1. Running Head: HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH, AND AL QAEDA THREAT
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Hamas, Hezbollah, and Al Qaeda:
Which is the Greatest Threat to the Domestic Security of the United States of America
Michael Yatskievych
University of Texas at El Paso

2. HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH, AND AL QAEDA THREAT
Abstract
This report will explore several facets of today’s most prominent terrorist
organizations including Hamas, Hezbollah, and Al Qaeda and how each is a threat to the
domestic security of the United States of America. Among the specific facts to be
addressed will be: a brief history of each organization, their ideologies, descriptions of
their base of operations locations, leadership structure, and sources of funding.
Additional information, such as the forecasted future of each organization, will be
combined to make a logical prediction as to which terrorist group poses the greatest threat
to the security of not only the domestic security of the United States but also of the
regions that are associated with the activities of each of these organizations.
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3. HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH, AND AL QAEDA THREAT
Hamas, Hezbollah, and Al Qaeda:
Which is the Greatest Threat to the Domestic Security of the United States of America
Terrorism has garnered the collective attention of the citizens throughout the
United States resulting in a state of vigilance that demands domestic security to rigidly
maintain public safety and prevent the occurrence of terrorist foul play. This report will
uncover the distinguishing characteristics of three prominent terrorist groups: Hamas,
Hezbollah, and Al Qaeda. These distinctive attributes of each organization found in this
report includes: organization ideology, leadership structure, location of base of
operations, and sources of funding. By identifying these top eminent terrorist networks
that are responsible for receiving the majority of the world’s radical activism attention a
greater understanding of each group can be made. In addition, the combined information
of each terrorist group will also yield a prospective answer to the question as to which
organization is the greatest threat to not only the United States but to the regions
surrounding these factions as well as the rest of the world.
Hamas
Hamas, an acronym in Arabic (Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyya) meaning
“Islamic Resistance Movement” or literally translated as “courage and bravery” or “zeal”
(Eyespy, 2010), is an Islamist-Fundamentalist organization that is identified as a terrorist
organization that has been deemed as national security threat by many nations around the
world including: the United States, European Union, Israel, Canada, Japan, the United
Kingdom and Australia (Guardia, 2003). Although this organization is considered young,
founded in late 1987, its roots can be traced as far back as the to the Muslim
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4. HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH, AND AL QAEDA THREAT
Brotherhood’s golden years during the 1970’s (ADL, 2003). Since their inception Hamas
has been advocating for the expulsion of foreign inhabitants that are colonizing what is
deemed rightfully as the property of Palestine. In short, the primary objective of Hamas
is to “bring about an end to the State of Israel” (Halevy, 2008).
Figure 1. Hamas Flag- Wikipedia: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Flag_of_Hamas.svg
Hamas, like many other fundamentalist groups in the Middle East, have
demonstrated their plight by employing violent terrorist tactics such as suicide bombings,
assassinations, and kidnappings. However, unlike many other Islamist groups that aim to
resist Israel and its western adversaries, “Hamas has traditionally confined its violent
activities to the local arena comprising Israel, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank.”
(Levitt, 2007). Although citizens of western countries have been caught in the crossfire
of Hamas activity this organization has not taken its violent campaign abroad targeting
Israeli diplomats or Western allies.
The reasoning for such acts of violence are stemmed from the tenant of
Palestinian Nationalism. Hamas and their fight to reclaim and secure disputed lands what
were once considered sacredly Palestinian has made this organization originating in
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5. HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH, AND AL QAEDA THREAT
guerilla foundations become a major contender in regional politics where it defied the
authority of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and as of the December 2005
Palestine elections is now a majority in the legislature.
Figure 2: Hamas Logo- GlobalSecurity.org
The new introduction of Hamas into mainstream politics has transformed this
organization into a state funded entity with included inherent risks. The increasing size
of this group yields greater allocations of finances and social projects, as well as
realignment in the leadership structure. Currently, Hamas is led by Ismail Haiyeh, the
Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority (IHT, 2008). Not only is it the responsibility
of Haiyeh to be the voice of Hamas he is also accountable for delegating the members of
Hamas in the Palestinian legislature, allocating money to the party, and organizing group
action not only inside Palestine but also to other Hamas harboring allies such as Syria and
Iran.
