Hezbollah and Hamas

Joshua L. Gleis is an independent scholar and international security consultant. Benedetta Berti is a lecturer in Middle Eastern studies at Tel Aviv University and an associate fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies.

• AcknowledgmentsList of Abbreviations and AcronymsIntroductionPart 1: Hezbollah1. The Lebanese Players: A BackgroundThe Shiites and AmalThe MaronitesMaronite Christian Parties TodayThe PalestiniansThe SunnisLebanese Salafi-Jihadist GroupsThe Lebanese Political System2. Hezbollah: History and DevelopmentThe BeginningHezbollah in Post-Taif Lebanon3. Ideals and Belief SystemThe Religious PillarsA View of the World: External Enemies and AlliesHezbollah in Lebanon: A Political and Military Platform4. StructurePolitical and Military StructureSocial WelfareFundraisingLatin America and the Tri-Border Area as a Case Study5. Strategies and TacticsMilitary OperationsTerrorismRegional Involvement: A Growing TrendPropaganda and Psychological WarfarePart II: Hamas and Militancy in the Palestinian Territories6. The Palestinian Players: A BackgroundThe PLO and FatahPalestinian Islamic JihadSalafi-Jihadist Groups in Gaza7. Hamas: History and DevelopmentThe BeginningPolitical and Social Development8. Ideals and Belief SystemIslamist Roots and Religious PillarsA View of the World and of the State of IsraelHamas in the Palestinian Territories: Political Agenda and Activities9. StructurePolitical and Military StructureSocial Activism and Grass-Roots SupportFundraising10. Strategies and TacticsMilitary OperationsTerrorismPropaganda and Psychological WarfarePart III: COuntering Hezbollah and Hamas11. Israeli Counterinsurgency and CounterterrorismConclusionsNotesGlossaryFor Further ReadingIndex

Within the past six years, Israel has fought one war with Hezbollah, the Party of God, and two wars with Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement. What are their roots, histories, ideologies, and tactics? Joshua L. Gleis and Benedetta Berti skillfully explore these issues in a fine primer. Canadian Jewish News Solid analyses of these two Islamist national resistance movements, both of which-notably Hezbollah-demonstrate a kind of strength that is lacking in more secular organizations and constitutes a new kind of challenge to Israel. Choice As Joshua L. Gleis and Benedetta Berti argue in Hezbollah and Hamas: A Comparative Study, a first-rate account of their respective development, Hezbollah and Hamas have evolved into important players in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and will continue to play this role in the future. -- Sheldon Kirshner Canadian Jewish News Valuable as an introduction to the background and structure of these organizations. -- Yehudit Barksy Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs While Hamas and Hizbullah have vastly different origins, they share a common adversary: Israel. As the groups become increasingly relevant to US national security, the authors provide a thorough overview of their histories, ideologies, tactics and futures-combining scholarship and primary sources in their analysis. Survival