Who is Hamas and How did they come to Power?

Founded in 1987, following the outbreak of the First Intifada, Hamas established itself as a militant islamic organization closely partnered with larger militant organizations, such as the Muslim Brotherhood. For much of the late-20th century, Hamas was focused on gaining influence, following, and authority in the West Bank. While involved in terrorist activity against Israel, they would only see publicity for infighting with other militant islamic groups who looked to maintain authority amongst the Palestinian people. Today, Hamas is the ruling body in the Gaza Strip. How did this come to be? Certainly, unrest from the intifada factored into a change of leadership, but I attribute optimal timing and a strategic political approach as the root for Hamas success in the 2006 election. 

Before delving into the circumstances around Hamas’ rise to power it is important to note that the Gaza Strip, is a strip of land amounting to 150 sq. miles that sits on the western border of Israel. It borders both Egypt to the South and Israel to the North and East. Through years of unrest and terror, Ariel Sharon, the PM of Israel, gifted this land to the Palestinians as an act of peace and goodwill. Such an act was thought to inspire peace between Israel and the Palestinians. This, however, was not the case. In January 2006, government elections were held in Gaza whereby Hamas won 76 of the 132 seats, declaring them majority leaders of the Gaza Strip. Below are the circumstances that allowed for this to happen: 

One circumstance that allowed Hamas to gain control was the Islamic nature of the Hamas charter. The Hamas charter represented a more “authentic engagement” with the aspirations of the Palestinian people as compared to the PLO, whose goals were rooted in a more secular approach. Hamas highlighted a more Islamic interpretation of an armed struggle against the Jews to liberate Palestine. Hamas worked with local Imams and used the media wing of their organization to seize the moment as Palestinians began populating in Gaza. The timing of Israel’s evacuation worked very well with the timing of the election. Hamas leveraged this timing to relate to the Palestinian people, claiming that “Hamas’ resistance compelled Israel to leave Gaza” … a vindication of their strategy. Their media slogan became, “4 years of resistance surpassed 10 years of bargaining.”

While today, Hamas uses violent tactics and threats to maintain political power, in 2005, Hamas took a more political approach that targeted the immediate needs and wants of the Palestinian people over the organizations’ long-term aspirations. Hamas seemingly dropped their Islamic agenda in claiming that they would “refrain from attacks on Israel…if Israel ceased their offensive against Palestinians” and endorsing Palestinian sovereignty over the Palestinian territories, as opposed to all of Israel. The Palestinians wanted peace and did not want a continuation of bloodshed. Hamas understood this, and tailored their political approach around it. 

 Understanding the War in Gaza between Israel and Hamas 

On October 7th 2023, Hamas terrorists launched an attack against innocent Israeli citizens at multiple locations - Nova Music Festival, Kibbutz Kfar Aza, and Kibbutz Be’eri - that saw the brutal and savage murder of more than 1,200 civilians. While armed conflict between Israel and Hamas, such as exchanged rocket fire, was common throughout the 21st century, this attack marked the first time since 1948 that Arab militants invaded Israeli territory. 

Was this an act of defiance against the “occupation”? Did Hamas believe that such an attack could unite the Arab world against Israel to push Israel into the sea? 

I believe that this was a calculated attack that looked to achieve the following: 

1. Deal tremendous violence and terror on Israeli civilians
2. Take mass hostages that would force Israel to return Palestinian terrorist in hostage negotiations that could lead future attacks against Israel 
3. Have Israel respond to the terrorist attacks with tremendous force that would show Israel as they aggressor dealing out disproportionate violence against the Palestinians 
4. Engage the populace, international media and world leaders to pressure Israel into actions beneficial to Hamas and the Palestinians (giving over land, etc.) 

