Ideological competition between Fatah and Hamas

The article highlights the ideological basis of two key Palestinian movements – Fatah and Hamas. The conflict between them was never resolved after the parliamentary crisis in 2006. Both organizations are building their ideology within the framework of Palestinian nationalism. Each of them has absorbed the ideas of political Islam. However, their important difference is that Fatah grew out of the national liberation movement and began to absorb Islamism after the revolution in Iran. Hamas was formed from the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, which indicates its Islamist basis. The movement has incorporated nationalism into its ideology due to the need to gain legitimacy in Palestinian society and to find followers. In the Western and Russian literature, with rare exceptions, Fatah and Hamas are typically considered separately, and not compared with each other and within the framework of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The purpose of this work is to compare the basic ideas of Fatah and Hamas and their formation. The article discusses the main methods of their distribution in Palestinian society, demonstrates the reasons why Hamas has become popular over recent years, while Fatah is losing its followers in the West Bank. As a result of the study, it was revealed that Hamas becomes increasingly attractive for Palestinians because it demonstrates itself as an ardent outpost of the struggle for Palestinian independence. This strategic goal is presented as the sacred vow of Muslims who must use any means to achieve a result. Hamas continues to act as a guerrillas group, which believes that in the end, either Israel will destroy all Palestinians, or their independent state will be reborn.