Hamas Rhetoric as a Tool for Identifying Possible Changes in the Organization's Behavior

The rhetoric employed by terrorist organizations is not mere propaganda; when analyzed systematically over time, it can reveal fluctuations in the organization's levels of fear, anger, and frustration. Such an analysis can serve as a predictive tool, identifying potential transitions in organizational behavior from verbal threats to physical actions. This article examines Hamas's rhetorical response to what it perceives as increased violations of the status quo at the Temple Mount by Orthodox Jewish groups between October 2022 and October 2023. The study demonstrates that Hamas's rhetoric reflects specific fears regarding escalations in Jewish religious practices on the Temple Mount, such as individual and public prayer, the sounding of the shofar, and declared intentions to perform animal sacrifices. In response, Hamas employs distinctive rhetorical strategies, drawing heavily on imagery and terminology related to explosions, volcanos, thundering floods, and fire to issue stark warnings to Israel. The analysis points out that this "explosive" rhetoric is not coincidental but often emerges prominently in periods immediately preceding physical attacks by Hamas against Israel. This finding suggests that Hamas's rhetoric can serve as an indicator of impending shifts from verbal threats to violent action

Ancient history · Mount · Political science · Rhetoric · Sociology · Temple · Engineering · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence · History · Law · Philosophy