Hudna

Hudna (هدنة) is an Arabic term meaning "truce" or "armistice" as well as "calm" or "quiet", coming from a verbal root meaning "calm". It is sometimes translated as "cease-fire". In the Lisan al-Arab (Ibn al-Manzur's definitive dictionary of classical Arabic, dating to the 14th century) it is defined as follows:

"hadana: he grew quiet. hadina: he quieted (transitive or intransitive). haadana: he made peace with. The noun from each of these is hudna."

A particularly famous early hudna was the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah between Muhammad and the Quraysh tribe.

According to Umdat as-Salik, a medieval summary of Shafi'i jurisprudence, hudnas with a non-Muslim enemy should be limited to 10 years: "if Muslims are weak, a truce may be made for ten years if necessary, for the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) made a truce with the Quraysh for that long, as is related by Abu Dawud" ('Umdat as-Salik, o9.16).

Hudna in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

In English, the term is most frequently used in reference to a cease-fire agreement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly one that would involve organizations such as Hamas. The concept of hudna was introduced to the conflict by the Israeli businessman Eyal Ehrlich in 2001, after seeing a hudna being declared in order to calm a feud in Jordan (cf. Haaretz, January 2, 2002); he and some others proposed, unsuccessfully, that Israel should suggest a mutual hudna as a prelude to a more lasting peace.

Despite the Israeli government's rejection of the idea, in summer 2003 - following pressure from Abu Mazen and Egypt - Hamas and Islamic Jihad unilaterally declared a 45-day ceasefire, or hudna. Its proponents commonly argued that such a cease-fire would allow hostility to die down and make a full reconciliation possible; its opponents commonly argued that it would be a mere tactical maneuver enabling Palestinian groups to re-group and muster their strength in preparation for further attacks on Israelis, or Israel to continue expanding settlements, blockading Palestinian towns, and arresting members of such groups[1] (http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/651/re1.htm). The hudna started in late June 2003.

Israel - which had not made any agreement - continued to hunt down militants, while Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade continued to target Israeli civilians. Hamas observed the hudna until, on August 8, the IDF killed two Hamas members, to which Hamas responded with a suicide bombing on August 12, killing one Israeli civilian. Despite this de facto violation of the hudna, Hamas stated that the cease-fire would continue. Hostilities then escalated: the Israeli army killed Islamic Jihad's Muhammad Seeder on August 14 ; the Jerusalem bus 2 massacre by Hamas and Islamic Jihad on August 19, killed 23 and wounded 136 people ; and Israeli forces killed Hamas's Isma'il Abu-Shanab on August 21. After the killing of the two high-ranking leaders, Hamas eventually called off the hudna. [2] (http://www.counterpunch.org/avnery08252003.html)

In January 2004, senior Hamas leader Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi offered a 10-year hudna in return for complete withdrawal from all territories captured in the Six Day War, and the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. Rantissi said the hudna was limited to ten years and represented a decision by the movement because it was "difficult to liberate all our land at this stage. The hudna would however not signal a recognition of the state of Israel. Hamas' former spritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin made similar statements at this time, including a one hundred year Hudna. Israel characterised the offer as ridiculous and a "smoke screen for military preparations". Both Israel and the United States insist that Hamas is "an enemy of peace" that must be disarmed and dismantled. [3] (http://www.honestreporting.com/articles/critiques/Hudna_With_Hamas.asp) Following further terror attacks by Hamas, Yassin was killed by Israel in March 2004, Rantissi in April.[4] (http://www.aljazeerah.info/News%20archives/2004%20News%20archives/Jan/27n/Hamas%20proposal%20of%2010year%20truce%20scorned.htm)

See also:

• Al-Aqsa Intifada
• Hamas
• History of Islam
• List of Islamic terms in Arabic
• Muhammad
• The Israeli-Palestinian conflict

External links

• Hudna With Hamas (http://www.honestreporting.com/articles/critiques/Hudna_With_Hamas.asp) from HonestReporting.com
• From Intifada to Hudna? The Draw (http://www.counterpunch.org/avnery07072003.html) By Uri Avnery, July 7, 2003