February 2006

Dear Friend,

We welcome you to another edition of the Israel Connection, brought to you by THE ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore and the Baltimore Jewish Council. This e-newsletter includes such items as: news updates about Israel and the Middle East , Action Alerts, and upcoming programming. Our goal is to provide you with relevant information that you can use in your advocacy efforts and to express your support and solidarity with the people of Israel . We welcome your feedback - please email us at lkatzen@baltjc.org or call Lynn Katzen at the Baltimore Jewish Council at 410-542-4850 with your comments.

Sincerely,

The future of relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority entered a new era of uncertainty last week, as Hamas won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections.

Some facts about Hamas…

Year founded: 1987, as an outgrowth of the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Founded by: Islamic spiritual leader Ahmed Yassin. He was assasinated by Israeli security forces in March 2004.

Leadership: Khaled Mashaal, who runs the political bureau from Damascus; Mahmoud Zahar, a founding member.

Acronym stands for: Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya, which means Islamic Resistance Movement in Arabic. The word hamas in Arabic means "zeal."
Key pillars of covenant: To establish an Islamic Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and Israel. The group does not recognize Israel and is committed to Israel's destruction.

Where active: The West Bank, Gaza and Israel.

Focuses: Known for its acts of terrorism, its also has a social service network that funds schools, orphanages, mosques, health care clinics, soup kitchens and sports leagues.

First suicide bombing: April 1993.

Recent developments: Launched a TV station in Gaza earlier this month.

Sources: GlobalSecurity.org, State Department, the Associated Press and the Council on Foreign Relations

The attached articles will provide you with additional perspectives on this topic:

Living With Hamas's Victory
By Jim Hoagland – Washington Post - January 27, 2006
The politics of pain fed the surprisingly lopsided victory by Hamas radicals in this week's Palestinian legislative elections…read more

U.S. Policy Seen as Big Loser in Palestinian Vote
By Glenn Kessler - Washington Post -January 28, 2006
Standing in a sunny Rose Garden on June 24, 2002, surrounded by his top foreign policy advisers, President Bush issued a clarion call for resolving the deadly Israeli-Palestinian conflict: "I call on the Palestinian people to elect new leaders, leaders not compromised by terror."…read more

Hamas Rules
Wall Street Journal – Editorial - January 30, 2006
The sweeping victory of the Islamist Hamas party in last Wednesday's Palestinian legislative elections can hardly be considered good news…read more

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Send an email with your comments to Lynn Katzen at lkatzen@baltjc.org.