Hamas' Media Discourse in the Government

Farid Abudheir's picture
Journal Title, Volume, Page: 
Annals of Arts and Social Sciences
Year of Publication: 
2012
Authors: 
Farid Abu-Dheir
An-Najah University
Current Affiliation: 
Assistant Prof.
Preferred Abstract (Original): 
In recent years, international attention has become increasingly focused on Hamas, as a nascent and increasingly influential Palestinian political movement. In this study, I examine certain discursive strategies used by Hamas Government's representatives as they are reported in the media. Central findings from this analysis include the presence of overlap between discourses of the movement and the Government, and a relative flexibility in the Government's discourse compared to that of the movement. I argue that the Hamas Government has had only limited success in adopting a discourse appropriate for its status as a "government". Finally, I contend that the Government does not have sufficient discursive space to develop as a government due to the enormous political pressures and challenges it currently faces.