Hamas and the Arab Uprisings: Resistance, Allegiance and the Departure from Syria

When Hamas decided to vacate its external base in Syria following the outbreak of the Syrian uprisings, the political world was in disbelief. This book is the first to specifically address Hamas's reaction to the Arab Uprisings and the civil conflict in Syria. Nina Musgrave shows that while initially Hamas was vying for political legitimacy from the West, it soon shifted its focus to parts of the Arab World, challenging a variety of Western assumptions and expectations.

Scholars are yet to address Hamas's departure from Syria and its reaction to increased sectarian tensions in the region. This book looks not only at the foreign policy of Hamas, but also at its interaction with the Middle East Quartet and groups such as Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Irish Republican Movement. Based on interviews with Hamas PLC members in the West Bank and former senior Israeli intelligence officials, as well as leaked documents and parliamentary debates, Hamas and the Arab Uprisings follows the political relationships Hamas has forged or relinquished in the wider world in order to understand its strategy.