government was not succeed because of some factors helped which:
First, Salam Fayyad the prime minister of emergency government ordered about 7000 authority employees not to go to their work, and if they go, they will lose their salary. this decision freed Hamas, but on the other hand, this decision burdened it, because Palestinian authority government 10th and 11th were led by Hamas. and it was rejected strongly from civil and security services of Fateh movement to follow the instructions of government, since Fayyad made his decision, so Hamas had full control over executive authority in Gaza and Hamas started to replace thousands of teachers and other employees from other sectors with new employees. so that, it could expand its Islamic and social Agenda. and to control how to implement. this was reinforced when most of the local judges abided with the decision of supreme judicial council in the west bank, so Haniya government decided to set up its own courts that followed the government and employed many judges. many of these courts were legitimacy courts.
Secondly, Haniya government inherited integrated, administration service, which has a lot of technical and administration skills with some help from Palestine authority employed who refused to follow the instructions and orders of Salam Fayyad decision, and went on their work. So Hamas strengthened this service by employing many of university graduates who belongs to Hamas. Hamas started to organize training courses for forming new professional cadre. What helped to do that was insisting Fayyad government to prevent authority employees to go to their work, which gave Haniya government the time to adjust with the new situations. Civil services employees and police officers had great morals of work. so it was encouraged under the logo which was “service people” which was the basic success of Hamas government in the middle of 2007 .
About the situation from woman, Hamas confirmed its civil and legitimate rights and also it tried to re set personal status law which is derived from religious texts and jurisprudence and choose what suits with the development of Palestinian Islamic society under keeping on social relations and general morals and not to violate the social constants, and to be sure that woman role in. social leadership in jihad and resistance in building, development and fortify her with Islamic culture through chastity and modesty, Hamas also adopted to activate the role of women organizations, and to employ women energy in public work and building the society .
But in return, as Palestinian intellectual Ghazi Al- Surani see that, the conflict and division between Hamas and Fateh and the two illegitimate governments in west bank and Gaza strip, let to increasing the political division to Palestinian woman movement which was distributed through loyalty and personal interests between Fateh and Palestinian authority in Ramallah and Hamas government in Gaza strip with few groups of women which were not effective in leftist and nationalist power .
Through this, Hamas proved its pragmatic and dynamic way and its success in social process through its ideological extent largely. and through mosques and professional syndicate and Hamas also formed Islamic work bloc similar to other groups, and charity societies which were run by Hamas and supervised by it. and presents educational, social, healthy services and it is an important source of packing, mobilization and funding. Hamas has also been active in the field of media and has become powerful bloc of journalists, media workers, and operates radio station, and TV channels like Al- Aqsa and Al- Kitab .