For years, Hamas has benefited from the claim that it moderated its views by “accepting” a Palestinian state along 1967 borders.
But that is not what happened.
In 1988, Hamas published its founding charter, known in Arabic as a mithaq, a covenant with ideological and religious weight. That charter describes all of Palestine as Islamic land, presents jihad as the only solution, and frames Israel’s destruction as the movement’s goal. The script notes that Article 11 refers to Palestine as waqf, while Article 15 states: “There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad.”
In 2017, Hamas released a new document that many Western outlets treated as a major shift. But the original charter was never amended, repealed, or replaced. The new text was a wathiqa, a document, not a revised covenant with the same binding status as the mithaq.
That distinction matters.
The 2017 document gave journalists the language they wanted to hear: borders, political solutions, and the appearance of pragmatism. But it did not change Hamas’ founding ideology or its long-term goal of eliminating Israel.
Hamas did not become moderate. It became better at messaging.
The goal did not change. Only the packaging did.
Found this video interesting? Follow the HonestReporting page on Facebook to catch more videos, and read articles debunking news bias and smears, as well as others explaining Israel’s history, politics, and international affairs. Click here to learn more!
© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025
