FAS Note: This is a translation of excerpts of the original 1988 charter of Hamas. A translation of the full document is here.

A revised Hamas Document of General Principles and Policies was issued in 2017.

                 THE COVENANT OF THE HAMAS - MAIN POINTS

                 =======================================



The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement was issued on  August

18, 1988. The Islamic Resistance Movement, also known as  the  HAMAS,

is an extremist fundamentalist Islamic organization operating in  the

territories under Israeli control. Its Covenant  is  a  comprehensive

manifesto comprised of 36 separate articles, all of which promote the

basic HAMAS goal of destroying the  State  of  Israel  through  Jihad

(Islamic  Holy  War).  The  following  are  excerpts  of  the   HAMAS

Covenant:



Goals of the HAMAS:

------------------

'The Islamic  Resistance  Movement  is  a  distinguished  Palestinian

movement, whose allegiance is to Allah, and  whose  way  of  life  is

Islam. It strives to raise the banner of Allah  over  every  inch  of

Palestine.' (Article 6)



On the Destruction of Israel:

-----------------------------

'Israel will exist and  will  continue  to  exist  until  Islam  will

obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.' (Preamble)



The Exclusive Moslem Nature of the Area:

----------------------------------------

'The  land  of  Palestine  is  an  Islamic  Waqf  [Holy   Possession]

consecrated for future Moslem generations until Judgment Day. No  one

can renounce it or any part, or  abandon  it  or  any  part  of  it.'

(Article 11)



'Palestine is  an  Islamic  land...  Since  this  is  the  case,  the

Liberation of Palestine  is  an  individual  duty  for  every  Moslem

wherever he may be.' (Article 13)



The Call to Jihad:

------------------

'The day the enemies usurp part of Moslem  land,  Jihad  becomes  the

individual duty of every Moslem. In the face of the Jews' usurpation,

it is compulsory that the banner of Jihad be raised.' (Article 15)



'Ranks will  close,  fighters  joining  other  fighters,  and  masses

everywhere in the Islamic world will come forward in response to  the

call of duty, loudly proclaiming: 'Hail to  Jihad!'.  This  cry  will

reach the heavens and will go on being resounded until liberation  is

achieved, the invaders vanquished and Allah's victory  comes  about.'

(Article 33)



Rejection of a Negotiated Peace Settlement:

-------------------------------------------

'[Peace]  initiatives,   and   so-called   peaceful   solutions   and

international conferences are in contradiction to the  principles  of

the Islamic Resistance Movement... Those conferences are no more than

a means to appoint the  infidels  as  arbitrators  in  the  lands  of

Islam... There is no solution for the Palestinian problem  except  by

Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are but a

waste of time, an exercise in futility.' (Article 13)



Condemnation of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty:

----------------------------------------------

'Egypt was, to a great extent, removed from the  circle  of  struggle

[against Zionism] through the treacherous Camp David  Agreement.  The

Zionists are  trying  to  draw  other  Arab  countries  into  similar

agreements in order to bring them outside  the  circle  of  struggle.

...Leaving the circle of struggle against Zionism  is  high  treason,

and cursed be he who perpetrates such an act.' (Article 32)



Anti-Semitic Incitement:

------------------------

'The Day of Judgment will not come about until Moslems fight Jews and

kill them. Then, the Jews will hide behind rocks and trees,  and  the

rocks and trees will cry out: 'O Moslem, there is a Jew hiding behind

me, come and kill him.' (Article 7)



'The enemies have  been  scheming  for  a  long  time  ...  and  have

accumulated huge and influential material wealth. With  their  money,

they took control of the world media... With their money they stirred

revolutions in various parts of the globe... They  stood  behind  the

French  Revolution,  the  Communist  Revolution  and  most   of   the

revolutions we hear about... With  their  money  they  formed  secret

organizations - such as the Freemasons, Rotary Clubs and the Lions  -

which are spreading around the world, in order to  destroy  societies

and carry out Zionist interests... They stood behind World War I  ...

and formed the League of Nations through which they  could  rule  the

world. They were behind World War II, through which  they  made  huge

financial gains... There is no war going  on  anywhere  without  them

having their finger in it.' (Article 22)



'Zionism scheming has no end, and after Palestine,  they  will  covet

expansion from the Nile  to  the  Euphrates  River.  When  they  have

finished digesting the area on which they have laid their hand,  they

will look forward to more expansion. Their scheme has been  laid  out

in the 'Protocols of the Elders of Zion'.' (Article 32)



'The HAMAS regards itself the  spearhead  and  the  vanguard  of  the

circle of struggle against World Zionism... Islamic groups  all  over

the Arab world should also do the same, since they are best  equipped

for their future role in the fight against  the  warmongering  Jews.'

(Article 32)

.

  =====================================================================

        Information Division, Israel Foreign Ministry - Jerusalem

              Mail all Queries to   ask@israel-info.gov.il

                    URL: http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il

                         gopher://israel-info.gov.il

  =====================================================================