This is why Hamas does not approach negotiations in the same way that a conventional nationalist movement might. Hamas has at times held elections, agreed to ceasefires, and entered political talks, but none of this signals acceptance of a permanent settlement. Hamas will make tactical concessions when they serve its immediate interests. while continuing to reject the legitimacy of Jewish sovereignty over the land.

Even Hamas’s 2017 political document accepted a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders only as a temporary compromise. It did not recognize Israel or give up Hamas’s claim to the rest of the land. For Hamas, compromise is not merely a practical bargain involving land, security guarantees, and political recognition. Ending Israeli control of Gaza and the West Bank is only part of Hamas’s goal. Its vision still includes all the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.

This makes the destruction of Israel an organizing principle of Hamas’s ideology, which is reflected in its earlier covenant. In that covenant, reflected in leaflets, speeches, and educational materials repeatedly describe Israel’s elimination as historically necessary and religiously guaranteed. Hamas is committed to this goal publicly, and doesn’t hide its intentions behind diplomatic language. It announces that Palestine........

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