document · Manifesto
Hamas — 1988 Covenant doctrinal mosaic — Islamic Waqf, jihad-as-individual-duty, anti-negotiation foundational text
English 
Palestine 1988-08-18
Party: Hamas
Original source: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hamas
Content
From the Hamas Covenant (Mithaq Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyyah — Hamas), published 18 August 1988, foundational charter of the Islamic Resistance Movement:
On the land of Palestine:
'Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Moslem generations.'
On negotiation and peace initiatives:
'Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement.'
On armed struggle:
'Jihad becomes the individual duty of every Moslem' [as the obligation regarding the recovery of Palestinian land].
From Hamas leadership figures (post-1988 doctrinal continuations):
Mahmoud al-Zahar (Hamas co-founder, Gaza):
'Our ultimate plan is [to have] Palestine in its entirety.'
Fathi Hamad (Hamas Political Bureau, on Hamas's self-characterization):
Characterized Hamas as 'an enlightened, moderate Islamic movement,' denying claims of establishing an Islamic state.
[NOTE: The 1988 Covenant remained the formal foundational document until Hamas's 2017 'Document of General Principles and Policies' was issued. The 2017 document is sometimes characterized as a moderation of the 1988 Covenant. Both documents coexist in Hamas's doctrinal canon.] How to cite this document
This is a third-party primary text. Cite the original author and source — Tayyar hosts the verbatim excerpt for research access, but Tayyar is not the author. The "Retrieved via" line at the bottom records your access path through Tayyar for transparency.
In-text
(Hamas, 1988) Hamas. (1988). Hamas — 1988 Covenant doctrinal mosaic — Islamic Waqf, jihad-as-individual-duty, anti-negotiation foundational text. en.wikiquote.org. Retrieved June 21, 2026, from https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hamas
Hamas. 1988. "Hamas — 1988 Covenant doctrinal mosaic — Islamic Waqf, jihad-as-individual-duty, anti-negotiation foundational text." en.wikiquote.org. Accessed June 21, 2026. https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hamas.
@misc{doc-document-958b6efe-6bbc-4b6d-843f-428a0930073f,
author = {{Hamas}},
title = {Hamas — 1988 Covenant doctrinal mosaic — Islamic Waqf, jihad-as-individual-duty, anti-negotiation foundational text},
year = {1988},
date = {1988-08-18},
howpublished = {Online; hosted at en.wikiquote.org},
url = {https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hamas},
urldate = {2026-06-21},
note = {Retrieved via Tayyar at https://tarekgara.com/tayyar/documents/958b6efe-6bbc-4b6d-843f-428a0930073f},
} Retrieved via Tayyar: https://tarekgara.com/tayyar/documents/958b6efe-6bbc-4b6d-843f-428a0930073f on June 21, 2026. Tayyar is a research host for primary sources, not the author of this document.