Hamas continues to maintain its political position by collecting funds. The
money used to fund the fight against Israel is generated mostly from friendly Islamic
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6. HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH, AND AL QAEDA THREAT
supporters, additional funds are collected from state coffers, primarily Syria and Iran.
Many western collective aid as well; “there are four central Hamas charity funds in the
West: Great Britain - The Palestine Relief and Development Fund (Interpal); U.S.A. - the
Holy Land Foundation; Germany - the Al Aqsa Foundation, with branches in Belgium
and Holland; France - Comite de Bienfaisance et Solidarite avec la Palestine.” (Eyespy,
1997). Although Hamas prides itself for its capacity to manage itself internally it could
not survive without the aid of allies outside of Palestine. This external leadership makes
Hamas accountable to leaders outside of its domain and liable to clerics in Iran and Syria
(CSS, 2006). As Hamas becomes more powerful their potential for terrorist activities
outside of the Palestinian theater increases. Thus, the domestic threat to the public safety
of the United States, as well as the world, increases as Hamas becomes more rich and
powerful.
Figure 3: Map of West Bank and Palestine- http://www.ccmep.org/delegations/maps/palestine.html#2
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7. HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH, AND AL QAEDA THREAT
Hezbollah
Hezbollah, or the “Party of God”, is a Shi'a Islamist political and paramilitary
organization based in Lebanon (Brew, 2003). Unlike its Hamas, which is almost an
exclusively Sunni institution, Hezbollah is not categorized by most countries as a terrorist
group, but rather as a resistance movement that aids in the benefit of local constituents.
Similar to Hamas, Hezbollah also has young roots that date only as far back as the early
1980s where Israel encroached upon Lebanon during the Lebanese civil war (BBC,
2008).
The ideology of Hezbollah originated from its manifesto issued by Sheik Ibrahim
al-Aminin 1985. The following is an excerpt from the manifesto that dictates the mission
of Hezbollah.
We are the sons of the umma (Muslim community) ...
... We are an ummah linked to the Muslims of the whole world by the solid
doctrinal and religious connection of Islam, whose message God wanted to be
fulfilled by the Seal of the Prophets, i.e., Prophet Muhammad. ... As for our
culture, it is based on the Holy Quran, the Sunna and the legal rulings of the faqih
who is our source of imitation...(Jerusalem, 1988).
Figure 4. Flag of Hezbollah: Wikipedia- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Hezbollah.svg
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8. HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH, AND AL QAEDA THREAT
This testament that was initially aimed to create a fundamental Islamic state but
has currently waned in lieu for a more socio-political movement where a multi-cultural
integration with Shi’a foundations (BBC, 2008). However, this presence a degree of
confusion as Hezbollah was largely formed by Shi’a fundamentalist leader Ayatollah
Khomeini and Iran Islamic Revolution leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The
Lebenonization of the area has become more political and less confrontational in regards
to guerilla methods. In order to continue to appease its leaders and maintain is highly
respected public relations via implementing social projects such as to schools, hospitals,
and humanitarian aid Hezbollah needs to maintain its flow of capital.
Figure 5. Map of Hezbollah
Territory: GlobalSecurity.org
Hezbollah
receives its money
from multiple taps.
Primarily, just like
Hamas, funds are
acquired from
sympathetic donations and manipulated investment portfolios. Sources of funds also
include aid from Iran. Monetary benefits from Iran came only through private charities,
not state endorsed transfers. These charities include health care, education and the
support of war widows (Washington Post, 2004).
Other lines of money are also affiliated with Hezbollah. Their ingenuity to
procuring more money is a fascinating marvel as these methods are not conventional and
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9. HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH, AND AL QAEDA THREAT
are also counter-intuitive to their ideology. For example, Hezbollah is notorious for
printing counterfeit U.S. dollars. In addition, according to the U.S. Naval War College
Hezbollah extorted more than $10 million dollars in Paraguay. Other forms of finance
procurement include Lebanese-Mexican immigrant smuggling into the United States and
selling black market cigarettes. Just as with Hamas, the increased potential of financial
power is directly related to the potential of international risk.
