-Analysis-
CAIRO — The killing of Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran on Wednesday, was not merely the assassination of Hamas’ political leader, it closed the curtain on the life of a figure who had been transformed into an icon of the Palestinian cause by both regional and internal circumstances.
Haniyeh was one of the few leaders in Hamas who enjoyed general political consensus among all Palestinian factions and people, which made him a potentially moderating force and overall exceptional political leader in very difficult circumstances.
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Ismail Haniyeh was born on May 8, 1963 in the Shati refugee camp north of Gaza City, where his parents had been sheltering since they were displaced from their home in what is now the Israeli city of Ashkelon in 1948, during what Palestinians call the Nakba, or catastrophe.
He graduated from the Islamic University of Gaza in 1987 and was one of the first Palestinian young men to join Hamas, which was founded that year. Like other Palestinian leaders, he was imprisoned in Israel, including in 1989 for three years.
From exile to power
After his release in 1991, Haniyeh was then deported along with other Hamas leaders to Marj al-Zuhur, Lebanon.
Haniyeh returned from his exile in Lebanon after the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military arm, kidnapped an Israeli soldier and demanded the release of all Hamas leaders detained by Israel, including Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the group’s leader and founder. On Dec. 17, 1992, Israel decided to release all Hamas leaders from detention and deport them outside Gaza, which was under the Israeli occupation at the time.
When he returned to Gaza, Haniyeh made his way up the ranks of Hamas, and was appointed in 1997 to lead the office of the group’s founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. His position was strengthened during the Second Intifada, in the early 2000s.
Haniyeh was a balancing figure within Hamas.
The year 2005 brought a major shift in Haniyeh’s career, as he was nominated to head the Hamas-led Change and Reform List, which swept the Palestinian legislative elections. He was chosen to lead Hamas in Gaza, and in 2006, he served as prime minister.
Israel had threatened to assassinate him following the kidnapping of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by the Qassam Brigades. He was sacked by President Mahmoud Abbas over infighting between Fatah and Hamas in Gaza, and Hamas’ takeover in the strip in 2007. Yet Haniyeh rejected Abbas’ decision, and continued as prime minister in Gaza until the Palestinian Legislative Council appointed another government, headed by Rami Hamdallah in June 2014.
Man of balance
After Israel imposed its blockade of Gaza in response to Hamas’ takeover in 2007, Haniyeh gradually became a popular leader in the strip. He was seen as an advocate of consensus among Palestinians and someone who sought to end the division between Hamas and Fatah. He was also a balancing figure within Hamas, and worked as a bridge between the group’s politicians and military leaders.
When Yahya Sinwar became Hamas’ top leader in Gaza, the so-called Qassamists (those with a military background) took control. Six Qassamist leaders — who were released from Israeli detention as part of the Shalit deal in 2011 — joined the political bureau. But Haniyeh, as political leader, managed to balance Hamas’ positions.
On a regional level, Haniyeh ended the rift between Hamas and Egypt following the removal of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in 2013. He also helped mend ties with Iran, after Hamas supported the Syrian uprising against President Bashar Assad.
He was seen as an advocate of consensus among Palestinians.
In the past, Hamas has managed to quickly find replacements for its leaders killed by Israel, including founder and spiritual leader Yassin and Qassam founder Salah Shehada. But with Haniyeh, the mission could prove difficult, especially amid the ongoing war on Gaza.
