Hamas´s Roadmap: from political maximalism to realpolitik

Abstract

The main change experienced in the Palestinian political scene since the Israeli occupation of West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem in 1967 happened twenty years after that, with the activation of Hamas. This movement, of islamist but also deep nationalist ideology, represents a serious menace to Fatah's political monopoly. Although both organizations agree in the need to bring to an end the occupation, they strongly compete over power accumulation. A hypothetical success in the peace process would allow Fatah to preserve its hegemony. Otherwise, its failure would bring Hamas to power. In the 2006 elections, five years after the collapse of Camp David negotiations and the explosion of Intifada of Aqsa, Hamas overpowered Fatah and, thus, proved it was ready to take a new step in the way from political maximalism to realpolitik.