Saudi Nixes Hamas Ties
LONDON [MENL] -- Saudi Arabia has withdrawn from any rapproachment with
Hamas.
Palestinian sources said Saudi Arabia has failed to follow through on
expectations that the kingdom would restore relations with the Hamas regime
in the Gaza Strip. They said Saudi King Salman was persuaded by his top
aides that Hamas remained a leading proxy of Iran.
"There is no Saudi communication with Hamas," Palestinian analyst Akram
Atallah said.
In an interview with the London-based Al Monitor, Atallah said the Hamas
leadership was counting strongly on a reconciliation with Riyad. He cited
Hamas statements that it would be invited to the Gulf Cooperation Council
kingdom by May 2016.
"This means that Hamas convinced itself that Saudi Arabia is trying to
get closer to it," Atallah said. "However, the Saudi anti-Hamas position
remained unchanged, despite the change of Saudi governments."
The sources said Hamas had been encouraged by the ascendancy of Salman
in January 2015, which was soon followed by the visit of a Hamas delegation
several months later. But they said the king, who oversaw the transfer of
tens of million of dollars to the Palestinian movement, was persuaded by his
senior aides, particularly his son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed, that Hamas
remained in Teheran's orbit.
"The war in Yemen changed everything, and Salman understood that he
could not allow Hamas to remain neutral in the conflict with Iran," a
Palestinian
source said. "Salman, through his son, demanded that Hamas openly denounce
Iranian intervention in the war, which Hamas refused."
On July 9, a senior Saudi prince linked Hamas with Iran. Former Saudi
intelligence chief Prince Turki Al Faisal, regarded as a key envoy for royal
family, said Iran was destabilizing the Middle East by supporting a range of
proxies, including Hamas.
"Iran is adopting hostile policies and establishing sectarian
organizations and irregular armies in the name of Islam to serve the
interests of its leadership," Faisal told a rally by the Iranian opposition
in Paris.
The sources said Hamas was stunned by Turki's address. They attributed
the Saudi position to the realignment of alliances in the Middle East in
wake of the nuclear agreement with Iran.
"I do not think Hamas is in the process of starting any battle against
Saudi Arabia, not even in the media, since it knows the Saudi strength and
its influence over some of the Arab countries with whom Hamas seeks to
establish good relations," Atallah said.