I believe Hamas knew that they could not overpower Israel militarily, after all, Israel has far superior military technology, combat numbers, and the backing of United States forces. However, Hamas understands the international populace and the power of the media. Hamas military fortresses are strategically located in densely populated civilian locations, such as hospitals. In fact, there have been reports that top Hamas military operatives would be dressed as doctors and nurses within hospitals to maintain control of these areas. 

Understanding that Israel lost more than 1,000 civilians, Hamas knew a strong Israeli response was in the cards. A response that would aim to eliminate Hamas leadership, militias, and infrastructure. Thus, when Israel responded with targeted rockets, some of which resulted in civilian casualties, Hamas made sure to activate western media to highlight what was happening. Despite the noise being made by Hamas sympathizers across the world, world leadership is privy to the facts of the situation and are not fooled by Hamas-manipulated media. Leaders across the West continue to stand with Israel and defend their right to self-defense. 

It is important to mention that while targeted missiles cause significant damage, they were being used to target Hamas militants and NOT civilians. That being said, war is chaotic. Civilians do get caught in the cross-fire. Avoiding civilians becomes that much more difficult when Hamas uses women and children as human shields. 

The Palestinians of Gaza are victims here. While many of them have been brainwashed by their education systems, developed by Hamas, others desire a life of peace and quiet, not controlled by the demands of Hamas leadership. 

IFF Partners with Sensory Odyssey

 A political science graduate of Columbia University, Ben Chevlin serves as a senior consultant with Ernst & Young, where he specializes in organizational workforce transformation. In this role, Ben Chevlin has successfully led transformation engagements, including a major organizational design effort for International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF).

IFF announced its partnership with Sensory Odyssey, an international multi-sensory exhibition that focuses on facilitating immersive guest experiences of nature and its diversity. Sensory Odyssey goes beyond visual displays to engage other senses through sound and scent. As an industry leader, IFF has a reputation for delivering innovative scent products to markets and has partnered with Sensory Odyssey to handle all the scent-related affairs of the exhibition.

IFF Scent Asia regional general manager Ramon Brentan spoke to the press, acknowledging IFF’s eagerness to work with Sensory Odyssey with the prime aim of leveraging scents to reveal the beauty of nature. These scents play a vital role in creating a vivid and comprehensive experience, ranging from the animalic scents of the savannah to the floral notes of the prairies, according to IFF.com.

The New York Giants’ Three Most Recently Retired Jerseys

 A professional experienced in political science, Ben Chevlin worked as a people advisory services consultant at Ernst & Young in New York, New York, from September 2019 to April 2023. He joined Deloitte in February 2023 and works as a senior product strategy and technology transformation consultant. A sports enthusiast, Ben Chevlin is an avid fan of the New York Giants, a professional football team that competes in the National Football League (NFL).

Established in 1925, the Giants won four NFL championship titles and four Super Bowl titles. The franchise has produced some of the finest and most dominant players in the history of the league. The Giants have honored some of their best players, retired their jerseys, and hoisted them on the rafters of the MetLife Stadium, the Giants’ home arena. The following are the three most recently retired Giants jerseys.

1. Michael Strahan, No. 92, retired on November 28, 2021

Strahan was one of the Giants’ most dependable players. He holds the franchise’s record for the most regular seasons played at 216. He was selected in the Pro Bowl seven times, in the first-team All-Pro four times, NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2001, and the captain of the Giants’ championship run in 2007. He belonged to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, class of 2014.

2. Lawrence Taylor, No. 56, retired on October 10, 1994

The Giants selected Taylor second overall in the 1981 NFL draft, and played his entire 13-year career with the Giants. He was the NFL Rookie of the Year in 1981 and the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1986. He appeared 10 consecutive times in Pro Bowls and was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

3. Ken Strong, No. 50, retired in 1968

One of the more versatile players to ever don the Giants uniform. Strong excelled in running, passing, blocking, defense, punting, and placekicking, By the time he retired from the game, Strong holds the Giants’ leader in points at 324. He was named an All-NFL in 1934 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967.