Hamas has been one of Assad’s closest allies, but relations between them have soured since the outbreak of the 2011 Syrian uprising and its bloody crackdown.
A delegation of the Islamist Palestinian movement Hamas arrived in Damascus today to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, more than a decade after it severed ties with the Syrian government following the outbreak of the uprising in the country, a Palestinian official said.
Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, has been one of Assad’s closest allies, but relations between them have soured since the uprising in Syria broke out in 2011, with the Palestinian movement criticizing its bloody crackdown.
For years, Syrian officials considered Hamas’ departure a “fatal blow” to the relationship with Syria, with some calling it a “betrayal.”
Following the meeting, Hamas announced today that it had restored relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
“It is a day of glory, an important day, during which we restore our presence in Syria and resume joint work with Damascus,” said Khalil Haya, head of Hamas’ Arab and Islamic relations office.
“We agreed with the president to turn the page and move forward. We consider this meeting to be historic and a new starting point for joint Palestinian-Syrian action,” he added.
According to a statement by a senior Hamas official to AFP, the movement is preparing to reopen a “representative office” in Damascus, a first step towards restoring old relations.
“However, it is too early to talk about moving the headquarters to Damascus,” the official added.
The Hamas delegation arrived in Syria after visiting Algeria, where 14 Palestinian organizations — including rivals Hamas and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah — signed a reconciliation deal on Oct. 13 after 15 years of conflict.
The visit to Damascus comes a few weeks after Hamas announced it wanted to restore relations with the Syrian government “in light of the rapid regional and international developments linked to our cause,” an indirect reference to the normalization of relations with many of its countries. region with Israel.
Thus, in recent months leaders of the Islamist movement have multiplied meetings with high-ranking Syrian officials mediated by Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah, according to the official.
Hamas maintained good relations with Hezbollah, a staunch ally of the Syrian regime.
Pro-Iranian Hezbollah said it played an important role in reconciling the Syrian government with Hamas, which it sees as part of the “axis of resistance” against Israel, which also includes Damascus, Tehran and Iraqi factions.
Today’s meeting between Hamas and the Syrian president “is part of a broader rapprochement between Hezbollah and Hamas that has been evident in Lebanon for more than a year,” Maha Yahya, director of Carnegie Middle East, told AFP. Center based in Beirut.
RES-EMP
Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
