Iran's Proxy Warfare Strategy in Palestine: Analyzing Support for Islamic Resistance

Abstract

Since 1979, Iran's strong Shiite identity has made its support for the Sunni Palestinian cause particularly remarkable. Despite over four decades of support of Iran to the Palestinian groups there are still some gaps in the literature required to be fulfilled. This study aims to uncover why and how Iran supports Palestinian resistance groups through the lens of proxy war conceptualization. In the literature, Iran's benefactor-proxy relationship with Hamas and Islamic Jihad is often discussed briefly and superficially under the broader context of Palestinian groups within Iran's proxy war strategy. Consequently, this study is distinguished by its focus on analyzing Iran's support for Palestinian groups from the perspective of a proxy war, as opposed to the examination of their relationship. This approach sets it apart from other works in this field. In analyzing Iran's proxy war strategy in Palestine, Andrew Mumford's quadrilateral framework is employed, which encompasses the provision of manpower, the military assistance, financial support and non-military support. The study's analytical clarity was ensured by using this framework.