ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the study findings in order to answer how, why and in what context the Hamas media institution developed its media strategy; and, what were the key features of this strategy. The Hamas media institution developed a strategy that included several elements, which were developed over three chronological stages or periods. The incremental and chronological development demonstrates the evolutionary nature of the Hamas media strategy. It also demonstrates the transformative effect that Hamas had in the development of a counter-hegemonic narrative. Likewise, Hamas’s engagement and interaction in the production of a counter-hegemonic narrative impacted the movement too. Media, especially with the vast technological and communicative tools developed, implemented and used by all over the past some twenty years, helped to propel the development of a counter narrative. This process, thus, suggests that the elements operating within and for the production of an alternative paradigm are incremental but not linear, and function independently yet interdependently. In order to understand this interactive process, this chapter scrutinises in depth the components of the elements in the strategy in order to articulate the features of what will be called ‘Hamas’s comprehensive media strategy’. It concludes that the underlying concept of all the elements of the Hamas media strategy is Islamic resistance, which was discussed in depth in Chapter 3. The Hamas media message is built on the notion of ‘the Islamic resistance’, which is part of its holistic project. The idea of Islamic resistance is clearly present at all stages, in spite of the fact that there were different contexts in Hamas’s history such as it being an underground resistance movement, its political opposition status and its governance role. It is argued that the Hamas media strategy is based on two types of objectives. There are tactical objectives, which are subject to developments and circumstances; and, specific strategic objectives that include legitimising the Islamic resistance, mobilising people, and using ‘psychological warfare’. A third element of the media strategy is related to the Hamas media infrastructure. The main argument is that Hamas intended to use the maximum capacity of the media outlets, including use of huge resources to develop its media institutions. Paralleling these, Hamas benefited by establishing new media institutions under an ‘independent’ banner, and by using non-Hamas media, the new
media and social media networks. A final element of the Hamas media strategy is the target audience. The Hamas media’s target audience has five spheres, namely Hamas’s supporters; the Palestinians inside and outside of the Palestinian occupied territories; the Arab and Muslim public; the international actors and community; and the Israelis. Each sphere is independent and interdependent, which also parallels the organisational structure and policies of the movement. All the elements and the corresponding components that comprise the Hamas media strategy will be examined in individual sections of this chapter. The chapter will conclude with an analytical and theoretical discussion of the transformative effect of Hamas’s media on the movement.
