Hamastan

Hamastan () is a pejorative neologism, merging 'Hamas', a Palestinian militant organization and political party, and '-stan', a Persian suffix meaning "home of/place of". William Safire, Year of the Stans, New York Times, December 31, 2006Newsweek International 5 September 2005 The Last Word: Mahmoud Zahar In Praise of "Hamastan"The socio-political makeup of “Hamastan”
==Linguistic history==
The term emerged during the days of Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005, and is suggestive of Hamas' Islamist ideology and political ties with Iran. Since 2007, the term has been used to refer to its 2007 victory in Gaza over Fatah in the inter-Palestinian conflict.Jpost 26 January 2006 Netanyahu warns of birth of Hamastan Sheera Claire Frenkel
After Hamas' victory in the Palestinian legislative election of 2006 further heightened Western fears of an emerging Islamic fundamentalist state in the Palestinian territories, and various Israeli politicians, including Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu (on January 26, 2006, at a live IBA broadcast) increasingly employed the term disparagingly in the run up to the Israeli elections to berate Ehud Olmert.Zionist Organization of America March 29, 2006 Left-right Split 52-51 Kadima Gets Only 23% of Vote
With the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip, the creation of an Islamic mini-state in Gaza has been described by many commentators as "Hamastan" or "Hamas-stan".Fundamentalists threaten Israel from all sides, The Daily Telegraph, 15/06/2007
Originally, the suffix 'Stan' (land) is from the Persian language, not Arabic, and in general, it is not used in the names of Arab countries.
In this context the Fatah-controlled West Bank has sometimes analogously been called "Fatahland,"http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasen/pages/ShArtStEngPE.jhtml?itemNo=947273&contrassID=2&subContrassID=5&title='Border%20Control%20/%20From%20bad%20to%20worse%20'&dyn_server=172.20.5.5http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/jun/20/israel.commenthttp://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1243346496129&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFullhttp://www.cfr.org/publication/13930/swp.html?breadcrumb=%2Fpublication%2Fpublication_list%3Ftype%3Dmust_read%26page%3D42 a revival of a term originally used in the 1970s to refer to Southern Lebanon.
==Hamas response==
In an interview conducted by Peraino of Newsweek international with Hamas co-founder Mahmoud al-Zahar. When asked by a Newsweek reporter (5 September, 2005) "Some Israeli officials warn that after the withdrawal, Gaza will become Hamastan." Mahmoud al-Zahar responded: "It should be Hamastan. Why not? We are not corrupt. We are serving the poorer classes. We are defending our land. It should be Hamastan!"Newsweek International 5 September 2005 The Last Word: Mahmoud Zahar In Praise of "Hamastan"The socio-political makeup of “Hamastan” dead link due to site re-construction
==See also==
*Media coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict
== References ==
==External links==
*Hamas government program Published March 11, 2006.
*Hamas Covenant The founding principles of Hamas
*Israel grapples with reality of 'Hamastan', Jerusalem Post (January 27, 2006)
*Bibi: Hamastan established before our eyes, Ynet (January 26, 2006)
*Iran Is Building "Hamastan" in Gaza, Brig.-Gen. (res.) Shalom Harari , Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (11 March 2007)
*"The Specter of 'Hamastan'" by Dennis Ross, 'Washington Post (June 4, 2007)
Category:Arab–Israeli conflict
Category:Hamas
Category:Israel–Gaza conflict
Category:Israeli–Palestinian conflict
Category:Neologisms
Category:Political terms
Category:Words coined in the 2000s
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