Excommunicating Hamas: Why Differences between Globalist and Nationalist Armed Islamist Groups Matter (original) (raw)

Following the brazen surprise attack on 7 October 2023 from Gaza into southern Israel, which was spearheaded by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), together with other much smaller Gaza-based armed groups, there has been a concerted messaging campaign backed by the Israeli government and its supporters to link Hamas with Islamic State (ISIS).1 This campaign involves an extensive advertising campaign on social media sites such as YouTube and X (formerly known as Twitter) using, on the latter, the hashtag #HamasisISIS, which has been promoted by Israeli government officials as well as by pro-Israel activists.2 Supporters of the “HamasisISIS” and “Hamas = ISIS” slogans argue that the two organizations share the “same tactics,” perpetrate the “same barbaric crimes,” and therefore must share the “same ideology.”3 Though more frequent in the immediate aftermath of the 7 October attack, claims that Hamas is “the Palestinian ISIS” and/or is indistinguishable from Islamic State are not new; they have been in use for nearly a decade.4 In addition to being factually incorrect, the conflation of Hamas and ISIS, both as organizations and broader social movements, has the potential to negatively affect strategic thinking and future foreign policy outcomes.