Al Qaeda
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/al-qaida.htm
https://0-www.hsdl.org.lib.utep.edu/?view&doc=117710&coll=limited
http://0-web.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=112&sid=befb14d7-8b26-4320-
b4bd-33aa4b8370cc
%40sessionmgr111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=a9h&AN=48134
873
http://www.cfr.org/publication/21347/alqaedas_financial_pressures.html
https://0-www.hsdl.org.lib.utep.edu/?view&doc=5361&coll=limited
https://0-www.hsdl.org.lib.utep.edu/?view&doc=79723&coll=limited
http://www.ask.com/wiki/Al-Qaeda
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/al-qaeda-terrorism.html
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10. HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH, AND AL QAEDA THREAT
Figure 6. Photo of Al Qaeda primary leader Bin Laden : Agence France-Presse
Figure 8. Al Qaeda Map of the World- http://www.towncalleddobson.com/?p=786
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11. HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH, AND AL QAEDA THREAT
Figure 7. Flag of Al Qaeda Iraq- Wikipedia: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Flag_of_al-Qaeda_in_Iraq.svg
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References
Al-Aminin, Ibrahim (1988). The Hizballah Program. The Jerusalem Quarterly, number
Forty-Eight, Fall 1988. http://www.standwithus.com/pdfs/flyers/hezbollah_
program.pdf. Retreived September 20, 2010.
Anti-Defamation League: ADL. (2006). Hamas Fact Sheet. http://www.adl.org/main_
israel/hamas_facts.html. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
Brew, Nigel. Hezbollah in Profile. (2003). Research Note no. 42 2002-03. Australian
Parlimentary Library. http://www.aph.gov.au/Library/pubs/rn/2002
03/03rn42.htm. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
British Broadcasting Company: BBC. Who are Hezbollah. BBC News. 2008-05-21.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4314423.stm. Retrieved September 20,
2010.
Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S).
(2006). Profile of the Hamas movement. http://www.terrorism
info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/pdf/hamas_e0206.pdf. Retrieved
September 20, 2010.
Eyespy. (1997). Hamas. http://www.eyespymag.com/hamas.html. Retrieved September
20, 2010.
Guardia, Anton La (September 12, 2003). "Telegraph.UK". London:
Telegraph.co.uk: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/
1441311/Hamas-is-added-to-EUs-blacklist-of-terror.html. Retrieved September
20, 2010.
Halvey, Efraim. (2008). Israel’s Hamas Portfolio. Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs
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Volume 2 Chapter 3. http://israelcfr.com/documents/issue6_hamas.pdf.
Retrieved September 20, 2010.
International Herald Tribune: IHT. (2008). http://www.nytimes.com. Retrieved
September 20, 2010.
Levitt, Mathew. (2007). Could Hamas Target theWest? The Washington Institute for
Near East Policy. Yale University Press. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
Washington Post. (December 20, 2004). Lebanese Wary of a Rising Hezbollah.
Retrieved September 20, 2010.
Illustrations:
Figure 1. Hamas Flag- Wikipedia: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/
b/b3/Flag_of_Hamas.svg. Retreived September 20, 2010.
Figure 2: Hamas Logo- GlobalSecurity.org. Retreived September 20, 2010.
Figure 3: Map of West Bank and Palestine- http://www.ccmep.org/delegations/
maps/palestine.html#2. Retreived September 20, 2010.
Figure 4. Flag of Hezbollah: Wikipedia- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_
Hezbollah.svg. Retreived September 20, 2010.
Figure 5. Map of Hezbollah Territory: GlobalSecurity.org. Retreived September 20,
2010.
Figure 6. Photo of Al Qaeda primary leader Bin Laden : Agence France-Presse.
Retreived September 20, 2010.
Figure 7. Flag of Al Qaeda Iraq- Wikipedia: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
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14. HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH, AND AL QAEDA THREAT
commons/3/35/Flag_of_al-Qaeda_in_Iraq.svg. Retreived September 20, 2010.
Figure 8. Al Qaeda Map of the World- http://www.towncalleddobson.com/?p=786.
Retreived September 20, 2010.
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