Fatah and Hamas are Palestinian groups, while Hezbollah is based in Lebanon and backed by Iran. Hamas and Fatah are Sunni Muslims, while Hezbollah is Shia. Hamas aims to destroy Israel, while Fatah recognizes its right to exist. Hezbollah was created to resist Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon and now seeks to create a unified Shiite Islamic state.
The most salient differences between Fatah, Hamas and Hezbollah are perhaps twofold. First, Fatah and Hamas are groups directly associated with Palestinian politics and the daily life of Palestinians. Fatah is based out of the West Bank, while Hamas is based out of Gaza. Hezbollah (sometimes spelled Hezbollah) is based in Lebanon, backed by Iran, and plays a less direct role in the West Bank, Gaza and Israel. Perhaps the second most notable difference between these three groups is that the West formally identifies Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist groups, while Fatah does not. Another difference between these three groups is based on religious differences. Both Hamas and Fatah are predominantly Sunni Muslims, while Hezbollah has its roots in the Shia denomination of Islam.
Fatah takes its name from Harakat al-Tahrir al-Filistiniya, an Arabic phrase meaning “conquest” in English. The name is actually the acronym of that Arabic phrase, only the acronym is taken from the phrase read backwards. Yasser Arafat founded Fatah in 1950 with the express purpose of reclaiming all Palestinian lands from the Israelis. He has since recognized Israel’s right to exist and is at the forefront of Arab-Israeli peace talks.
Hamas, is another acronym for the Arabic phrase, Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya, which translates to “Islamic Resistance Movement.” It is known as a paramilitary group and was founded in 1987 before the First Intifada (Palestinian uprising). Its 1988 charter, which it continues to follow, aims for the total destruction of Israel and the return of that land to the Palestinians. Hamas grew out of Egypt-based Muslim Brotherhood roots and was formed by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Mohammad Taha.
The Second Intifada, which occurred in 2000, boosted the popularity of Hamas resulting in its decisive victory in the Palestinian Authority (PA) general legislative elections in January 2006. Hamas’ stated intention to destroy the state of Israel hampered policy Palestinian and quickly dried up the flow of international aid. The aid would have continued, the international community established, if Hamas had met three requirements: recognition of the state of Israel, rejection of violence and respect for Fatah.
In an effort to break the deadlock, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) negotiated a power-sharing deal in 2007 that appointed Hamas’ Ismail Haniyeh as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority. However, the peace was short-lived and tensions that had been stirring beneath the surface came to a head in June 2007 with the battle for Gaza which has since resulted in an intermittent state of civil war. Hamas has taken Gaza, driving out Fatah members. As a result, on 18 June 2007, Abbas ruled that Hamas would become an outlawed party and replaced Haniyeh with Dr. Salam Fayyad as prime minister. Fayyad’s appointment is contrary to the Palestinian basic law, but was seen as a necessary measure considering the needs of Palestinian politics and the international situation. Since then, the Palestinian Authority and the West have refused to recognize the leaders of Hamas who control the Gaza Strip. Rather, Fatah is recognized as the formal and sole representative of the Palestinian people.
The genesis of the Hezbollah (or Party of God) movement can be found in Lebanon in the 1980s. It is the creation of a group of radical Lebanese Shia Muslim clerics whose main aim was to resist the Israeli occupation of the southern region of the country. This goal was achieved in 2000 when Israel withdrew its troops. This success, and the earlier religious revolution that put Ayatollah Khomeinito at the head of Iran’s state, inspired Hezbollah to grander projects, most notably the creation of a unified Shiite Islamic state. It has become increasingly mainstream in recent years and has sought and won a number of positions in the Lebanese parliament.
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